Bryce Borca
Bryce Borca was 23 when he went missing on October 30, 2022 in Eagan, Minnesota.
What we know is that Bryce had been out with his friends on a party bus and he was reportedly heavily intoxicated. He and some friends got a Lyft ride – at one point, the driver said that Bryce was so drunk that he attempted to leave the car while it was moving.
At 2.08am, Bryce and his friends got out of the Lyft at 3256 Hill Ridge Dr. in Eagan.
Bryce’s friends assumed he would walk home to his apartment, which was about 45 mins walk away, and they all went their separate ways.
26 minutes later, at 2.34am, Bryce called his friends and said he didn’t know where he was. His phone was on 2% charge at this time.
“During that call, Bryce shared his location which put him in the wooded area off Highway 13 (the opposite direction of his apartment.) The 12-minute call abruptly ended and subsequent calls went to voicemail, leading friends to believe Bryce’s phone had died,” Eagan Police Detective Desiree Schroepfer wrote in the affidavit for this case.
According to weather underground, I believe the low that night was around 37 f.
Bryce’s friends started searching the area around Highway 13 on October 30.
The next day, 100 search and rescue professionals and 250 volunteers took part in an organized grid search.
A searcher found a tie which Bryce was believed to be wearing, and another searcher found a pair of shoes, but investigators ruled that the shoes did not belong to Bryce.
Eagan police obtained cell phone records that showed Bryce traveled through a small industrial area near Highway 13 before heading into heavily wooded terrain with several marshes and ponds. Surveillance video from a nearby business showed that Bryce was alone.
Police released the following info about Bryce:
Bryce was wearing a patterned cardigan sweater, black pants and black tie and white sneakers. Several other agencies are assisting in the search which is concentrated near Hwy 13/Yankee Doodle. If you live in the area, please check your properties and businesses.
Police suspended the ground search for Bryce on November 1.
Bryce’s family released this statement in early November:
“This is an incredibly difficult time for us and our main focus is finding our son. Our family would like to thank everyone involved in the search for Bryce, including the Eagan Police Department, county special operations, our friends, family and countless volunteers. We are so very grateful for the outpouring of love and support from the community, and we pray for Bryce’s safe return.”
According to the Pioneer Press, the police obtained a search warrant for Bryce’s apartment to collect his electronic devices, including his computer and an older phone. It isn’t known publicly if anything came from that search.
On December 22, 2022, police gave the following update:
“Over the past seven weeks, the Eagan Police Department has continued an active investigation into the disappearance of Bryce Borca. The investigation has included an extensive search of over 1000 acres in coordination with state and federal officials. Additional specialized support has been added through private entities to assist in locating Bryce. The investigation remains open and active, as Bryce has still not been located.”
We actually held off on recording this episode for a little bit, just in case there was an update on Bryce, but as of the end of January 2023, he is still missing.
On Friday January 20, Bryce’s family announced a $30,000 reward for information that leads to his whereabouts. They say in more than two months since the day he disappeared, Eagan Police, along with friends, family and community volunteers, have searched over 1,000 acres of land and water in Fort Snelling Park and surrounding areas. Scores of tips and leads, including surveillance footage from businesses and homes in the area his phone last pinged, have been followed up on.
“We are devastated by Bryce’s disappearance and miss him every minute of every day,” the family said in a released statement. “We hope this reward will encourage anyone with information leading directly to Bryce’s whereabouts to come forward and contact the Eagan Police Department.”
Dr Bolek Payan
Dr Bolek Payan was reported missing on December 22, 2022 from Leoni Township in Michigan. He was last seen leaving his workplace, the Henry Ford Jackson Hospital.
Bolek graduated in 2017 from Midwestern University Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. He served his residency and internship with Henry Ford Allegiance Health, where he went on to become a board-certified psychiatrist.
Bolek’s vehicle was at his house but there was no sign of him there.
There was a bit of a timeline put together based on people who had interacted with Bolek on Thursday December 22. He dropped his dogs (Mishka and Dottie) off to the dog sitter as per regular arrangement. He was due to head off to work after that.
Bolek also had an appointment for an invisible fence to be installed and he cancelled that appointment at 1.33pm on the Thursday. He said that the dogs had been contained apparently and there was no need for the appointment any more.
When Bolek did not show up at the dog sitter to collect the dogs that evening, the sitter called Bolek’s ex. It seems like the two were still somewhat amicable as the ex went to his house to check on him. That is when she discovered Bolek’s vehicle was there and there was no sign of him.
Nicole Keiser, the dog sitter gave some exact timings to the media:
“Bolek dropped his dogs at 8 a.m. He told us that he was going to pick them up at 6:30, he already fed them, and that he’ll feed them again when he picks them up at 6:30 that night. So for his truck to be here without coming to the house to pick up the dogs that would be out of character. Something happened and I don’t know what.”
The search for Bolek went on for about five days. Police searched the inside of his home to no avail. They also used drones and K9s to no avail.
At 12.3pm on December 27, investigators searched a pond on Bolek’s property. This info is from the police press release:
At approximately 12:30 p.m. today (December 27), divers recovered the body of Dr. Payan from a pond on the property near his residence. Yesterday, detectives gained access into the home video camera system, which was password protected, and observed Dr. Payan leave the residence on foot on 12/22/22, in the mid-afternoon. The property had been checked with K-9 dogs, drones and on foot. After not locating anything on land, holes were cut in the ice of a pond on the property yesterday and divers located Dr. Payan’s body under the ice today. Detectives believe Dr. Payan would have been deceased, prior to when he was reported missing, due to the weather conditions on the day that he left his residence and the fact that he was in the water. The Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office will be conducting an autopsy and toxicology testing, which will aid in further investigating this incident.
We would like to thank the Jackson County Dive Team, Michigan Search and Rescue, J-DART, the neighbors, and the public for their assistance during this incident. Our thoughts are with Dr. Payan’s family and friends.
Police have said that they believe Bolek was dead before he was even reported missing. So what happened to Bolek?
The two main theories that I have read online are suicide and misadventure.
Bolek seemed to make sure that his dogs were cared for and he tied up loose ends by cancelling the invisible fence appointment. There are some media reports that say he had been very stressed at work before his death. Perhaps that coupled with the breakup was too much for Bolek?
As for misadventure, there are online comments that indicate Bolek may have suffered a head injury just prior to his death.
His obituary:
Dr. Bolek Jahan Payan, age 32, of Jackson, Michigan passed away on Tuesday, December 27, 2022. Bolek was born October 22, 1990, in Baltimore, MD to his parents Farhad and Monika Payan. Bolek had many accomplishments in his life but, his biggest one was being called “Dr. Bolek J. Payan. DO”.
In addition to being a remarkable psychiatrist that was appreciated and respected by his patients, residents and peers, he was also an avid family man who loved to spend time with his family and friends. In his free time he liked being outdoors hiking, camping, kayaking and stargazing. He also enjoyed playing with his dogs Mishka and Dottie and going to concerts.
Bolek was a wise, confident, intelligent, and most generous human being. He was devoted to his duties as son, grandson, and friend. His love for spending time with his family and friends provided endless memories. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him. Bolek is survived by his beloved mother Monika; loving grandmother, Irena and a host of family and friends.
George Musser
George Musser (20) vanished in Stillwater, Minnesota on Christmas Eve 2022.
He had been out at Brian’s bar in Stillwater.
His friend Ally McKay told CBS: “At approximately 1.30am, he came up to the booth I was sitting in with my friends and he was talking to us. And he told us he had to go to the bathroom and then he never returned”.
George was apparently last seen at the bar at 2.10am.
His keys and wallet were found close to the bar and his car remained parked outside. He was wearing a black hat, a grey flannel shirt, and jeans. The weather that night reached about -4 fahrenheit, but George did not have a jacket with him.
Ally has spoken about how they tried to find him but the bar staff insisted that they leave.
“We looked for him at the bar’s closing, but Brian’s was persistent that everyone get out, so we left and we had to assume that he had found his way home.”
The search for George started on Christmas Eve and continued into Christmas Day.
Stillwater Chief of Police Brian Mueller told the media that efforts to find George via surveillance footage and cellphone data were unsuccessful, saying that it was “a very difficult situation”.
Police made a press release on Sunday December 25, and said that “there is no other information at this time as this case is still under investigation. We appreciate all the wonderful volunteers that came out on Christmas to help search for George”.
“Our prayers are with all those family and friends that knew and loved George. We ask that you respect the family’s privacy during this difficult time,” police said.
Later that night, George’s body was found in Baytown Township.
“I am heartbroken to share that the police have found his body. We are trusting the Lord during this horrific time that he has guided George into Heaven. Please pray for our family,” George’s cousin Emily Dalbec said in a Facebook post.
“George, we love you,” said Kent Musser, George’s father. “We all love you and we miss you so, so much.”
George’s case is slightly different as he wasn’t found in a body of water. Police ruled that he died from cold weather exposure.
“A progression of video footage from traffic and surveillance cameras tracked an individual matching Musser’s description as he traveled alone and on foot, leading from downtown Stillwater towards the area where his body was ultimately located,” the sheriff’s office said.
His body was found around 1.5 miles away from the bar.
An excerpt from George’s obituary:
To know George Musser was to love him. He had the most wonderful quality of being able to immediately put you at ease with a kind, welcoming word and a sincere, strong, all-encompassing hug. To say he will be missed doesn’t even begin to express the depth to which he touched the lives of the people he met and knew, and the everlasting impression he made upon them.
Theodore Egge
Theodore (Teddy) Egge (35) went missing in Marinette County, Wisconsin on Friday January 13, 2023.
Police issued this press release on January 16:
The Marinette County Sheriff’s Office is looking for the public’s assistance in locating Theodore William Egge, a 35-year-old white male. 5’ 11” 190# with blue eyes. He is not in any trouble, we are looking to check the welfare of Theodore.
The Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with property in this area to check their surveillance and trail cameras for any signs of Theodore.
Theodore was known to be driving a 2007 blue Jeep Liberty with a WI license plate APB9282 on Benson Lake Road near Northway Drive on that day, at around 2:00 p.m.
His car ran out of gas and was found on the side of the road. A local resident said Theodore asked for directions to Athelstane (a small town that was around 9 miles/10 min drive or a 2 hour walk away). Theodore left the area on foot.
A member of the search party for Theodore said that he had gone down that same road in his vehicle about 30 minutes after Theodore ran out of gas, and there was no sign of him.
Theodore was reported missing after his flatmate became concerned. Ted, Theodore’s father said: “He was living with a guy up in this area, and [the guy] contacted [Roxanne] on Saturday afternoon and said he was concerned for Theodore and that he hadn’t seen him,” explained Ted. “That was when Roxanne and I started to be concerned about it as well.”
“We’ve been up here pretty much since the search party, and we’ve been dropping flyers, we’ve been knocking on doors,” said Ted. “We’ve been getting bits of information, and somebody knows something.”
Ted spoke to the media and said that he and Roxanne are “really, really grateful for everyone that has gotten involved in this. Family, friends, strangers, everyone has been really involved, and there’s a lot of great people up here.”
The Marinette County Sheriff’s Office has been working to locate Egge, but deputies have stated the recent snowfall has made things more complicated.
As at the time of recording, Teddy is still missing. Police have now said that he isn’t familiar with the area and doesn’t have a working cell phone.
“The sheriff’s office requests property owners in this area to check their cabins and properties for any possible signs of Theodore being present or passing through their properties,” a statement reads.
“Please check any game cameras or security cameras. We would also request all outdoor enthusiasts be vigilant while out and about in the wooded areas. We also ask any citizens who have had family or friends in the area over the last week to please reach out and advise them of the search for Theodore and to contact us if they’ve seen him.”
There is no indication of foul play, deputies said, adding that it is highly unlikely he was picked up by a motorist.
SOURCE LIST –
https://www.tmj4.com/news/local-news/missing-new-berlin-man-found-dead-in-wisconsin-river
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/hundreds-gather-to-search-for-20-year-old-george-musser/
https://www.bradshawfuneral.com/obituary/George-Musser
CLIPS USED IN THE PODCAST EPISODE