Body of missing Missouri emergency room doctor found by kayaker in Arkansas

Corrections & Clarifications: This story has been updated to correct how far away the body was found from where the missing doctor was last seen.

A death investigation is underway after the body of a Missouri doctor was found in northwest Arkansas more than a week after he was reported missing, police say.

Dr. John Forsyth, 49, was found dead Tuesday with what appeared to be a gunshot wound, the Benton County (Arkansas) Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

His body was found by a kayaker in the water across from the area near Lost Bridge South Park, according to the statement. The park is roughly 26 miles from Mercy Hospital in Cassville, Missouri, where he worked as an emergency room physician.

He was last seen at the hospital on the morning of May 21 but did not show up for his afternoon shift, his brother Richard Forsyth told The Daily Beast. Cassville is a town of 3,100 in the Missouri Ozarks.

Richard Forsyth told The Associated Press that officials notified his family that his brother's body had been found Tuesday night. He said his brother last spoke to his fiancée as he was leaving the hospital in the morning, The Daily Beast reported. Concern grew when he failed to return for his later shift, according to the outlet.

“He wouldn’t miss a shift even if his eyeballs were hanging out of their sockets," Richard Forsyth told The Daily Beast last week. “It was an immediate red flag.”

John Forsyth's vehicle, a black Infiniti, was later found at an aquatic park in Cassville. It was unlocked with items including his wallet, two phones, and a laptop inside.

His brother told the Associated Press Wednesday that surveillance video from the aquatic park showed the black Infiniti pulling into the parking lot. A few minutes later, a white SUV can be seen parking near him.

“It doesn’t seem like a person who left with a plan,” Richard Forsyth told The Associated Press earlier Tuesday.

Law enforcement agencies, including the Missouri State Highway Patrol, used dogs and drones to search a nearly 9-mile radius around the park. Meanwhile, Forsyth’s family sought information and shared articles about his disappearance on Facebook.

Benton County detectives are investigating Forsyth's death along with the Barry County Sheriff's Office, Cassville police and Missouri State Police. Richard Forsyth told The Associated Press his family is still waiting on more details from detectives. The Missouri State Highway Patrol directed questions to Cassville police.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: John Forsyth, missing Missouri ER doctor, found dead in Arkansas