AMC Studios,which airs The Walking Dead, recently released a photo of the Season 5 cast, eliciting mixed response from fans of the post-apocalyptic horror drama, particularly on the fate of the character of Daryl Dixon.

The photo, which was posted on August 7th in The Walking Dead's official Facebook page, showed the cast members in character including Rick Grimes, Carl Grimes, Michonne, Glenn Rhee, Maggie Greene, Sasha, Sgt. Abraham Ford, Tara Chambler, Ford, Bob Stookey, Eugene Porter, and Rosita Espinosa.The photo also had a caption that reads, "The Walking Dead picture day!"

However, those familiar with the show will notice that Daryl Dixon is noticeably absent in the photo. Gospel Herald reports that the missing character in the photo has lead to speculations that AMC might be killing off the character in the upcoming season. Meanwhile, another speculation is that the network is simply teasing its viewers, and that he will still be alive by the season finale of Season 5, added Gospel Herald.

Unfortunately, other signs suggest otherwise. Actor Norman Reedus, who is playing the character, tweeted a message addressed to his fans. It also seemed to hint at a possible departure from the show. Reedus tweeted, "just wanted to say thank you for all the nice people that are waiting outside of set when we get off work. thank you guys for all the love"

While AMC has not yet released an announcement regarding the casting, the show's creator Robert Kirkman casually revealed Daryl's death while in an interview with Entertainment Weekly back in June.

"There's a lot going on with Terminus," reveals Kirkmam. "In our premiere episode of season 5 we're going to give a ton of answers of who the people of Terminus are, what they're doing, why they're doing it, what's going on with them. And by the end of that episode you're going to have a much better understanding of what's going on with them and why they're so important to the show. Oh, and Daryl dies," he continues.

It was not clear whether Kirkman was joking about it, knowing about the rumors going around.

Meanwhile, other rumors suggest that the Daryl's character could be gay. According to ComicBook.com, a fan asked Kirkman in the letter column if the show will reveal that Daryl is actually gay, which could be the reason he has not found a love interest yet.

Kirkman answered, "All I can say is that it's been discussed. We have very specific ideas about Daryl's sexuality and if there's ever a quiet period in the show where he's not consistently distracted by crossbowing... we'll tackle it in the show."

The Walking Dead Season 5 will premiere on Sunday, Oct. 12 at 9/8c on AMC.