A US doctor declared missing for five days has been found dead under the ice of a frozen pond in his nearby home in Michigan, United States of America.
Payan was last seen exiting his home on Thursday afternoon December 22, via password-protected security cameras that detectives were able to eventually gain access to on Monday, authorities said.
The tragic events occurred hours after Payan who specialized in psychiatry and graduated from Midwestern University Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2017, was seen leaving his place of employment, Henry Ford Jackson Hospital, on Thursday.
According to Blackman-Leoni Public Safety (BLDPS), divers had recovered the body of Dr. Bolek Payan “from a pond on the property near his residence” around 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 27.
“His vehicle was found at his residence in Leoni Township, but he has had no contact with his employer, family or friends,” the BLDPS said on Sunday.
“After not locating anything on land, holes were cut in the ice of a pond on the property yesterday and divers located Dr. Payan’s body under the ice today,” the BLDPS said.
Detectives believe Dr. Payan would have been deceased, prior to when he was reported missing, due to the weather conditions on the day that he left his residence and the fact that he was in the water,” they added.
The BLDPS also noted that prior to Payan’s body being located, his property had been searched “with K-9 dogs, drones and on foot.”
“We would like to thank the Jackson County Dive Team, Michigan Search and Rescue, J-DART, the neighbours, and the public for their assistance during this incident. Our thoughts are with Dr. Payan’s family and friends.”
“The Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office will be conducting an autopsy and toxicology testing, which will aid in further investigating this incident,” they added.
Payan’s death comes amid severe weather conditions that have swept the Midwest and East Coast of the U.S. as of late, including a historic winter storm that dumped up to 50 inches of snow in western New York over the holiday weekend. The storm has killed at least 50 people, including 27 in Buffalo, New York.
