Funviralpark The Michigan psychiatrist who was found dead in a frozen pond near his home after going missing was remembered as a friendly neighbor and ‘a great all-around man’ .
Dr. Borek Payan, 32, was found Tuesday in the back of his home in Leoni Township, Jackson County, where he lived alone.
His body was found five days after his family reported him missing while visiting from Illinois for the Christmas holidays, MLive.com reported.
According to friend and neighbor Jenny Fordyce, the doctor is an only child who grew up in Chicago and recently moved to Michigan.
“He moved here last winter, so I didn’t get to know him for a long time, but he was a great all-around guy,” Fordyce told the news outlet.
“He delivered a Christmas card a few days before he went missing. It’s so surreal to know he’s gone,” she added.
Neighbors told me about when Payang asked her for help after buying a lawn mower during the summer.
“[My husband and I]were more than happy to help him because I don’t think he used a big lawnmower in Chicago,” Fordyce told MLive.
A 2017 graduate of the Midwestern University Chicago School of Osteopathic Medicine, Payan has a psychiatric certification and has worked in the behavioral medicine department at Henry Ford-Jackson Hospital since 2020.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Dr. Borek Payan. Our thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathies are with his family, friends and colleagues.
Payan’s family left Henry Ford-Jackson Hospital, reporting him missing after he was last seen on December 22. Authorities searched his home and surrounding properties with police dogs and drones, but found nothing.
On Monday, police accessed his home’s video surveillance system, which showed he left home on December 22.
Divers found his body after drilling a hole in the ice of the pond, officials said.
The cause of death has not yet been determined and the incident is under investigation. The Jackson County coroner’s office is still conducting an autopsy, police said.
“Detectives believe Dr. Payang was dead before being reported missing due to weather conditions on the day he left his residence and the fact that he was in the water,” said Blackman Leoni. I was.
The doctor’s family declined to comment to MLive on Wednesday, requesting privacy during the difficult time.
