Missing Chef Found Dead in Alabama After Walking 2 Dogs and Erratic Behavior

A 31-year-old private chef was discovered dead nearly a week after he disappeared while walking his two dogs in Alabama, authorities and loved ones say.

The man had recently arrived from Texas to help his sister move.

Xavier Calvin Chambers’ body was found on Thursday, Oct. 16, the Huntsville Police Department announced on social media. That morning, around 11 a.m. local time, the department and other agencies began a targeted search near the 9500 block of Madison Boulevard in Huntsville.

During that search, a team found a deceased person who was later identified as Chambers, the city of Huntsville said in a news release. 

A family friend, Patrice Thomas Conwell, told ABC affiliate WAAY that Chambers’ mother was “in disbelief.” 

“It’s a devastating result, not the result we wanted, but we did want resolution,” she said, according to the outlet. 

Chambers died during what was supposed to be a new chapter for his family. 

The chef, from Austin, had traveled to Huntsville with his mom to help his sister move into her new apartment, WAAY and NBC affiliate WAFF reported. The next morning, on Friday, Oct. 10, Xavier went walking with his dogs without leashes near Madison Boulevard.

When one of the dogs returned later that morning without Chambers, his mom reported him missing, according to the outlets. 

That same morning, police received multiple reports about a naked man running around the roadway with two dogs before he ran into the woods, WAAY reported. 

A “Missing and Endangered Person Alert” issued by the Huntsville Police Department said that the 31-year-old was last seen on Oct. 10 around 8:30 a.m., in the area of Madison Boulevard. 

Authorities also said that Chambers “may be living with a condition that may impair his judgment.” His mom told WAAY that before the trip to Alabama, he’d disappeared a couple of times while walking the dogs, which scared her. But such incidents had never happened before that.

“The fact that he was on a walk with dogs, and we have them but we don’t have him, is very unsettling at this moment,” Chambers’ sister, Dawnette Chambers, told WAAY. 

When police officers went to search the woods where Xavier was last seen, the other dog came running out. He was nowhere to be found. 

“I don’t know where he is, or if he’s made it out of the woods, but I am desperately and fervently praying that he is found,” Dawnette told the WAAY. “And I would like people to join in that prayer.”

After days of “extensive” search efforts, which involved following multiple leads, the chef’s body was found, authorities said. An investigation is ongoing.

The Huntsville Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for further comment.

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“The preliminary autopsy findings revealed no signs of foul play,” Dr. Tyler Berryhill, the Madison County coroner, tells PEOPLE via email. “Additional studies are currently being conducted to establish the cause of death.”

Now, Chambers’ family is left to mourn the young man, who owned a catering business.

“I just saw him thrive,” Dawnette told WAAY of her brother’s dedication to his craft, “Whenever he put his mind to something, he committed to that.”

If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.