Dr Bolek Payan: Missing Michigan doctor found dead in frozen pond after 5-day search
JACKSON, MICHIGAN: A doctor of psychiatry and Midwestern University alumnus was discovered dead in a Michigan pond on Tuesday, December 27. Dr Bolek Payan, a doctor at Henry Ford Allegiance Hospital in Jackson, Michigan, was discovered dead in a pond close to his residence at 12.30 pm, the Blackman-Leoni Township police said in a Facebook post.
Members of Payan's family had come to Michigan in anticipation of spending the holidays with him. They found Payan's vehicle at his house but were unable to locate him, so they filed a missing person report on Thursday, December 22, according to Lansing NBC affiliate WILX. He was a 2017 DO graduate of Midwestern University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Downers Grove.
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Nicole Keiser, a family friend, may have been the last person to see Payan after the doctor left with his dogs. At 8 am, Dr Payan left his dogs with Nicole and told her that he would pick them up at 6.30 pm. Nicole noted that Bolek's lack of arrival to pick up his pets was unusual for him, as reported by The US Sun. Detectives gained access to his home video camera system after beginning their investigation and were able to view Dr Payan leaving his house sometime in the afternoon on the day he went missing. K-9s, drones, and personnel on foot searched almost 200 acres of property belonging to Payan. Although at first, they were unable to locate the doctor divers found his remains on Tuesday, December 27, after holes were eventually cut in the ice of a pond close to his home on Monday, December 26, as reported by WGN9.
Given the circumstances beneath the cold pond, investigators concluded that Payan was probably already dead when he went missing. Authorities made no public comments regarding Payan's demise or the circumstances surrounding how or why he was found trapped beneath the frozen pond. "The Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office will be conducting an autopsy and toxicology testing, which will aid in further investigating this incident,” the public safety department said. Anyone with information regarding Dr Payan's death can reach detectives Mike Villarreal and Detective Sergeant Bob Shrock at (517) 788-4223.
Michigan Police thanked numerous teams after revealing that they had discovered Payan's body. "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," police said. "Our thoughts are with Dr Payan’s family and friends."
