PONTIAC (WWJ) -- An Oxford man who disappeared after leaving a downtown Pontiac hospital about a week ago has been found dead.
According to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, the body of 48-year=old Christopher James “Chris” Smith was found behind the First Presbyterian Church, on Wayne St. in Pontiac, at around 2 p.m. Tuesday.
It's not yet clear how he died.
Sheriff's officials said there were "no immediate signs of trauma or foul play, and that an autopsy was scheduled for Wednesday to determine a cause of death.
Asking for tips in the case Tuesday morning, the sheriff's office said Smith was last seen alive on Tuesday, March 29, as he was leaving McLaren Oakland Hospital on Perry Street.
Officials said but signed himself out around 6:30 p.m. and left on foot.
The hospital is located several blocks east of the church, according to the sheriff's office.
WWJ's Mike Campbell reported that Smith worked for Oxford Community Schools and was employed by the district at the time of the deadly mass shooting at Oxford High School in 2021.
Campbell said Smith's wife, Nicole, shared that the tragic events greatly affected her husband, whom she said took to drinking after being sober for two decades.
A group of Oxford community members joined the frantic search for Smith, after his family grew increasingly worried about him after not hearing from him for nearly a week.
Anyone with information about this case can call the Oakland County Sheriff's Office at 248-969-3077 or 248-858-4951.
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