May 31, 2023

Questions remain: Body of missing Missouri doctor found

Posted May 31, 2023 4:30 PM

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 brother 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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CASSVILLE, Mo. (AP) — Authorities in a small Missouri town continue to search for an emergency room physician a week-and-a-half after his mysterious disappearance.

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

“This is very unusual for him,” Forsyth’s brother, Richard Forsyth, told KOLR-TV. “This is a punctual man who has never missed a day of work in his life, not even for being sick.”

Forsyth's black Infiniti was found in a remote area near an aquatic park in Cassville. The car was unlocked with his wallet, two phones and a laptop inside.

Several law enforcement agencies, including the Missouri State Highway Patrol, have joined in the search 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 on Monday.

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