Texas father missing for months while driving back to Austin found alive in California

AUSTIN, Texas - A father who went missing for months after visiting his children in North Texas has been found alive states away, according to his family.

Perry McCauley Jr. has been found alive in Orange County, California, according to his ex-wife, Rachel McCauley.

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Perry had been last seen on Christmas in 2023 in Southlake, Texas. The father of three was there to visit his children before heading back to Austin, where he lives, but according to Rachel McCauley, he didn't check in that evening to tell them he got home safe.

"Then weeks went by, and I started reaching out to people, his father, his brother, a few friends that we know, and no one had heard or seen from him," Rachel said to FOX 7 Austin's Angela Shen in July.

"Once we started hitting a month of nothing, month two of nothing, I started thinking something was wrong," Rachel added. "He never missed big stuff. Our oldest plays football and he's always there for football stuff. He started missing sporting events and everything. It just starts becoming a realization that, hey, something's not right."

A police report was filed with the Southlake Police Department, which confirmed to FOX 7 Austin in July they were investigating Perry's disappearance.