Missing doctor found dead after surveillance video leads Michigan cops to frozen pond

A doctor who went missing just days before Christmas has been found dead near his Michigan home, authorities say.

Family and friends were expecting to visit Dr. Bolek Payan for the holidays, but contacted police after they couldn’t get in touch with him and discovered he hadn’t been seen since leaving the hospital where he worked on Dec. 22, WILX reported.

Investigators gained access to his home surveillance system — which was “password protected” — on Monday, helping narrow down where he may have disappeared to, Blackman-Leoni Public Safety officials said in a Dec. 27 news release. Video showed Payan leaving the house on foot in the middle of the afternoon on the day he was last seen.

Investigators, dogs and drones searched the area but turned up nothing, the release said. But there was still one spot they hadn’t checked, a frozen pond on the property.

Crews cut holes through the ice and a dive team plunged into the frigid water, where they found Payan’s body, officials said.

Investigators believe he died before anyone would have noticed he was missing.

The Jackson County medical examiner will perform an autopsy, as well as toxicology testing, according to officials.

This story was originally published December 28, 2022 at 9:09 AM with the headline "Missing doctor found dead after surveillance video leads Michigan cops to frozen pond."