The father of a missing Arkansas man who was last seen on the Outer Banks believes his son committed suicide because of a terminal illness.

Chris Palmer was declared missing by Arkansas authorities on January 16th after rangers found his truck abandoned on the beach at Cape Hatteras National Seashore on January 12th.

Officials say a blue and white kayak was seen in the back of Palmer’s truck in the surveillance video, but it was not found when rangers located the vehicle.

In a social media post this evening, Bren Palmer says they recently learned that the 39-year-old man was facing a terminal illness.

“Christopher loved the outdoors and valued his independence,” the father wrote. “The treatments ahead would have taken much of that away, and he did not want that future for himself.”

Bren Palmer said personal belongings of his son were found along the coastline. and they believe he perished in the ocean.

The family has asked that all active searches for Palmer be ended.