When police started combing Indian Valley, looking for Steven Branscome, "We were waiting on them to come knocking on our door first.", says Rachel Thomas.
Because Mark and Rachel Thomas say they're Branscome's best, if not only, friends.
"He's always come to us.", says Rachel. "We'll tell him we don't agree with what's going on."
That's likely the reason why police believed Branscome was staying in their outbuilding last week, according to a search warrant.
The couple tells us when they heard Indian Valley Road on the news, they were sure Branscome was headed to see them. They say police searched the place Sunday.
Mark and Rachel tell us that Branscome knows their door is always open, that they would never turn their backs on him. But they say he's probably afraid to come there now, afraid that something bad will go down with police in front of their children.
They say the man in the mug shot, carries a picture of those kids in his wallet and the kids call him Uncle Steve.
"This is somebody we've trusted fully with our kids. We've trusted him with our lives.", says Rachel. "Do you still trust him?", asks Angela Hatcher. "Yeah, with us, I do. I would always trust him because we've seen the side of Steve most everybody else has not seen.", says Rachel.
So if Branscome sees this story Mark, who's known him since the sixth grade, has something to tell him.
"I urge him to turn himself in instead of keep running and have something bad happen to him.", says Mark Thomas.
"We're hurting right now because we love him. We love him. Our kids love him and we're afraid he's going to get hurt and we just don't want it to happen.", says Rachel.
A desperate plea, waiting on an answer from a wanted man.
Mark says he gave Branscome Rachel's old cell phone, so he could keep in touch with them.
The search warrant says Branscome has been sending text messages from that phone saying, "police will have to shoot him and that he will not go back to jail."
Mark and Rachel says those messages were not sent to them.
They say they have not seen Branscome in two weeks.
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