Following his disappearance from his residence in Michigan, a US doctor was found dead under the ice of a frozen pond after five days.
Authorities reported that Payan was last seen leaving his home on Thursday afternoon, December 22, as captured by password-protected security cameras which detectives managed to access on Monday.
The tragedy unfolded hours after Payan, who specialized in psychiatry and graduated from Midwestern University Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2017, was observed leaving his workplace, Henry Ford Jackson Hospital, on Thursday.
The Blackman-Leoni Public Safety (BLDPS) stated that divers discovered 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 neighbors, 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 occurred amidst severe weather conditions across the Midwest and East Coast of the US, including a historic winter storm that resulted in substantial snowfall in western New York over the holiday weekend. The storm has caused multiple fatalities, including 27 in Buffalo, New York, and at least 50 people overall.
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