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Missing Jackson doctor from Henry Ford Allegiance Health found dead in frozen pond near home

Payan went missing Thursday

Officials said the body of Dr. Bolek Payan was found in a frozen lake near his home on Dec. 27, 2022. (WDIV)

JACKSON, Mich. – A doctor who worked at Henry Ford Allegiance Health in Jackson and went missing last week has been found dead in a frozen pond near his home, according to officials.

Doctor reported missing

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Dr. Bolek Payan, a psychiatrist, was last seen Thursday (Dec. 22) as he was leaving the hospital. Blackman-Leoni Public Safety officials stated in a Facebook post over the weekend that Payan’s car had been found at his home in Leoni Township after he went missing.

Blackman-Leoni Public Safety officials said Payan hadn’t been in contact with his employer, family members, or friends.

Body found in lake

Police announced Tuesday that divers discovered Payan’s body at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday in a pond near his home. After they didn’t find him on land, officials cut holes in the ice of a nearby frozen pond, and divers recovered his body in the water.

They believe he was dead before being reported missing, due to how cold the water would have been at the time.

Home video cameras show that Payan left his home on foot in the mid-afternoon Thursday.

The Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office will conduct an autopsy and toxicology testing of Payan’s body to investigate the exact cause of death.

The Henry Ford Health website stated Payan started his residency at Henry Ford Allegiance Health in 2020.

If anyone has any information, please contact Detective Mike Villarreal or Detective Sergeant Bob Shrock at (517) 788-4223.

Read: More Missing in Michigan coverage


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