Searchers came up empty Wednesday during the third massive effort to find retired Dallas firefighter Michael Chambers, who has been missing since March 10.
"One theory is that he injured himself inside the shop and wandered off, that's why we're conducting all these searches," said Hunt County Sheriff Randy Meeks.
Investigators tell NBC 5 that on the day Chambers was reported missing that a blood trail was discovered in the work shed on his Quinlan property.
"It wasn't enough blood for it to be a fatal blow. It was like if you cut your finger pretty good, and then it looked like he walked back to the back of the shop towards the door," Meeks said.
Chambers's wallet was also discovered, with only cash and his license was missing from it.
Nearly two weeks after the 70-year-old went missing, the mission to find him is now more of a recovery effort. But that effort has proven difficult through the thick landscape surrounding his home.
The FBI and Texas Rangers were on location off Farm-to-Market Road 2101 again Wednesday, along with Rockwall County Emergency Management response teams and trained canines.
Prior to Wednesday's search, the canine search team hit on a "concentrated area," according to a source, and the search on Wednesday was due to return to that same area. However, they have so far come up empty.
The teams are still unsure what they'll find, but all hope isn't lost for his daughter, Cheri, who joined in on the search efforts and remains somewhat optimistic.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
"I want to feel like my dad is still alive. I don't really want to entertain other thoughts. I know time is ticking on, though, so I don't know, I don't know," she said.
"By now, by this time in an investigation we've got a definite path that we're following," Sheriff Meeks said. "We can't rule out foul play because we just don't know."
There are no other organized searches planned at this time.
Anyone with information in his disappearance is asked to call the Hunt County Sheriff's Office at 903-453-6809 or email jhaines@huntcounty.net.
