The death of a well-respected Missouri emergency room doctor the body was found 11 months ago, a northwest Arkansas lake was ruled a suicide, Arkansas authorities said Thursday, in a case that fueled social media speculation about whether her disappearance had been linked to their cryptocurrency businesses.
Dr. John Forsyth, 49, was last seen nearly a year ago near the RV he parked at the hospital in Cassville, Missouri, where he worked. The father of eight who was engaged to be married failed to show up for his shift at Mercy Hospital on May 21, 2023, prompting a manhunt. There was no sign of him until a kayaker found his body on May 30 in Arkansas' Beaver Lake, about 20 miles south of the hospital.
/ AP
Detectives with the Benton County, Arkansas Sheriff's Office said Thursday that Forsyth died of a gunshot wound to the head. An autopsy by the chief medical examiner at the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory concluded that the death was a suicide.
“Detectives have not been able to find any information or evidence that would lead us to question the medical examiner's findings,” the sheriff said. “If objective and relevant physical evidence is available, these leads will be investigated on a case-by-case basis.”
The statement also said that as part of their investigation, sheriff's officials found surveillance video of Forsyth riding his bike to Beaver Lake. They said the bike was discovered near where Forsyth's body was found.
The apparent mystery surrounding Forsyth's death – and the lack of details made public – drew national attention to his case. He became engaged after twice divorcing a previous wife, and his brother, Richard, described him as excited about his upcoming marriage and new child with his fiancee and had a plane ticket to see a of his daughters.
Online publications covering cryptocurrency were quick to take note of his death. His brother later said that before his brother's death, John Forsyth had made cryptic comments about being in danger.
Richard Forsyth told OzarksFirst that there was one person they believed was upset with his brother, but that person was overseas and said he was confident the incident is not relevant to the investigation.
“He expressed some extreme emotions towards us that he was going to get revenge. And eventually his campaign failed and we never heard from him again,” Richard Forsyth said. “I don't see that being enough motivation for someone to come across the Atlantic and cause trouble.”
Richard Forsyth did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment on the Benton County Sheriff's announcement.
John and Richard Forsyth founded Onfo LLC, what they called a “network mining” company, in 2018. At the time, Onfo's website said account holders could earn credits without contributing cash , referring others to the company.
Richard Forsyth said after his brother's death that the two were looking to give a large number of people, including poor people in developing countries, the opportunity to invest in decentralized digital currency. He said the brothers believed crypto had been driven by greed, “about Lamborghinis” and “billionaires and tax evasion”.
But the brothers' crypto business wasn't the only reason the case received attention as a Facebook discussion group grew to more than 1,000 members.
Just 10 days before John Forsyth's disappearance, a judge had finalized Forsyth's second divorce, requiring him to pay an additional $15,000 a month to his ex-wife and $3,999 a month to support four of his children. But the separation was amicable, according to relatives and the ex-wife's lawyer.
A week after John Forsyth's disappearance, his sister, Tiffany Andelin, wrote on Facebook that he had “disappeared, seemingly into thin air.”
“I'm grieving, I'm scared, and it feels like the world has descended into pure chaos,” she wrote.
The sheriff's department said the doctor was last seen walking to his trailer in the parking lot of Mercy Hospital in Cassville, 40 miles west of the Ozark Mountain resort of Branson, Mo. .
But she was reported missing from the parking lot of a public swimming pool in Cassville, about a mile from the hospital where she worked, which had not yet opened for the summer season. Richard Forsyth said his brother's car was found there, unlocked, with two mobile phones, a laptop and important documents inside.
If you or someone you know is experiencing emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, you can contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. You can also chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline here.
For more information about resources and support for mental health care, you can contact the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Helpline Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET, at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or by email at info@ nami.org.
