CANTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Friends of Matt Morris say he was one of those guys you could always reach. He always answered his phone and he was quick to respond to a text.
However, no one has seen or heard from Morris since Jan. 9. Those closest to him say it's almost like he vanished.
"Matt, you know that there's people who love you and we want you back," said his friend Kathy Gomoll.
Morris' disappearance has baffled his friends and police investigators. He left no trace and few clues. There has been no activity on his cellphone, nothing on his credit cards or on his social network accounts, such as Facebook.
Morris' car was found abandoned in a movie theater parking lot just blocks from his Canton Township apartment. It was his only known mode of transportation.
"My friend just up and vanished," said a friend.
The last time any friends contacted Morris was Jan. 13. He responded to a text message. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until his coworkers at Kroger didn't see him on the job and hadn't heard from him. They became worried.
On Jan. 15, his friends went to his Canton Township apartment where they found the lights on and food on the table. It seemed as if he had just stepped out and would return soon. He never did return.
On Jan. 18, friends contacted Canton police. Later that night they found his car. Nothing in his apartment was missing. Medication he needs to control his diabetes was still at his home.
"If I were inclined to believe in aliens I would think he got abducted. I mean, he literally has disappeared without a trace," said his friend Peter Skinner.
Canton police quickly began an investigation. They checked Morris' cellphone and bank records and searched his car for clues. Nothing was found.
On Feb. 19, police searched the woods behind Emagine Theater, not far from where his car was found. No luck.
Morris had lived in the area for a number of years. He is estranged from his New Jersey family. That family has shown little interest in helping with the investigation.
His friends say he rarely talked about his childhood. However, when they searched his apartment for clues they found many things from his past.
"We didn't realize, you know, how sentimental he was," said Skinner. "He had his baby clothes, old pictures from when he was a kid, game baseballs from when he used to play little league. For as much as he didn't talk about his past to any of us, he saved a lot of it there.'
After seven weeks, multiple searches and a police investigation, friends are hoping for something. Some tip. Some clue. Anything to solve this mystery.
"Of course, we all wish the outcome is good. But we mainly want closure, you know, what happened?" said friend Nora Neher.
Police still are continuing to investigate Morris' apparent disappearance. In fact, they hope to search the wooded area near his apartment as soon as the weather breaks and the snow melts.
Meanwhile, anyone with information on Matt Morris should call Canton police.