I’m beginning to get a better understanding of the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Nova Southeastern University student Che Beckford.

I spoke with Che’s mother — Charmaine — this morning.

She told me Che “feels so terrible for his experience” and she described his ordeal in Macon, Georgia as a “horrific time.”

As for why he left on December 3 when he was headed to get tires put on his mother’s car, Charmaine didn’t go into a lot of details, saying her first priority was to get Che to a doctor to be checked out after spending more than a week on the streets in Macon. He just returned to Pembroke Pines yesterday.

All she said was that Che felt he “needed to get away.” He had a car crash in July and that might have led to a problem, she said without elaborating.

“He just drove and drove and drove,” she told me.

Apparently, the car — a 2009 silver Nissan Sentra — is gone and the Beckford family has many unanswered questions themselves.

Charmaine said she appreciates the help of the media and the community in the search for Che. She promised to give me more details once things settle down for her and her family.