CASSVILLE, Missouri — Benton County officials have confirmed that the body of a Missouri doctor was found in Beaver Lake with an apparent gunshot wound.
49-year-old Dr. John Forsyth's body was found on May 30 after a kayaker called 911 in the Lost Bridge South area of Beaver Lake, the Benton County Sheriff's Office said in a press release.
Forsyth was last heard from in text messages around 7 a.m. on May 21, his brother told the Associated Press. His brother, Richard Forsyth, said authorities called the family Tuesday night to say his brother's body was found.
The press release from the BCSO says Dr. Forsyth was found "in the water, with what appears to be a gunshot wound."
In an interview with 5NEWS, Richard Forsyth stated that "Our understanding was that he was abducted from Cassville, taken to that lake, executed, and thrown in...That is not official. That's not from the police, but that's what we understand at this point."
Richard Forsyth also said that "The truck was parked in a very strange place. The place was mostly concealed where refuse is meant to be... They found security footage that suggests that he may have met a white SUV at the ATM when he parked his car. We don't know much else. We know much else about that day he went missing."
Richard Forsyth also wanted to dispel rumors that his brother was "'living in a trailer and he couldn't afford his life, so he moved on.' That's not true. He was a prosperous wealthy man who spent a lot of what he had for the benefit of others."
No further information was provided by BCSO, and they said this is still being investigated.
Police said the doctor was reported missing when he failed to show up for work later that day at Mercy Hospital in Cassville, a town deep in the Missouri Ozarks.
His black Infiniti was found parked in a remote area near an aquatic park in Cassville, the AP said. The car was unlocked with his wallet, two phones and a laptop inside.
Several law enforcement agencies, including the Missouri State Highway Patrol, searched about a 9-mile radius around the area where his car was found. A Facebook page has been set up by Forsyth’s family seeking information.
“My brother has now been missing for a 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 was his fiancee. The last time Richard saw him was a few days before he went missing, he told AP.
Richard Forsyth also says that authorities told him that they are investigating his brother's death as a homicide. Richard Forsyth also stated that Missouri authorities were also investigating the man's sudden disappearance in the time leading up to his death.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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