A body found in an Indiana lake has been identified as that of Michigan doctor Teleka Patrick, who had been missing since December. There still remains no clear answer as to what happened to the doctor.
Kalamazoo County Sheriff Richard Fuller told the Associated Press that “There were no indications of any trauma, other than a possible, accidental drowning. Short of anything big, this investigation will be closed. … I do believe it’s as solved as it’s going to get.”
Patrick disappeared after attempting to check into a hotel in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The hotel turned the thirty year old doctor away for not having proper identification or money. It was unclear why she was trying to rent a hotel in the city where she lived. Jim Carlin, a private investigator told Reuters that “the whole thing has been very, very dubious”.
After Patrick disappeared in December, Carlin had suspected she had been murdered. The private investigator was hired by the family, who had high hopes she was still alive. “They absolutely know that God is going to return their daughter,” he told the Detroit Free Press. Patrick’s ex-husband, Ismael Calderon, was also interviewed by the Free Press, adding that she suffered delusions and paranoia. He believed “some criminally minded predator took advantage of her on the side of the road”.
Prior to disappearing, gospel singer Marvin Sapp had filed for a protection order against Teleka Patrick. She had moved to Michigan to join Sapp’s church and began referring to him as her husband. Sapp claimed to have “over 400 page(s) of correspondence from her” according to the Detroit Free Press. It is unknown whether her stalking attempts were related to her disappearance.
Patrick was a resident of Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine in Kalamazoo. The university stated that they were “saddened by the news”.
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