JACKSON - It has been a week since relatives of Michael and Rebecca Hargon have seen the young couple and their 4-year-old son, James Patrick.
Investigators spent three days searching the Hargons' house in the small town of Vaughan, about 40 miles north of Jackson in rural Yazoo County, for clues to what happened to family.
What authorities found were dried blood droplets throughout the house, bullet holes in the walls and shell casings on the floor. There was no sign of robbery or forced entry. Dirty dishes were left in the sink.
Rebecca's wedding and engagement rings were also left behind.
All three of the family's vehicles were accounted for.
"It looks like the shoes were left behind. No coats. No clothes of any sort," said Rebecca Hargon's father, Bill Hirtz of Poplar Bluff, Mo., on Thursday.
The FBI has joined local authorities and the Mississippi Highway Patrol in investigating the Hargons' disappearance. It is being treated as a missing persons case.
Authorities have said little about the investigation.
"We are getting a lot of phone calls from different places, but so far they haven't consisted of anything," Yazoo County Sheriff James T. Williams said.
Family members say Michael Hargon, 27, was last seen early Saturday morning, when he had breakfast with a friend in nearby Canton.
Another friend, who was driving by the Hargon's home later that morning, noticed the front door of the house was open and one of the doors on Michael Hargon's pickup truck was open, but the family didn't appear to be around.
She told relatives of the Hargons what she saw, and when the family members went to the home the three were gone.
Hirtz found out Saturday afternoon through a phone call from his other son-in-law. His initial reaction was "disbelief."
"Just couldn't believe that somebody would do something to them," said Hirtz, who is staying with his other daughter who also lives in the area. "It's just something uncomprehendible to even consider."
He said trying to stay positive is difficult, and he and his wife, Linda, have gotten little sleep in the last week.
Michael Hargon's mother, Diane, in addition to dealing with the stress of her missing son, daughter-in-law and grandson, has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy.
"She's just worn by it," Hirtz said. "She's very worn."
Michael Hargon is a construction worker.
"He's a good guy," Hirtz said. "I've talked to a lot of his friends that have known him for years. He's done nothing but help in the community. As far as they know, Mike doesn't have an enemy."
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