The family of a missing Texas man who seemingly vanished into the darkness of the woods behind his home have been questioning his strange, final movements before he disappeared.
The only sign of Colby Richards is an abandoned coffee tumbler left on one of the trails behind his home in Spring, Texas.
The 31-year-old left his home in the early morning last Friday, May 26, making his way into the pitch-black woods behind the family home before disappearing.
Wife Callie said Colby would sometimes head out into the wilderness to meditate or clear his head - but she said he wouldn't do it at 5 or 6am, as that's when he'd usually be getting ready for work.
One of the strangest things about his disappearance was the fact he failed to shut the back gate behind their house.
His cousin, Allison Fox, told the US Sun that this was an immediate red flag, especially as he usually leaves for work through the front.
"He wasn't in the house, so [Callie] checked the backyard... and she noticed that the back gate was open, which was atypical," Allison said.
"He never leaves the house that way, and they would never leave the gate open anyway because they have a dog and two small children."
On Friday morning, Callie woke up to find her husband, and father of their two children, three and one, wasn't beside her.
She got out of bed after she realised she hadn't even heard him get ready for work.
She explained that it was normal for him to wake up around 5am or 6am for work.
He'd recently started a part-time job at an engineering firm in the area, and also worked part-time as a baseball coach.
After finding the back gate open, Callie immediately sensed something wasn't right and called the police.
Allison explained that Colby liked to go out onto the Greenway behind their home for walks, sometimes in the morning and other times after work - but it wasn't a regular occurrence.
The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office sent out search teams in the area where they "found a water bottle of his near the trailhead in the wooded area with trails and stuff behind where they live", Allison explained - it's thought this was a Yeti coffee tumbler.
But Colby hadn't taken a phone or wallet with him when he left the house that morning.
Speaking to Fox News, Allison said: "Search and rescue, so far, has been out for several days.
"We've had everything from people on foot, thermal drones, regular visual drones, people on ATVs, people on horseback and people driving around in their cars checking to see if there are security cameras or doorbell cameras that might have footage.
"And we've been trying to get the word out to everybody that if they see him, or they see anything out of the ordinary... to call the sheriff's department."
Allison said the area, known as The Woodlands, is generally a safe area, though said there are certain pockets that people avoid.
But she doesn't believe Colby had issues with anyone who may have been watching or stalking him.
"It's a really big mystery," Allison said.
"There's not a lot of clues to go from."
Speaking to KRIV, Callie explained it's "been rough", especially as their two young children are starting to realise something isn't right.
"I can tell they know there's stuff going on and it's heavy for them," she said.
"My daughter knows.
"Initially, we tried to keep it quiet until we could get more information, but she knows. She's been asking questions, like morbid questions.
"She's very smart. She's very aware of what's going on, My son has been leeching to me."
Callie explained that Colby hadn't been diagnosed with any medical or mental health issues and hasn't disappeared for days like this before.
After a search which lasted days, Montgomery County Sheriff's Office called off the search on Wednesday, May 31, with Allison saying they hadn't found "viable evidence that he is still in that area."
But the family aren't giving up. Allison has launched a Facebook page and volunteer groups are scouring the area for any signs of the missing dad.
Allison has had to turn off comments on the page, though, as she's found online sleuths and armchair detectives trying to spread misinformation.
The web sleiths have speculated that Colby may have run away from his family, but Allison slammed the rumours as ridiculous saying the kids are his world.
She thinks he may have been able to travel a long distance, as he was a dedicated runner and athlete, though worries he's been without water for days as he potentially avoided search parties.
Leader of Gulf Search and Rescue, who have assisted in the search, Jake Stovall has genuine fears for Colby's safety.
"In 19 years, I've never seen a case like this. It's very unique," Jake told local news outlets.
"A 31-year-old male who's in good health but when you get dehydrated, it changes everything."
Allison has also launched a GoFundMe to help the family track down Colby, which has almost hit their $8,000 (£6,418) target at the time of writing.
Allison thanked the community for coming together in the troubling time for the family.
She said: "I would say to Colby, if you are out there and you need to go just to clear your head, and now you're worried about coming back because of all the craziness going on trying to find you, we don't care," she said.
"We just want you back because we love you and we miss you."
Colby is described as 6ft 3" tall, around 195 pounds with blue eyes, dark blond short hair and a fair complexion.
