(a) he apparently dropped from sight without warning ... no one knew he was going to be away and there was concern about his welfare ... BUT ... (b) before anyone realized he was gone away, someone impersonated him and made some posts that were very uncharacteristic of him ... such as making statements praising GWB and that he was moving to the political right now ... then, the impersonator also disappeared, so the combination of the seeming and totally unreal change of attitude combined with a "disappearance, is what caused concern ... the puzzle was solved when the impersonator was discovered and his posts removed and it was learned that Rick is vacationing with his wife in, I think, Las Vegas ... so, there you have it.
