I would contact the parents again and try for some more information. The assumption is that he is suicidal, but maybe the trip to Alabama led to or is a cover for legal troubles, or as others have suggested...rehab. I'd be careful about getting involved until you either get more info from the family or his place of employement, or he contacts you.
If you think he is suicidal, the local police dept. will do a welfare check...but this could cause problems between you and your friend if he's smoking a bowl when the PD stops by unannounced.
At the risk of seeming like a stalker, maybe swing by his house a couple of times and see if his car is moving on a daily basis or if he's just holing up.
If you do get a chance to talk to him, proceed with caution...be careful of telling him that you "Know how he feels" or "Things will get better" because unless you have gone through what he has, you don't know how he feels and it can come off as condescending or trivial.
Sounds like your a good friend and I hope it works out for you. Strange situation.
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