Colby Richards, a 31-year-old father from Spring, Texas, has gone missing since the morning of May 24. What started as an ordinary day took a concerning turn when Colby’s wife, Callie Richards, noticed his absence and an open back gate, leading her to suspect that something was amiss.
“He wasn’t in the house, so she checked the backyard … and she noticed that the back gate was open, which was atypical. 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,” Fox told Fox News Digital.
Colby’s cousin, Allison Fox, shed light on the initial moments of his disappearance. Callie had noticed Colby awake early that Friday around 5 a.m., but when he didn’t return to their bedroom to prepare for work, alarm bells rang in her mind. Upon investigating, she discovered the open back gate, a highly unusual occurrence given the presence of a dog and two young children in the household. Sensing that something was wrong, Callie promptly contacted the authorities.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office swiftly initiated search and rescue efforts, but as the days pass, Colby’s whereabouts remain unknown, leaving his family and the local community deeply concerned. Search teams deployed by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office discovered a water bottle belonging to Colby near the trailhead in the wooded area behind the Richards’ residence. This finding intensified concerns about his welfare. The subsequent search efforts have been extensive, involving various resources such as foot patrols, thermal and visual drones, ATVs, horseback searches, and community outreach to identify any potential leads or witnesses.
Colby, a dedicated family man, had recently taken up part-time employment at an engineering firm in the area while continuing his long-standing passion for coaching baseball. Although he occasionally enjoyed walks on the nearby Greenway Trail, it was not a regular occurrence. Colby’s loved ones do not believe he had any known conflicts or encounters with individuals who may have been involved in his disappearance, making this situation all the more bewildering.
Residents of Spring, particularly the Woodlands area where the Richards family resides, are grappling with this unsettling event. Known for its generally safe environment, the disappearance of Colby Richards has sent shockwaves through the community. While law enforcement’s official search in the Woodlands area has been called off, the Richards family is persistently organizing volunteer efforts to scour the surroundings in hopes of finding any clues that may shed light on Colby’s disappearance.
In their quest for answers, the Richards family has established a GoFundMe page titled “Help us find Colby Richards” to rally support and raise funds for the volunteer search. The community’s response has been heartening, demonstrating their solidarity and shared concern for their missing neighbor.
UPDATE: As of Friday, June 2nd, Richards has been found safe.
According to Fox News,
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said that he was walking in the area of Research Forest Drive and Kuykendahl Road in The Woodlands, about 3 miles away from Richards’ home.
Richards is being evaluated by medics and a mental health unit.
Detectives say they will eventually speak with Richards about what led to his disappearance. The MCSO says that it will be “some time” before he is interviewed.
