The Missouri ER doctor who mysteriously disappeared last week was found dead from a gunshot wound in an Arkansas lake, authorities confirmed Wednesday — as his brother said the devoted health care worker may have been in danger because he had previously been kidnapped.
Dr. John Forsyth’s body was found Tuesday by a kayaker in an Arkansas lake — about an hour south of where he was last seen in Cassville, Missouri — with what appeared to be a gunshot wound, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office said in a release.
Cassville police Capt. James Smith told The Post that the 49-year-old’s body was found in the area of Beaver Lake.
Officials have not shared the location of the wound or whether they believe Forsyth’s death was a suicide.
Forsyth was first reported missing on May 21 after he failed to show up for his shift at Mercy Hospital, something that was out of character for the father of seven, according to his loved ones.
His brother, Richard Forsyth, said the family had been gathered together eating dinner Tuesday night when a state police officer came to the door to share the tragic news.
“We’re devastated,” Richard told Fox News Digital, noting he did not think the cause of death was suicide.
“There’s no way he killed himself,” he said. “Many times he mentioned he might be in danger.”
According to the grieving brother, Forsyth was mysteriously kidnapped and released in February 2022.
“It was cold. He was zip-tied. He was made to feel very unsafe and taken on a car ride with some people to a bridge and he was threatened,” Richard said.
What to know about Dr. John Forsyth's mysterious death
Dr. John Forsyth’s body was found by a kayaker in an Arkansas lake — about an hour south of where he was last seen in Cassville, Missouri — with what appeared to be a gunshot wound, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office said in a release.
The 49-year-old doctor was first reported missing on May 21 after he failed to show up for his shift at Mercy Hospital, something that was out of character for the father of seven, according to his loved ones.
The last person believed to have been in contact with John was his new fiancée, whom he texted at 7 a.m.
The doctor got engaged three days before his disappearance and several days after he finalized his divorce from his first wife.
Officials have not shared the location of the wound or whether they believe Forsyth’s death was a suicide.
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Richard, who said he only found out about the alleged kidnapping from a friend after his brother went missing, shared that a police report was never filed.
“He did not file a police report because he believed he was in continued danger,” Richard said.
Richard said he didn’t know who would want to harm his brother, who was regarded as a devoted health care provider and a loving and generous father.
Forsyth was reported missing nine days before his body was found after he failed to show up to work for the first time in his nearly 15 years working at the hospital.
“Dr. Forsyth has never missed a shift without notifying us in the past, so when he failed to arrive for his scheduled shift, and we were unable to reach him, we became concerned and alerted authorities,” the hospital said before the news of his death.
The last person believed to have been in contact with John was his new fiancée, whom he texted at 7 a.m.
He then suddenly stopped responding to her messages. She has not been identified.
Video surveillance caught the doctor walking to his luxury RV, where he stayed in the hospital parking lot during his shifts.
Police later located his Infiniti about 700 feet from the Cassville Aquatic Center entrance at a yard waste site.
Inside the vehicle, authorities found his passport, wallet and two phones, along with the keys to his RV and car.
His RV was also left unlocked, which Richard also called “very uncharacteristic.”
Extensive searches of the 90-acre wooded area around where authorities discovered his car turned up empty.
The doctor got engaged three days before his disappearance and several days after he finalized his divorce from his first wife.
An uncontested divorce settlement was issued on May 11 that awarded his ex about $19,000 a month in alimony and child support, Richard said.
According to his brother, the ex-couple had an amicable relationship.
The discovery of the body is being investigated by the Benton County Sheriff’s Department.
The Cassville Police Department has offered to assist in the investigation.
