Police searching for a woman who went missing while walking her dog found the puppy named Max, who was wandering alone in a storm seven miles away.
Former youth tennis champion Christina Johnson, 27, disappeared on March 6 after taking her 10-year-old crossbreed for a walk in Houston, Texas.
It was something she did every morning, but she has been missing for 14 days.
Her father raised the alarm when she didn’t return home, and then on Friday, Max was discovered walking alone in a major storm, looking lost and scared.
Christina’s father, Emmanuel Johnson, said the fact they found the dog but not his beloved daughter was “very alarming” because she “always has Max with her.”
Police have expanded their search and appeal, but have yet to find any sign of her. Emmanuelle told KHOU: ‘Something is wrong. Obviously, she is in danger.
Christina Johnson disappeared on March 6 while walking her dog in Houston as she did every day
Emmanuel Johnson said Max had been nervous and hiding under the table since he got home.
Christina had recently graduated from Alderson Broaddus University in West Virginia and returned to her father while she decided what to do next.
Emmanuel said she established a routine where she would grab her laptop and walk with Max to the nearby Jack in the Box or Hackberry Community Center.
So, when she didn’t return from her walk, he became worried and reported her missing on March 9.
He said to Khou he felt “a real confusion and sense of loss right now”, saying, “I don’t understand where she is.”
“She usually comes home before evening but didn’t come back that evening.”
He said he was worried because she was leaving the house without her phone and he said she was going through a “little bit of depression.”
The woman who found Max, Callie Clemens, shared a photo of him on Facebook and said: “Max was found this evening 8 miles away. Emmanuel came to get him!
She said she found him wandering alone during a severe storm this weekend in a neighborhood on Cedar Creek Drive.
Police are searching for the missing woman and are asking anyone with information to come forward.
Callie Clemens found Max wandering alone in a storm 7.7 miles from their home Friday
Johnson disappeared while walking her dog from her father’s house in Houston, as she did every day
The former junior tennis champion had returned home after graduating from college.
Her father said he feared she was in danger because he said she would never leave Max.
She said she called him and he came to her, letting her pick him up and put him in her car. The dog was soaked and shaking from exhaustion and fear.
Johnson’s father said he hadn’t been the same since he came home, hiding under the table and appearing to be scared.
He told Click2Houston: ‘I think he’s there alone maybe eight days, so obviously he’s in a difficult state at the moment.
“But we can’t wait to get him treated.” He’s not acting normally. He’s almost scared.
He added: “He’s a house dog, he’s never been alone like this.”
Announcing that the dog had been found, he made another appeal to his daughter, saying: “Come home. Your father and mother miss you.
“Your brothers miss you. They come from out of town. We all just want to make sure you are safe.
Clemens captured footage of the moment she found Max in the middle of the storm on her dashcam
The little dog was soaked with matted fur
Christina was last seen wearing a black hoodie, blue jeans and a backpack, according to Houston police.
He added: “I was just talking to the detective. They have sightings, maybe ten miles from here.
“It covers a wide spectrum and they do research by drone. To see if they can spot her quickly.
He added: “I think maybe she’s going through a bit of a depressive state to some extent and, I guess, she’s just antisocial.”
“As far as we know, she’s not really with the friends and things like that that she communicates with.”
He said Christina was last seen wearing a sweatshirt, shorts and Crocs with colorful socks and a backpack with a stuffed animal on it.
If you have any information on Christina’s disappearance or whereabouts, call HPD’s Missing Persons Unit at 832-394-1840 or Crimestoppers of Houston at 713-222-TIPS.