31-year-old father-of-two from Texas is found ‘wandering in the woods’ for a WEEK after mysteriously missing
A Texas father has been found ‘wandering in the woods’ for more than a week after mysteriously disappearing during a morning walk.
Colby Richards, 31, disappeared in the early hours of May 26 after leaving his home without his phone or wallet, sparking a frantic week-long manhunt.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday that the father of two was found “safely walking in the area of Research Forest and Kuykendahl, The Woodlands.”
Hallelujah and praise the Lord!!! Colby was found alive! We don’t have details yet, but we are thrilled with the positive outcome. We will share what we can when we can,” his family wrote on Facebook after his discovery.
Colby Richards (pictured) disappeared on May 26 from his Montgomery County, Texas
Richards, an engineer, part-time baseball coach and father of a three-year-old daughter and a year-old son, was transferred to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Mental Health Unit shortly after he was found.
The sheriff’s department said the 31-year-old will talk to detectives to understand why he disappeared for more than a week.
“However, it will be some time before he is interviewed,” the department added.
In a follow-up social media post after he was found, Richards’ family said he is currently “recovering in hospital.”
“We are not sure when he will be released,” they continued. “He is in good hands with the medical team and we hope for a full recovery.
“We can’t thank everyone enough for the effort to look for him, as well as the Sheriff’s Department, MoCoSAR, GulfSAR, and everyone who showed up to look for him, both in person and online.
“Your love and prayers have been felt throughout our family this week. I’m FINALLY going to get some rest and have a good cry. Thanks again.’
Richards was found “wandering through the woods” a week after he mysteriously disappeared
Callie Richards (left) said the details surrounding her husband’s disappearance were ‘bizarre’
The father is currently being treated by mental health professionals after he was discovered
The father’s disappearance sparked an urgent search after he mysteriously went missing around 5 a.m.
His wife, Callie Richards, 34, says she woke up early to find her six-foot husband strangely missing. She discovered he left without his phone or wallet and left the back gate of the house open.
Police would later discover a Yeti coffee cup belonging to the father as they searched the woods near his backyard.
On day four of the search, his wife said the “bizarre” disappearance left her and authorities scratching her head.
“It feels like there are so many things – so many possibilities – it’s really hard not to wonder what could have happened,” she said. Fox 26.
“Normally he leaves for work around 6:30 in the morning,” the mother said, visibly emotional, about the strange disappearance.
“He got up at one point and I just felt he wasn’t there. I’m going down – he’s not there. He’s nowhere.’
Callie Richards added that her husband usually wakes up for work around that time, around 5 or 6 a.m., but she didn’t hear him get ready that morning.
When Callie went outside to investigate, she noticed that the back gate of her house was open – an unusual occurrence for two reasons, according to Callie.
The first, she said, was the fact that Richards usually leaves for his morning routine through the front — and while walking and meditating in quiet areas isn’t atypical for the missing father, it’s not part of his usual pre-work routine.
The second, she told the station with tears in her eyes, is just the detail the father would normally have done to lock the gate to the family home when leaving – a red flag in her mind.
“I’m going out – I see the back gate is open,” she said Monday. “He never goes out the back gate. That’s not typical.
“I knew right away that something wasn’t right. I called 911.”
Jake Stovall, the leader of a non-profit organization that helped search for the father, said the disappearance left him baffled, adding: “In 19 years I’ve never seen a case like this.”
After his disappearance, an urgent week-long search for the father was launched
A missing persons poster from Richards’ disappearance
She added that the devastating disappearance had a heartbreaking effect on their young children, the oldest of whom had become aware of the situation.
“My daughter knows,” she admitted on Monday. “At first we tried to keep it quiet until we could get more information, but she knows.
“She asks questions, morbid questions. She’s very smart. She knows very well what’s going on.’
She added of her one-year-old, “My son bled on me.”