FAMILY of a missing dad-of-two has voiced their confusion over his final movements before he disappeared into the pitch-black woods behind their home.
Colby Richards, 31, left his Montgomery County, Texas, home in the early morning hours last Friday and never returned.
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He left his cellphone and keys at the house and apparently headed toward hiking trails in a wooded area behind the family home.
His wife Callie said that he would sometimes go into the wilderness to meditate or clear his head but never at 5 or 6am, which is when he is normally getting ready for work.
Richards also failed to shut the back gate behind their house, which was an immediate red flag, the missing dad's cousin Allison Fox exclusively told The U.S. Sun.
He would usually secure the back gate to keep his one-year-old son and three-year-old daughter safe, his wife Callie said per Fox.
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Callie got out of bed on Friday morning after realizing that she didn't hear her husband getting ready for work.
According to Fox, she figured that he left bed for the couch at some point during the night.
After searching their home, Callie saw the gate wide open and immediately phoned the police.
SEARCH SCALED BACK
The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office launched a massive search in the woods behind the family's house with the help of volunteers who used horses, all-terrain vehicles, and drones.
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The department ended the days-long search on Wednesday, according to family, but the investigation is said to be ongoing.
"The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office has called off their search of the wooded areas near Colby's home. They haven't found viable evidence that he is still in that area," Fox wrote.
"We have contacted EquuSearch to find out if they are now able to deploy resources and are waiting to hear back from them," she wrote, referencing a well-known search group out of Texas.
"We are still continuing our volunteer search and reassessing on a daily basis. Currently we have volunteer help to coordinate through this coming Saturday so we plan to keep looking at least through then.
"We aren't giving up. We want to find Colby."
The U.S. Sun contacted the sheriff's office for comment on the case on Wednesday but did not receive an immediate response.
'BIG MYSTERY'
"It's a really big mystery," Fox, who is acting as a spokesperson for the family, told The U.S. Sun.
"There's not a lot of definites or clues to go from."
According to Callie, nothing noteworthy happened in their lives that would have caused her husband to take off.
She said that he had no diagnosed mental health issues and has never left the family before.
"It's been rough," she told Fox affiliate KRIV, saying their two young kids are starting to realize something is wrong.
"My daughter knows. Initially, we tried to keep it quiet until we could get more information, but she knows," Callie said.
"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."
FIND HIM
Richards is known as a belovedbaseballcoach who worked with promising young players in his community and he just got a new job at an engineering firm before he vanished.
Fox launched a Facebook page to update concerned onlookers on the status of search efforts.
"We're trying to exhaust any and all possibilities to search in order to find him," his cousin said.
Fox slammed online sleuths for spreading misinformation, saying that she had to turn off comments on the page.
So-called armchair detectives have speculated that the missing father may have run away from his family but Fox deemed the rumors ridiculous and said that his kids are his world.
"It doesn't make any sense whatsoever that he would leave them like that," she said.
Fox believes that her cousin could have traveled a long distance as he was a dedicated runner and athlete.
She fears that he has been without water for days while possibly avoiding search parties.
The leader of Gulf Search and Rescue, a group that assisted in the search, said the case has confused him and he fears for Richards' safety.
"In 19 years, I've never seen a case like this. It's very unique," Jake Stovall told local reporters.
"A 31-year-old male who's in good health but when you get dehydrated, it changes everything."
Fox started aGoFundMeto help support the family while Callie dedicates all her time to searching for hermissing husbandand caring for their kids.
The cousin thanked the community for rallying behind them in this dark time.
"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," Fox said.
"We just want you back because we love you and we miss you."
Colby is described as six-feet and three-inches tall and approximately 195 pounds with blue eyes, dark blond short hair, and a fair complexion.
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Anyone with information on his whereabouts should contact the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office at 936-760-5800 and refer to case #23A151879.
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