Missing Doctor found in frozen pond

During a search of a frozen pond near his Michigan home on Tuesday, a diving team discovered the body of a missing doctor who was reported missing on Christmas Eve.

A Blackman-Leoni Public Safety Facebook post on Christmas Eve said Dr. Bolek Payan was last seen leaving the Henry Ford Allegiance Health hospital in Jackson, Michigan, on Thursday. While his car was found at home, he did not return to work or contact his family or friends.

Authorities said Payan left his home on foot after detectives gained access to his password-protected surveillance system. K-9 teams and drones searched the surrounding area without success.

A Jackson County Dive Team found Payan after drilling holes into a frozen pond on his property to search the water. A medical examiner is conducting an autopsy on him.

“Based on the weather conditions and the fact that he was in the water on the day that he left his residence, Dr. Payan would have been deceased before he was reported missing,” Blackman-Leoni Public Safety said.

The state of Michigan was among the states hit by a winter storm that brought freezing temperatures, high winds, and heavy precipitation.

His biography with Henry Ford Health states that Payan was a doctor of osteopathic medicine certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine was where he studied and Henry Ford Allegiance Health was where he completed his residency in psychiatry.