Doctor's death ruled suicide

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Jan 22, 2004 by Tim Richardson Capital-Journal

The death of a Topeka urologist who was found behind the wheel of his pickup truck in November was ruled a suicide on Wednesday, according to the Shawnee County Sheriff's Office.

Toxicology results from the Shawnee County coroner's office indicate Dr. Christopher Balcezak, 34, died from an overdose of Amitriptyline. The drug is used to treat symptoms of depression and occasionally is used for chronic pain and eating disorders, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health Web site.

Amitriptyline is a tablet taken by mouth, usually one to four times a day, according to the site.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Deputy Martha Lutz said there were no indications of foul play. Authorities have ended their investigation into the doctor's death, she said.

Authorities learned about the toxicology results at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, then notified family members. Lutz said a report from the coroner's office indicated Balcezak's death was ruled a suicide.

Balcezak was last seen on Nov. 23 leaving his home in the 8300 block of S.W. 61st Street, near S.W. Auburn Road, to make rounds at St. Francis and Stormont-Vail Regional health centers. He never showed up and was reported missing later that day.

After a two-day search, authorities were called to a grove of trees south of S.W. 2nd Street and east of S.W. Urish Road, where a volunteer firefighter who had been searching for Balcezak found him in his white pickup truck.

Balcezak and his widow, Carol Balcezak, have three small children. Raised in Austin, Texas, Balcezak received his undergraduate degree at Notre Dame, then attended medical school at the University of Texas at Houston, where he graduated in 1995. He completed his residency and an internship at The University of Kansas Hospital in Kansas City, Kan., before entering medical practice in Topeka in July 2000.

Tim Richardson can be reached at

(785) 295-1282 or tim.richardson@cjonline.com.