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 social media speculation about whether his disappearance had been tied to his cryptocurrency dealings.

Detectives with the Benton County, Arkansas, sheriff’s office located surveillance videos of Dr. John Forsyth riding a bicycle to Beaver Lake, some 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 medical examiner at the Arkansas State Crime Lab concluded that the death was a suicide.

“Detectives have not been able to find any information or evidence that would lead us to dispute the medical examiner’s findings,” the sheriff’s statement said. “If objective and relevant physical evidence becomes available, those leads will be investigated on a case-by-case basis.”

— EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org —

Forsyth, 49, didn’t show up for his May 21, 2023, shift at Mercy Hospital in Cassville, Missouri, where he had parked his RV. That prompted a search, and there was no sign of him until a kayaker noticed his body May 30 at a spot on Beaver Lake.

The apparent mystery — and lack of details made public — about his death brought his case national attention. He was the father of eight and newly engaged after divorcing a previous wife twice.

Online publications covering cryptocurrency also quickly took note of his death. His brother, Richard, said after his brother’s death that John Forsyth had made cryptic remarks about being in danger.

Richard Forsyth did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment about the Benton County sheriff’s announcement.

John and Richard Forsyth founded Onfo LLC, what they called a “network mining” venture, in 2018. At that time, Onfo’s website said account holders could earn credits without putting up cash, by referring others to the company.

Richard Forsyth said after his brother’s death that the two of them were looking to give large numbers of people, including poor people in developing nations, a chance to invest in decentralized, digital currency. He said the brothers believed crypto had become driven by greed, “about Lamborghinis” and “billionaires and tax evasion.”

But the brothers’ crypto business wasn’t the only reason the case received attention as a Facebook discussion group grew to more than 1,000 members.

Only 10 days before John Forsyth’s disappearance, a judge had finalized Forsyth’s second divorce, but the split was amicable, according to family members and the ex-wife’s attorney. Richard Forsyth said his brother was excited about an upcoming marriage and new child and had a plane ticket to go see one of his daughters.

The sheriff’s department said the doctor was last seen walking toward his RV in the parking lot of Mercy Hospital in Cassville, Missouri, 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of the Ozark Mountains tourist destination of Branson, Missouri.

But he was reported to have disappeared from the parking lot of a public swimming pool in Cassville, about a mile from the hospital where he worked, which hadn’t yet opened for the summer season. Richard Forsyth has said his car was found there, unlocked, with two cellphones, a laptop and important documents inside.