Missing US doctor found on mountain
An American doctor on the run for five years as charges of fraud and malpractice mounted against him has been found hiding on a snowy mountain.
Mark Weinberger, 46, of Indiana, was apprehended on a mountain in Val Ferret, where he was living in a tent, police in the town of Aosta said.
Officials say Dr Weinberger stabbed himself in the neck as he was taken into custody,
A mountain guide tipped off authorities that he was there, said police. It's understood Dr Weinberger had previously rented an apartment in the area but then left without paying and was trying to sneak into Switzerland.
Dr Weinberger's patients in the US, who have been waiting for years to tell a court they believe the doctor misdiagnosed them, botched surgeries or hastily performed the wrong procedures, hoped his capture will mean their lawsuits can finally go forward.
"We want him ... to look these people in the eye and explain why he did this," said Kenneth Allen, who represents around 60 families accusing Dr Weinberger of negligence.
The mystery surrounding Dr Weinberger, who was known as the 'Nose Doctor', began more than five years ago when he disappeared while travelling with his wife in Greece. He was the subject of an international search.
His wife said at the time that they had been holidaying on his 79ft powerboat in Mykonos and she woke up to find him gone.
He had been troubled by malpractice lawsuits before the trip, his wife, Michelle Kramer, told CNN's Larry King in August 2005. She has since filed for divorce.
After he vanished, she said she learned that he had purchased diamonds before leaving, withdrew a large sum of money from his business and had taken survival gear that he kept at his Indiana clinic.