Mystery of Missing Doctor from Michigan Could be Over

The mystery surrounding the disappearance of a Kalamazoo doctor could soon be coming to an end.  An autopsy is underway to determine whether a body pulled from a lake in Indiana is that of Teleka Patrick.

Mlive.com is reporting that fishermen on Sunday found the body of an African-American woman in Lake Charles.  The discovery was not far from where Patrick's abandoned vehicle was found several months ago.

The 30 year old medical resident at the Western Michigan University School of Medicine in Kalamazoo went missing on December 5th.  She was last seen leaving the parking lot of the facility after her shift.  Her car was found just hours later in a ditch along westbound I-94 near Porter, Indiana.

Officials originally treated the case as a missing person but later determined the woman may have gone missing on her own and that there was no foul play involved.  They pleaded in the media for her to come forward for her family.  Nothing, however, came of that effort.

A friend of Patrick's said she had told him that she feared for her life.  The next day she was gone.

Those investigating the case say if the body is determined to be Patrick's then at least one mystery will be solved.  They are still wondering why it took so long for the body to be discovered.  The lake, according to officials, was searched many times but turned up no sign of Patrick.  Searchers say that could be due to the harsher-than-normal winter that made the waterway difficult to search or the fact that the lake is extremely deep in some areas.

Another report indicates some may be privy to the results of the autopsy even before the public is made aware.  Kalamazoo County officials have extended their condolences to Patrick's family, saying they will finally have closure.

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