(NewsNation) — The human remains discovered in a wastewater collection point last month near the apartment of a missing Texas college student were determined to be those of 21-year-old Caleb Harris, according to forensic analysts with the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification.
The 21-year-old’s mother posted a statement to Facebook in response to the news of her son’s death.
“We all have heavy hearts this evening as we learned of the positive identification of our sweet Caleb. We will grieve our son, but we are at peace knowing he is with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” Becky Wright Harris wrote.
Harris, a Texas A&M Corpus Christi student, was last seen March 4. Texts and social media messages showed him walking a puppy in the early morning near his apartment.
City water employees were doing maintenance in the area June 24 when they discovered the human remains in a wastewater collection well, the Corpus Christi Police Department said. The remains were too decomposed to identify, according to the Nueces County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Authorities say they can’t say how the remains ended up in the well, raising the possibility that they were flushed there from another location after recent heavy rains. It’s also unclear how long they were in the well before they were discovered.
The Nueces County Medical Examiner’s Office said the remains bore no obvious signs of foul play or homicide.
What happened to Caleb Harris?
Harris spent the evening of his disappearance playing video games with his roommates, and doorbell footage showed Harris and a few other people playing with a puppy shortly after midnight.
Harris told one of his roommates, who was heading to bed, that he planned to order snacks from Uber Eats at 2:20 a.m. March 4. Texts and social media messages showed him walking the puppy in the area near his apartment.
At 3:20 a.m., Uber Eats delivered his snack order, leaving it outside the apartment door.
Harris was reported missing at 11 a.m. after his roommates noticed the order still outside the door and his truck still in the parking lot. Harris’ cellphone was missing, but his wallet and keys were in the apartment.
A preliminary search of the apartment complex and the immediate area surrounding it revealed no signs of a struggle or violence or any indication of a hit-and-run on the nearby roads.
According to a CCPD statement, firearms and fishing gear, including waders, that belonged to Caleb were found in the apartment. A laptop belonging to Caleb was collected and turned over to police for examination and analysis.
While the human remains were identified as Harris, an investigation into the 21-year-old’s disappearance and death remains open.
Investigators encourage anyone with information to contact the Corpus Christi Police Department Criminal Investigation Division at 361-826-2840 or submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers 888-TIPS (888-8477).