The family of a missing crypto millionaire found shot dead last month in the Missouri Ozarks has claimed that police investigating the case have kept them in the dark and that the deceased entrepreneur was involved in a ‘crypto-related’ kidnapping last year.
John Forsyth, an ER doctor and cryptocurrency creator, was reported missing on May 21 and discovered shot dead nine days later 20 miles south of Cassville in Lake Beaver.
In an interview with Fox News, Forsyth’s brother, Richard Forsyth, told reporters, “We are mad we are being kept so in the dark.” He also claims that he’s a long way from fully understanding the circumstances surrounding his brother’s death despite speaking to detectives for hours.
“The Missouri state police told us, ‘We know more than you think we do,’” he said.
The doctor was last seen leaving his place of work at Mercy Hospital in Cassville, a small town in the Ozarks. His car was found unlocked and abandoned close to a local aquatic park. Inside were five mobile phones, a work briefcase, a wallet, and a passport.
‘Bitcoin millionaire’ crypto-related kidnapping
The family claims that Forsyth had warned them that he “might be in danger.”
They also say that a mutual friend told them that John was kidnapped and released in February 2022. The anonymous source alleged that the supposed kidnapping was “crypto-related.”
“It was cold. He was zip-tied. He was made to feel very unsafe and taken on a car ride with some people to a bridge and was threatened,” Richard Forsyth told Fox News.
He also noted that there’s no evidence to connect the alleged kidnapping incident to John’s death. However, he did say, “It stands out very stark in the tableaux of facts that have emerged about the case.”
John Forsyth reportedly kept news of the kidnapping to himself to protect those close to him.
John’s father told reporters, “I have never cried and prayed so much as the last two weeks. It’s just been wrenching.”
Read more: Missing ‘bitcoin millionaire’ and crypto founder found dead in Ozarks
Brothers’ joint crypto project
John and Richard Forsyth worked together to create their own cryptocurrency, Onfocoin. John was cited in Forbes as being a “Bitcoin millionaire” thanks to previous Bitcoin halvings.
In 2020, he told Forbes, “I mined bitcoin and litecoin very early on and held onto them. The massive appreciation of those assets allowed me to invest in other cryptocurrency technology which ultimately led to the development of Onfo, a platform that helps people earn money through network mining.”
Forsyth’s son told reporters that his father was interested in crypto for over a decade. Before his disappearance, Forsyth was “insanely busy” working as a doctor and with his crypto company, he said.