It was two weeks ago Friday that 33-year-old Leanne Hecht Bearden vanished after telling family members she was going for a walk. There have been no positive sightings of the missing woman since that day, and new discoveries in the case have only added to the mystery of her disappearance.
"It's hard," Bearden's husband, Josh Bearden, told The Huffington Post. "In the beginning I was crying a lot and not sleeping. I'm still not sleeping much, but I am crying less because I'm so confused and trying to find out what happened."
Leanne Bearden and her husband had been staying with his parents near San Antonio, Texas, in the days leading up to her disappearance. On Jan. 17, she went out for an hour-long hike and never returned. Police, search-and-rescue crews and the Texas Rangers have all come up empty in their search for the woman.
According to Josh Bearden, he recently discovered his backpack and some nutrition bars are missing from the couple's belongings. Additionally, a person recently came forward with what police believe is a credible story of a sighting of a person matching Leanne Bearden's description and walking toward Texas 1-35 on the day of her disappearance. As a result, Josh Bearden is wondering if his wife could have taken off of her own accord.
"We just don't know what happened that day," he said. "We know she left own her own, but we don't know what happened to her after that."
Leanne Bearden and her husband recently completed a lengthy trip around the world, which included 58 countries in 22 months. They blogged about the experience online and upon their return were making plans to move to Denver, Colo., where they met years earlier and got married.
The missing backpack and the possible sighting has Josh Bearden wondering if the pressure of transitioning from a two-year trip back into a "normal" life could have prompted his wife to take off.
"She was very anxious about coming back to America, but things were not bad [between us], and I never in a million years thought she would leave," he said.
According to Josh Bearden, his wife took her wallet with her on her walk, but had very little cash. He estimates the amount to be $60 or less. He also said she did not have a cell phone with her at the time.
The Garden Ridge Police Department is leading the investigation in Bearden's disappearance. According to a spokesperson, authorities have "no indication at this time that this is criminal in nature."
While Josh Bearden does acknowledge the possibility that his wife may have taken off, he said that does not mean she is not in danger now.
"Nobody has seen her since the day she went missing," he said. "My worst fear is she got abducted. All of us are fearing the worst right now."
Leanne Bearden is described as 5 feet 2 inches tall, 100 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She has two piercings on her left ear: one on the bottom and a small loop at the top. She was last seen wearing jeans and hiking shoes.
For more information, or to donate search funds online, visit the "Our Friend Leanne Hecht Bearden" Facebook page or Findleannebearden.com.
"Hope is what's keeping me going," said Josh Bearden. "My entire existence is about finding her, and I need all the help I can get."
Anyone with information on Leanne Bearden's whereabouts is asked to call the Garden Ridge Police Department at (210) 651-6441 or Comal County Crime Stoppers at (830) 620-8477.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story erroneously indicated that Leanne Bearden has been missing for three weeks, when she has in fact been missing for two weeks. The error has been corrected.
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