Not much is known about Rick's life before his current state seen in the show except for a few things that have been vaguely mentioned in the series. It has been mentioned multiple times that Rick has been absent from the family for at least fourteen years and it wasn't until about just over a month before the events of the Pilot episode when Rick finally returned to the Smith house on the date of January 15. The reason for his absence is unknown to the rest of the family.