The morning after Canberra man Andrew Carville vanished, his elderly mum Audrey received a phone call which rattled her.
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A woman, frantic, asked her if she'd seen her son. When Audrey said she hadn't, the woman slammed the phone down.
That was when the sinking feeling started.
"I rang his phone three or four times but nothing so I rang one of his friends and he hadn't seen him," the softly spoken grandmother said.
"I rang another of his friends who was just coming home from work and he hadn't seen him so he went around after work. He said the door was open and his wallet and everything was on the table."
Andrew, 52, was last seen in his Evatt home, which he shares with his brother Adrian, last Wednesday night.
Police hold grave concerns for his welfare due to the length of time he has been missing and recent weather conditions.
Around 30 ACT State Emergency Service volunteers joined police to search the Ginninderra Creek area for him on Tuesday afternoon.
On Wednesday, searchers focused on the Evatt and McKellar areas.
His disappearance has puzzled loved ones, who describe him as a "creature of habit".
It was Adrian's birthday, their mother said, and Adrian had left earlier in the day to meet up with friends.
Adrian's ex-partner, who had recently moved out of the home, was the last person to see Andrew, around 9.30pm.
"He was getting fed up so he told her to come and get her furniture which she did. She came around in the evening, I don't know why she came around then, she had all day," Audrey said.
Andrew had a habit of opening his doors to people without expecting anything in return but after months of unpaid bills, he had asked the woman to move out.
"He's had people live with him that have been homeless, a family with two or three kids living there for six months and they never even helped with anything. Andrew doesn't hassle people about it, if they can't afford it, they can't afford it. He's on a pension too, he's trying to buy his house," Audrey said.
"He doesn't get angry, he never shouts and screams, you hardly ever hear him swear, he's just a really nice person."
His sister-in-law Kathy Carville describes him as caring to a fault.
"He puts others before himself, which is a really bad trait that he has because he doesn't think about himself," Kathy said.
"He's 110 per cent dedicated to his family life, he's just a real fun-loving kind of guy. He just has his mum and dad, his brothers and his nieces and nephews, they are his world."
While the keen fisherman and outdoorsman has "gone bush" before, his mother said he would never leave without his mobile phone or medication.
"It's not like him to take off, he's a creature of habit. It's very, very distressing. He's literally disappeared," Audrey said.
"If there's anyone on this planet that's a man of habit it's him. He's always got his backpack with him, his phone, his wallet, and this is why it's so out of character," Kathy said.
Andrew is described as being in his 50s, of slim build with shoulder-length brown/grey hair and Caucasian appearance.
Police are urging anyone who may have seen a man matching his description or who may know the whereabouts of Mr Carville to contact police on 131 444.
"No matter how insignificant you may feel your information could be, it just might be the key piece of information we need," a police spokesperson said.
