The mystery surrounding the missing 30-year-old Michigan doctor, Teleka Patrick, deepened Thursday after a report surfaced that she had allegedly stalked gospel singer Marvin Sapp prior to her disappearance, a Grand Rapids news station reports.
Sapp reportedly filed for a personal-protection order in September against the Kalamazoo-based medical resident in Kent County, Mich., WOOD-TV reported late Thursday. In the court filing, Sapp reportedly said that Patrick had been referring to him as “her husband” and had moved from California to Western Michigan to join his church, the Lighthouse Full Light Center Church in Grand Rapids, the Detroit Free Press reports.
Patrick’s family had previously said that she decided to attend Western Michigan University for its residential psychiatry program.
Sapp, known for his soaring voice, said Patrick had contacted his three children and had been to his home, and, according to the report, he had “over 400 page(s) of correspondence from her to which I have never responded.” Further, he told WOOD-TV that Patrick’s stalking had gone on for at least a year prior to her moving to Michigan.
“Throughout my career, my family and I have fallen victim to inappropriate attempts to contact me by several unknown individuals,” Sapp said in a statement to the TV station Thursday. “As a father of three and pastor of one of the largest congregations in West Michigan, I cannot take this kind of obsessive attention lightly. Given these previous acts, I have taken several security measures, which have included obtaining a protective order to ensure our safety.”
Sapp could not be reached for further comment, the Detroit Free Press reports.
On Dec. 5, Patrick was last seen in the parking lot of Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo by a shuttle driver with the Radisson Hotel, reports show. Later that evening, her abandoned car was discovered in a ditch near Porter, Ind., nearly 100 miles away.
Patrick’s family said in a statement released Thursday that they had been advised by the Kalamazoo Sheriff’s Department that information regarding the protection order could impede investigations. “We’ve been asked not to speculate or comment about it. We encourage anyone to contact the Kalamazoo department,” said Kimberly Eddings, Patrick’s cousin, the Free Press reports. “It was mentioned so that there was no misunderstanding that the family was trying to hide anything. We don’t want Teleka to become one of the forgotten. People go missing every day; there are all sorts of crimes being committed.”
Patrick's ex-husband, Ismael Calderon, raised questions about her mental health, but her family said they were unaware of any problems. Additiontally, family members have hired a private investigator to help with the investigation.
Read more at the Detroit Free Press.