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Human remains found inside a wastewater station in Corpus Christi last month are confirmed to be Caleb Harris, the 21-year-old Texas A&M student who vanished earlier this year.
“We all have heavy hearts this evening as we learned of the positive identification of our sweet Caleb,” his family wrote on Facebook.
“We will grieve our son, but we are at peace knowing he is with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our only hope is in Jesus. If you don’t know our Savior please talk to me. I love talking about Jesus. Thank you for your prayers and support during this tragic time.”
On June 24, city workers performing maintenance at the Perry Place wastewater lift station discovered the remains inside a wastewater collection well just across from Harris’ apartment complex The Cottages where he was last seen on March 4.
The city workers contacted police, who announced that the body was in an advanced state of decomposition and identification would take time.
Police announced Wednesday that forensic analysts with the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification (UNTCHI) have now determined that the remains are likely Harris and that there were no obvious signs of homicide.
The remains “are approximately 2.4 sextillion times more likely to be observed if the unidentified remains originated from a biological child of (Caleb Harris’s parents) rather than if the unidentified remains originated from an unrelated individual from the Caucasian population,” according to the report.
The well, which is about 40 feet deep and is a wastewater collection point, is located in a field near Harris’ apartment complex on Ennis Joslin Road near the university’s Corpus Christi campus. Police said the area had been previously searched when Harris first went missing.
On the day Harris vanished, he sent a Snapchat message around 2:45 a.m. to his sister, his family said. Shortly after, he went outside to wait for an Uber food order.
The order was marked as completed and found by his roommate outside of his apartment the next day. But there was no sign of Harris. His car, keys and wallet were left behind. His phone had either died or been turned off.
His father Randy Harris told KRIS-TV in April that he spoke with his son, who is originally from New Braunfels, the night before he vanished and everything seemed fine, but hours later, he received the news from his wife that he was missing.
“There’s just nothing there that would cause us to believe he was in any danger or leaving,” he said. “He had actually ordered in his food for the next day for school.”
For four months, police scoured the area, conducted interviews and assessed surveillance footage, for the student described as a “homebody.”
Investigators executed over 50 digital search warrants, submitted 82 preservation requests, and analyzed over 1500 GB of Data.
Although Harris’ remains have been identified, the investigation into Harris’ death remains open, authorities said.
His remains will be returned to the Nueces County Medical Examiner’s office.
