Arkansas officials say a Missouri doctor whose body was found in a lake died by suicide
The death of a Missouri doctor whose body was found 11 months ago in a northwest Arkansas lake has been ruled a suicide, Arkansas authorities said Thursday in a case that fueled speculation on social media about whether his disappearance related to his cryptocurrency transactions.
Detectives from the Benton County, Arkansas, sheriff’s office have found surveillance video of Dr. John Forsyth riding his bicycle to Beaver Lake, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of where he was last seen in Cassville, Missouri, the sheriff’s office said in a statement. The sheriff’s office said the bicycle was discovered near where Forsyth’s body was found.
Forsyth died of a gunshot wound to the head, the sheriff’s office said. An autopsy by the chief investigator of the Arkansas State Crime Lab concluded the death was a suicide.
“Detectives were unable to locate any information or evidence that would cause us to dispute the medical examiner’s findings,” the sheriff’s statement said. “As objective and relevant physical evidence becomes available, these leads will be examined on a case-by-case basis.”
— EDITOR’S NOTE — This story contains a discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the US National Suicide and Crisis Hotline is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org —
Forsyth, 49, did not show up for his May 21, 2023 shift at Mercy Hospital in Cassville, Missouri, where he had parked his RV. That sparked a search, and there was no sign of him until a kayaker spotted his body at a spot on Beaver Lake on May 30.
The apparent mystery – and lack of public details – about his death brought his case national attention. He was the father of eight children and newly engaged after divorcing his previous wife twice.
Online cryptocurrency publications were also quick to take notice of his death. His brother, Richard, said after his brother’s death that John Forsyth had made cryptic comments about being in danger.
Richard Forsyth did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment on the Benton County sheriff’s announcement.
John and Richard Forsyth founded Onfo LLC in 2018, which they called a “network mining” company. At the time, Onfo’s website said account holders could earn credits without depositing cash by referring others to the company.
Richard Forsyth said after his brother’s death that together they wanted to give large numbers of people, including poor people in developing countries, a chance to invest in decentralized, digital currencies. He said the brothers believed crypto was driven by greed, “about Lamborghinis” and “billionaires and tax evasion.”
But the brothers’ crypto activities weren’t the only reason the case gained attention, as a Facebook discussion group grew to more than 1,000 members.
Just ten days before John Forsyth’s disappearance, a judge had finalized Forsyth’s second divorce, but according to family members and the ex-wife’s attorney, the divorce was amicable. Richard Forsyth said his brother was excited about an upcoming wedding and a new child and had a plane ticket to visit one of his daughters.
The sheriff’s department said the doctor was last seen walking to his RV in the parking lot of Mercy Hospital in Cassville, Missouri, 40 miles west of the Ozark Mountains tourist destination in Branson, Missouri.
But he is said to have disappeared from the parking lot of a public pool in Cassville, about a mile from the hospital where he worked, which had not yet opened for the summer season. Richard Forsyth has said his car was found there, unlocked, with two mobile phones, a laptop and important documents inside.