Search expands for missing Santa Cruz County man

SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif.

The last time anyone saw Fossgreen, it was 4 a.m. last Friday. His father says he walked out of his bedroom because the TV was too loud.

"And he calmly turned the volume down and went back inside his room," said Don Fossgreen, Alex's father.

A small search party combed the trails of Henry Cowell Redwood State Park where Alex enjoys hiking near his home in Scotts Valley. But sheriff's deputies say they have no solid information to even suggest he went on a hike.

"He said nothing to us. He said nothing to any of his friends or anything. He just disappeared and that just isn't like him," said Don.

Alex's parents believe he's wearing a heavy plaid shirt. He left behind his cellphone, but he likely took his Chinese go game in a back pack. If you run into him, his parents say you'll encounter a docile young vegetarian who raised ducklings and studies Asian culture. But his fiance broke off their engagement, last April, and his parents say he's been despondent.

"But he was doing better lately. He was doing kind of OK. I mean, he was still sad all the time, but he was OK," said Veronique Fossgreen, Alex's mother. She says she'll keep the Christmas tree up until he comes home. "He hugged me the night before and said, 'I love you, Mom.'"

At least one person thinks they saw someone matching Alex's description in Felton. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Department says it's enough to launch a larger search party on Tuesday morning.

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