The dog!
Did TC leave extra food and water for the dog? (if he knew the dog may be alone until it was 'discovered' home alone)
The dog would have relieved itself, once, twice, many times giving clues as to how long it was alone.
Was there a pet door?
I heard someone mention on a radio show last night in passing two windows were left open, maybe upstairs.
What was the weather? Was it open window weather, would the dog have barked for attention once it realized he was alone too long?
I always leave extra food and water for my dog even if I'm going out for a short time just in case I break-down, or worse. I feel TC would have made extra provisions for his dog had he intended to leave for good.
Just questions I have based on my observations as a dog owner.
Thanks
You're a good person! Obviously very loving and caring about your dog.
It's my belief that if Timothy had been of sound mind, he too would have left extra food and water for his dog. But that's the crux. I don't believe he would have ever left voluntarily if he was of sound mind.
Just some thoughts... A mental health crisis is often a full blown, life-threatening emergency. Forget purposeful behavior. The person is not even capable or rational thought or reality testing.
The closest we can imagine, ( those of us fortunate enough to have the appropriate balance of chemicals in our brain ) would likely be similar to a spiraling nightmare from which we could never awaken.
The brain is an organ, and when it is ill, 'reality' becomes what the ill brain says it is.
Therefore, on our unit some of our paranoid patients truly believed the FBI had inserted cameras in their teeth, and nostrils. One woman told me the FBI had placed a recording device in her uterus which was recording our conversation that very minute.
There is no talking them out of these delusions. When you try, they quickly decide that you too are part of the conspiracy. Therefore, you can't be trusted. These were intelligent people with college degrees. They were not stupid, bad, or weak.
They were sick. Very sick.
Many things can go wrong with the brain that cause these illnesses. Our patients all had a medical work-up within 24 hours of admission to look for a medical cause for their behavior. Several new brain tumors were discovered in some of our patients.
We had more than a few transferred to our unit after open heart surgery. Their doctors are not sure what caused a new onset of psychosis in them, but wondered if the improved blood flow had possibly created some vascular changes in the brain.
These were normal, rational people before the surgery.
In short, there's so many reasons, medical and otherwise, any of us could wake up in the midst of this type of nightmare. None of us can control the functioning of the chemicals in our brain. We don't have that power.
As I posted earlier, I'm not saying that Timothy was dealing with mental illness. I don't know what happened. Just trying to explain some possible reasons for his disappearance.
From the way his family have described him though, I can not believe that he would voluntarily ( rationally ) take off on his own and leave them and his dog.
If he did leave on his own I believe it would be due to a mental health crisis, ( suicidal with or without psychosis ) and his actions would then be anything but voluntary. Though many suicidal people are not psychotic, their thought processes are very deeply disturbed.
Normal rational behavior is out the window for any of them.
These are just my thoughts. There's many other valid opinions of what could have happened to him. Foul play is still possible.
Truly though if it turns out that he just chucked his job and life here, and is off somewhere else, I would be completely stunned. Though I'd be very relieved he was safe and unharmed...
JMO