that's where detective sonya matthews enters the picture. >> this was a true missing persons case.nd my gut just said, no, this is really serious. >> reporter: you don't have to have seen the hit movie "gone girl" to know that when a wife goes missing, the cops' first questions are for the husband. >> we understand there are concerns about your wife. >> i don't know where my wife is. >> reporter: the patrol officer came here to check things out, didn't see anything. >> right. >> reporter: michael wilkie invites officers into the house. >> and then we asked him, "do you mind if we look around?" and he was fine with it. he said, "absolutely, no problem." >> reporter: he answers all their questions. >> little sydney was sitting on a -- on the coffee table in her car seat, and he invited us to sit down and talk to him right here in the front room. um, i remember he took little sydney out and was holding her. >> reporter: behavior in keeping with his reputation as a down-to-earth mountain man. >> he didn't drink, he didn't smoke, he didn't swear. good old country boy that had been here