Jun 01, 2023

Body of Missouri doctor had apparent gunshot wound

Posted Jun 01, 2023 8:00 AM

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A missing emergency room doctor from Missouri was found dead in Arkansas from an apparent gunshot wound, authorities confirmed Wednesday. But they are still investigating what happened in the week since he was last seen.

A kayaker discovered the body of 49-year-old Dr. John Forsyth on Tuesday in Beaver Lake, a large reservoir in northwestern Arkansas, the Benton County Sheriff's Office said. No further information would immediately be released, authorities said, and they didn't specify if he was shot by someone else or if the wound was self-inflicted.

The doctor’s unlocked vehicle with his wallet, two phones, a laptop and other items had been found Sunday near a city-run public pool in Cassville, the town in the Missouri Ozarks where he worked, said his brother Richard Forsyth. The body was found at a location about 20 miles (32 kilometers) away, Arkansas authorities say. Cassville is about 200 miles south of Kansas City.

Surveillance video from the pool shows John Forsyth’s black Infiniti pulling into the parking lot, and a white SUV can be seen parking near him a few minutes later, his brother said in an interview Wednesday.

“We’re devastated, especially at the nature of his passing,” Richard Forsyth said. He said Wednesday evening that police had given the family no new details other than investigations into his brother’s death and how he went missing were continuing in both states.

The last time the two brothers met in person was at dinner on Wednesday, May 17.

“I told him this is the happiest I’d seen him in a long time. His divorce was final May 11, and I think that gave him energy for the future,” Richard Forsyth said in an earlier interview.

John Forsyth had recently become engaged to be married, his brother said, and his fiancée was the last known person to communicate with him, texting at around 7 a.m. on Sunday, May 21.

The doctor was reported missing that same day when he didn't arrive for work at Mercy Hospital, police have said.

Richard Forsyth said the family was mystified by his brother's death and rejected the theory that he might have taken his own life.

“I don’t believe it,” he said. “John would never do that. I won’t accept that possibility.”

John Forsyth was the father of eight children, his brother said, and was so dedicated to his work that he never missed a day, stayed in an RV near the hospital when he was on call, and was never late for his difficult shifts in the emergency room.

His brother-in-law Jason Musgrave in a call with The Associated Press Wednesday from Ozark, Missouri, also rejected the idea of John Forsyth dying by suicide.

“I feel like it is foul play. I feel like it has to have been,” Musgrave said, adding that it was also hard to imagine that anyone who knew him would want to hurt him.

“He was funny and engaging and the life of a party,” Musgrave said. He said the news that his brother-in-law's body had been found had hit the family like a “bus full of bricks.”

Messages seeking comment from the Missouri State Highway Patrol and Cassville police on Wednesday were not immediately returned.

When the doctor's vehicle was found, several law enforcement agencies searched about a 9-mile (15-kilometer) radius around the aquatic park using people, dogs and drones. Forsyth's family set up a Facebook page seeking information.

Gina Forsyth-Farlaino said her brother was smart, confident, loved to help people and was devoted to his family. In the days since his disappearance, she said the family has heard at least three stories of people who he persuaded not to take their own lives. But Forsyth never mentioned those cases to his family, she recalled in an interview Wednesday from Price, Utah.

“I miss him terribly,” Forsyth-Farlaino said. “And I’m devastated that he’s not here.”

KANSAS CITY (AP) —A missing emergency room doctor from Missouri has been found dead in northwestern Arkansas, his brother said, but questions remain about what happened in the week since he was last seen.

Authorities said the body of Dr. John Forsyth, 49, was discovered in Benton County, Arkansas, roughly an hour-and-a-half drive from where the doctor's car was found near an aquatic park in Cassville, Missouri, his brother Richard Forsyth said in an interview Tuesday. Richard Forsyth said authorities had contacted family members with the information. He provided no other details.

The black Infiniti was unlocked with John Forsyth's wallet, two phones, a laptop and other items inside, his brother said. Police told the family there were no signs of foul play. An autopsy and official identification were pending.

“Right now, we really don’t have any breaks in the case,” Richard Forsyth said earlier Tuesday. “I’m confused, and I’m worried. And I don’t like this one bit.”

Police in Cassville announced Tuesday night that the Benton County Sheriff’s Office informed them a body had been found, the same day the bother said the family was told about the discovery.

Messages left Wednesday with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol were not immediately returned.

The last known person who communicated with John Forsyth was the woman he'd recently gotten engaged to, who texted with him at around 7 a.m. on Sunday, May 21, his brother said.

Police say he was reported missing when he failed to show up for work May 21 at Mercy Hospital in Cassville, a town of 3,100 residents deep in the Missouri Ozarks.

The last time his brother saw John Forsyth was at dinner on Wednesday, May 17.

“I told him this is the happiest I’d seen him in a long time. His divorce was final May 11, and I think that gave him energy for the future,” Richard Forsyth said.

John Forsyth had worked at the Cassville hospital for about 15 years, his brother said, describing him as a doting father, part-time math nerd and dedicated physician who stayed in his RV near the hospital when he was on-call.

“He really cared about his patients,” Richard Forsyth said. “And he loved his kids.”

When the doctor's vehicle was found, several law enforcement agencies searched about a 9-mile (15-kilometer) radius around the aquatic park using people, dogs and drones. Forsyth's family set up a Facebook page seeking information.

“My brother has now been missing for week,” his sister, Tiffany Andelin, wrote Monday. “I’m grieving, I’m afraid, and it feels like the world has tipped into sheer chaos.”

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KANSAS CITY (AP) —The body of a Missouri emergency room doctor who has been missing for more than a week has been found in northwest Arkansas, his brother told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Dr. John Forsyth was last heard from in text messages around 7 a.m. May 21. His brother, Richard Forsyth, said authorities called the family Tuesday night to say his brother was found deceased. He said he and other family members were waiting for more details from detectives.

Messages left with the Missouri State Highway Patrol were not immediately returned.

Police said John Forsyth, 49, was reported missing when he failed to show up for work May 21 at Mercy Hospital in Cassville, a town of 3,100 residents deep in the Missouri Ozarks.

His black Infiniti was found parked in a remote area near an aquatic park in Cassville. The car was unlocked with his wallet, two phones and a laptop and other items inside.

“It doesn't seem like a person who left with a plan,” Richard Forsyth told the AP earlier Tuesday. “Right now, we really don't have any breaks in the case. I’m confused, and I’m worried. And I don’t like this one bit."

Several law enforcement agencies, including the Missouri State Highway Patrol, searched about a 9-mile radius around the park using people, dogs and drones. Forsyth's family set up a Facebook page seeking information.

“My brother has now been missing for week. I’m grieving, I’m afraid, and it feels like the world has tipped into sheer chaos,” his sister, Tiffany Andelin, wrote Monday.

Richard Forsyth said the last person his brother texted with was a woman to whom his brother had recently gotten engaged. The last time Richard saw him was a few days before he went missing.

“We had dinner Wednesday before he disappeared, and we sat and talked for three hours,” Richard Forsyth said. “I told him this is the happiest I’d seen him in a long time. His divorce was final May 11, and I think that gave him energy for the future.”

Phone and email messages left Tuesday with Cassville police were not immediately returned. Police have said there were no signs of foul play.

Richard Forsyth said his brother had been at the Cassville hospital for about 15 years. He described John Forsyth as a doting father, family physician and part-time math nerd.

“He really cared about his patients,” Richard Forsyth said, adding that his brother stayed in his RV near the hospital when he was on-call. “And he loved his kids.”

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