A Michigan doctor who was reported missing on Christmas Eve was found dead Tuesday after a scuba team searched a frozen pond near his home.
Dr. Bolek Payan was last seen leaving Henry Ford Allegiance Health hospital in Jackson, Michigan, on Thursday, according to a Blackman-Leoni Public Safety report. Facebook post on Christmas Eve. His car was found at his home, but he did not return to work or have contact with his friends or family.
Payan was seen leaving his home on foot after detectives were able to access his password-protected surveillance system. authorities said on Tuesday. A search of the surrounding area, which included the use of K-9 dogs and drones, returned no results.
The Jackson County Dive Team found Payan after drilling holes in the surface of a frozen pond on his property to search the water. The Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office is conducting an autopsy.
“Detectives believe that Dr. Payan would have passed away before he was reported missing, due to weather conditions the day he left his residence and the fact that he was in the water,” Blackman-Leoni Public Safety said.
Michigan was among a large swath of states that were affected by a winter storm that brought sub-zero temperatures, high winds and heavy rainfall.
Payan was a doctor of osteopathic medicine with a board certification from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, according to his biography with Henry Ford Health. She studied at Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine and did her psychiatry residency at Henry Ford Allegiance Health.