The pregnant fiancee of an ER doctor and crypto millionaire found dead in an Arkansas lake can be photographed for the first time — as new eerie images show his stethoscope dangling from the mirror of his abandoned car.
Laura Barnett, 39, called Dr John Forsyth the ‘love of her life’ in a series of heartbreaking posts after he disappeared on May 21.
Forsyth, 49, had recently finalized his divorce when he failed to show up for duty at Mercy Hospital in Cassville, Missouri. His body was found nine days later in Beaver Lake, Arkansas, and police confirmed he had been shot.
Relatives were immediately alarmed by his disappearance after he was found to have left his wallet, passport, five mobile phones, laptop and keys in his unlocked RV and car.
But many were kept in the dark about his relationship with Barnett, who is eight months pregnant, and some only found out she existed after the tragedy.
Forsyth is pictured here for the first time with his pregnant fiancé Laura Barnett who said in a social media post that she was ‘heartbroken’ about his disappearance
Sheriff’s Divers search Beaver Lake, Arkansas, for clues to Forsyth’s suspected murder
In an eerie new image, his stethoscope can be seen dangling around the rear-view mirror of his Infiniti sedan
Pictured: Dr. Forsyth’s family; second from left Dixie Andelin Forsyth (mother) and next to her Robert Duane Forsyth (father), Richard Forsyth (brother) in the center, surrounded by his sisters
Forsyth was last seen on surveillance footage walking to a motor home he parked in the parking lot around 7 a.m. and had texted his fiancée to tell her he would see her later.
Dr. Forsyth’s family did not know how the couple met, but a LinkedIn profile of Barnett shows that she worked as an ER nurse at the same hospital.
Barnett posted on social media, “My love…love of my life…I miss you…more than anyone can imagine…my heart is broken every second. I don’t know if you are fine….
“PLEASE HELP find my fiancée Johnny… please share and share again to keep his face there if anyone has seen him…”
She has not commented since he was found dead, with relatives telling DailyMail.com that she is “devastated” by his death.
Barnett had only publicly posted photos of the pair together after he disappeared, and the pair got engaged just three days before he was last seen alive.
His brother Richard told DailyMail.com that she was the “love of his life,” and other family members said he officially divorced his wife on May 11.
The father-of-eight did not tell many family members that he was engaged to Barnett and that others had not met her until after he disappeared.
His body was found near the shore across from the Lost Bridge South area of Beaver Lake, about 20 miles south of Cassville, police said.
Many of his relatives say they were kept in the dark about his relationship with Barnett, who is eight months pregnant
Dr Forsyth’s family didn’t know how the couple met, but Barnett’s LinkedIn profile shows she worked as an ER nurse at the same hospital
Cassville Police Department has conducted a sprawling 200-acre search
His brother Richard told DailyMail.com that she was the “love of his life” just days before he disappeared
Authorities found his black Infiniti sedan abandoned at the Cassville Aquatic Park in the Ozarks. The car keys were inside, along with Forsyth’s wallet, passport, and briefcase.
A further investigation by the police revealed that two mobile phones had been left in Forsyth’s luxury motor home in which he stayed while on call at the hospital.
Shortly afterward, a sprawling 200-acre search was conducted by the Cassville Police Department, yielding no results until a kayaker found his body last month.
The body was found near the bank across from the Lost Bridge South area of Beaver Lake, about 20 miles south of Cassville.
New photos show officers searching across the lake where his body was found, a stethoscope hanging eerily from the rearview mirror of his car.
It has since been alleged that the doctor had as many as five cell phones in his black vehicle, of which his family said they knew of at least two – one each for his private and work life.
Shortly after he was reported missing, authorities found his black sedan abandoned at the Cassville Aquatic Park in the Ozarks
Shortly thereafter, a sprawling 90-acre search was conducted by the Cassville Police Department, which yielded no results until a kayaker found his body last month
Forsyth disappeared on May 21 after leaving Mercy Hospital, Missouri, just ten days after he reportedly separated from his wife
It has since been alleged that the doctor had as many as five cell phones in his vehicle, of which his family said they knew of at least two
In a bizarre revelation, Richard previously revealed that his brother was kidnapped and threatened by unknown assailants in February 2022.
Richard, who co-founded the crypto company OnFo with his brother, said that despite the terrifying ordeal, John never filed a police report.
He said he first learned about the kidnapping through a mutual friend, who only came forward to describe the incident to the family after John went missing under mysterious circumstances.
The brother said he believed the kidnapping was “crypto-related” but knew nothing else about the perpetrators from the mutual friend’s account, who wished to remain anonymous due to ongoing security concerns.
Richard cautioned there was no evidence yet to link the 2022 incident to John’s death, but added: “It stands out very strongly in the tables of facts that have emerged on the case.”
‘It was cold. He was tied up. He felt very unsafe and was taken to a bridge with some people and threatened.
“He didn’t report it to the police because he thought he was in constant danger.”
During the police investigation, the family says they prefer to be left in the dark if it means they get “justice” before the doctor.