Texas police searching for a father of two who vanished under mysterious circumstances in the Woodlands/Spring area during Memorial Day Weekend.
According to Fox 26, Colby Richards, 31, was last seen Friday at his residence off Musgrave Place. According to his wife, Callie, Colby routinely wakes up early for work, but on that morning, she didn’t hear him getting ready for work at his usual time of around 5 a.m. to 6 a.m.
Callie said she then noticed the back gate open, which she said never happens. While he occasionally enjoys hiking and meditating, Callie said that it’s not part of his usual morning routine, and he would never leave the gate open, which immediately alarmed her.
“She was waiting to come back to bed and he didn’t,” the family’s spokesperson, Allison Fox, told the Courier. “[Callie] noticed it was getting light out and she went downstairs to check on him and he wasn’t downstairs. He sometimes goes into the backyard and he wasn’t there but she noticed the gate was open.”
Detectives from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office discovered one of Colby’s Yeti tumblers along a trail near his residence on Friday, but so far haven’t had luck finding him.
Callie told Fox 26 that their children, a 3-year-old daughter, and a 1-year-old son, have noticed their father’s absence, and it’s now starting to affect them.
“It’s been rough. It’s been rough,” she said. “I can tell they know there’s stuff going on and it’s heavy for them.”
“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.”
On Wednesday, Lt. Scott Spencer with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said that they lacked any “viable” information suggesting Colby went to the woods near his home, which is seated south of FM 1488 and west of Texas 242, in the Alden Bridge neighborhood.
“The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office has used extensive resources to search for Mr. Richards, including partnerships with multiple agencies comprising of the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Rangers, and Montgomery County Search and Rescue,” Spencer said, according to The Courier.
“We have repeatedly deployed resources that range from ground foot searches, drones, ATVs, horses, helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and canine units, to countless other technological assets…While extensive search efforts have not been successful, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate his disappearance.”
Colby is described as a white male who stands 6 feet, 3 inches tall and weighs around 195 pounds. He has blonde hair, blue eyes, and was last seen wearing black shorts, grey Under Armour shoes, and a white t-shirt.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office at 936-760-5800 (option 3) and refer to case #23A151879.
This story is developing. Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Colby and Callie/Handout]
