Maryland father makes plea after son goes missing in Idaho

CAPITOL HEIGHTS, Md. - A Maryland father is making a desperate plea to find his missing son. Terrence Woods says it's been more than a week since he has heard from his son, Terrence Woods Jr.

Woods Jr. disappeared on October 5 while shooting a documentary with a production crew in the rugged, backcountry of Idaho. 

Rescuers spent days looking for him in freezing weather but have called off that search after no sign of him.

The 26-year-old Woods Jr. grew up in Capitol Heights, Maryland and graduated from the University of Maryland in 2013.

He also has experience filming in remote areas around the world. Videos on Woods Jr.'s Vimeo page, show his work with a number of productions around the world, including some in very remote areas. He has worked on everything from documentaries to prime-time TV shows like "The Voice."

Witnesses say he disappeared over a steep cliff and took off running into the woods, but his family says that story just doesn't add up.

Woods Sr. recalls the last conversation he had with his son via text, the morning he went missing in the rugged terrain of Idaho County.

"At 8:34 my son texted me back, 'Dad I'm coming home on Wednesday the 10th.' Between that little time, something went wrong. Then the next call I get is from the company saying my son disappeared. Can't find a trace of him."

Woods Jr. was part of a dozen-person crew shooting a documentary in the Orogrande area of northern Idaho with a London production company called Raw TV, which produces shows for Discovery when he got separated from the group.

Witnesses on the scene told the Sheriff's office Woods had been acting strangely.

"One story they said they watched my son run off a cliff. What do you mean you all watched him? What do you mean you watched him? What are you saying? He's 130 lbs soaking wet, these are all big guys like me, and you're going to say you watched this little guy go and kill himself of whatever you're trying to put out there? Come on man," said Woods Sr.

He says the company and authorities have not found a trace of his son. He says his son has everything to live for and thinks there something he's not being told.

"My son saw something, heard something. He shouldn't have seen or heard and didn't like it. My son is not in the woods, someone picked my son up. What for? What's going on? That's what I need to know. My son is not in the woods."

Terrence Woods Jr. will be 27 next week.

"Life don't prepare you for this. Life prepare you for a whole lot of thing, but life don't tell you one day the person you love in the world is going to disappear," said Woods Sr.

The Woods family told FOX 5 the film company has not returned any of their recent calls. FOX 5 reached out to Raw TV and received the following statement: