Investigation continues with no signs of foul play, no threat to public

By Kyle Troutman ktroutman@cassville-democrat.com

A team of about 30 law enforcement and first responders continued to search the Cassville South Park area Tuesday morning for a Mercy physician reported missing Sunday night.

John Forsyth, 49, of Republic, is 5-11 and 180 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes, possibly wearing a dark shirt and blue/gray pants with black shoes and possibly a white lab coat. He was last seen at 7 a.m. on Sunday after an overnight shift at Mercy, not returning for his overnight shift that night. Police were first alerted to his disappearance after 10 p.m.

Forsyth’s vehicle was found inside the yard waste fencing at the park’s south end, partially visible inside the gated entrance. The vehicle was unlocked and the keys were inside.

Sgt. Donnie Privett, with the Cassville Police Department, said a cell phone with a cracked screen was located in the vehicle, and two additional cell phones were recovered at Forsyth’s motor home parked at Mercy Cassville. A laptop was also recovered, and Cassville Police are running forensics on all devices.

Det. Stuart Lombard, also with the Cassville Police Department, said there are no signs of foul play and no threat to the public.

“A concerned family member reported him missing, as not showing up to work is out of character for him,” Lombard said. “There are no signs of foul play, but it is out of the ordinary.”

The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control is assisting Cassville Police in the search, which on Monday included use of rescue dogs, drones and thermal imaging in the area, as well as using off-road vehicles to search the Greenway trail east of the park.

The search for Forsyth expanded Tuesday morning, with more than 30 individuals from at least eight agencies scouring the heavily wooded area to the west of the soccer fields. No public assistance as necessary.

Lombard said on Monday, a search and rescue dog alerted near the wooded area, which guided authorities to search more in-depth on Tuesday.

Teams searched about 10 acres of property, and homeowners on the west end of the woods were notified the search was ongoing. At about noon Tuesday, Lombard said the search did not locate Forsyth, nor did it turn up any new evidence or clues.

“We are exhausting our resources to get him located safe and sound,” Lombard said.

Agencies involved in the search included: Cassville Police Department, Butterfield Fire, Washburn Fire, Seligman Fire, Purdy Fire, Central Crossing Fire, Eagle Rock-Golden-Mano Fire and Missouri Search and Rescue K-9.

A church group also donated lunch for the search party.