Everything We Know — and All the Unanswered Questions — Surrounding Missing Student Caleb Harris' Death (2024)

• Caleb Harris, a 21-year-old student at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, disappeared in the early morning hours of March 4 after he placed an UberEats order
• Over three months later, authorities said that human remains were discovered in a wastewater well near his apartment. The following month, officials announced that the remains had been identified as his family said they "all have heavy hearts"
• Authorities believe Harris might have fallen into an open manhole, Deputy Chief Billy Breedlove told PEOPLE, although his exact manner and cause of death is still unknown

The death of Caleb Harris, who went missing over four months ago, was confirmed on July 17 by authorities after human remains were identified as belonging to the 21-year-old college student. While the announcement has provided some closure to his family, many questions remain unanswered, from what his cause of death is to how his remains ended up in a wastewater well.

He was last seen in the early morning hours of March 4 near his apartment complex near Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi campus, and his disappearance resulted in an exhaustive months-long search. In late June, authorities found human remains at a lift station.

Nearly a month later, they were able to confirm that the remains were his, although the investigation remains ongoing and a final autopsy report from the medical examiner's office has yet to be released.

Here’s everything we know so far about the case along with all the unanswered questions surrounding his death.

What Happened in the Moments Leading Up to Harris' Disappearance?

According to the Corpus Christi Police Department (CCPD), based on interviews with family and friends and a review of surveillance footage, Harris spent the evening of March 3 at his off-campus apartment on the 1900 block of Ennis Joslin Road with his roommates and a mutual friend.

Later, at 12:56 a.m. on March 4, a doorbell camera from a nearby apartment captured Harris, one of the roommates and the mutual friend hanging out in a parking lot and playing with a puppy belonging to the girlfriend of one of Harris' roommates. Then they all returned to the apartment.

Around 2:20 a.m., after which the mutual friend left and one of his two roommates decided to go to bed, Harris said he was staying up to order food via UberEats, police said.

Corpus Christi police added that around 2:44 a.m., Harris shared a Snapchat video with his younger sister that showed him walking the puppy through what appears to be the complex's parking lot. Then around 3:03 a.m.,he shared a Snapchat photo with a friend of a small bridge within a few hundred feet of the entrance to his apartment complex.

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The boy's father, Randy Harris, previously told ABC affiliate KIII-TV that his son didn’t have his wallet or identification on him and that his keys were still at the apartment.

His dad also told NBC affiliate WOIA that shortly before his disappearance, his son messaged him about his imminent plans. "He texted me about different [fishing] lures and stuff, YouTube stuff that you know, [he's] looking forward to going fishing the next day," Randy said.

Per police, at about 3:20 a.m., the UberEats driver delivered Harris’s order to his apartment, leaving it outside near the front door as Harris requested. Almost seven hours later, one of Harris' roommates found the UberEats order outside the door and saw that his truck was parked outside of the apartment. Alarmed, the roommates contacted police.

“The initial responding officer, after having obtained the information from the roommates, immediately checked all local hospitals for any unidentified patients matching Caleb’s description,” the police’s statement continued. “None were found. A preliminary search of the apartment complex and the immediate area surrounding it revealed no signs of a struggle or violence, nor any indication of a hit and run accident on the roads nearby.”

According to authorities, the Uber driver, who was eliminated as a suspect, told detectives that she drove alone that evening and did not see Harris or anyone else at or near the apartment complex. Uber later told PEOPLE that the student's order was completed without any reported incident and that the delivery person continued to make additional deliveries that morning.

Additionally, police said his laptop was turned over to authorities for examination and that his family and friends have cooperated with investigators. “Detectives, through a variety of investigative techniques, have completely excluded them as having anything to do with Caleb’s disappearance,” they said.

What Led to His Remains Being Found?

Over three months passed before Harris' remains were found by a city employee at a wastewater collection point, described as a wet well measuring about 40 feet deep. Police told PEOPLE that the investigation was extensive — and frustrating.

“We put together a team of very experienced investigators,” said Deputy Chief Billy Breedlove of the Corpus Christi Police Department. “We had what we would consider good leads of some vehicles coming and going from the area. They never materialized...it was very frustrating."

Over the course of the search, the CCPD conducted an exhaustive search of “hundreds of acres surrounding Harris’s apartment complex." All in all, officials said the investigative team “executed over 50 digital search warrants, submitted 82 preservation requests, and analyzed over 1500 GB of Data."

Breedlove shared that the local community was also "very involved," with lots of volunteers offering their assistance, which included calling in over 200 tips.

In fact, the investigator said that one of the tips police received was about an open manhole, located in a field about 600 feet from where Harris' last Snapchat video was filmed, which they now believe is how the student entered the sewer system in the first place.

However, at the time they received the tip on April 18, their efforts turned up no information. When they went to the location and drained the manhole "there was no indication of a body," and when they went to the lift station where his body was eventually found, they also found nothing.

Then on June 24, after Tropical Storm Alberto hit, employees at the lift station notified authorities that a sewage pump set off an alarm, which indicated something was jammed in the pipe. When they "opened it," Breedlove said the employees "found what appeared to be a human bone, which we now know was one of the shoulder bones."

The investigator said that they believe Harris' body, which had been in the pipe, was "pushed into that lift station" because of the water accumulation as a result of the storm.

How Did His Remains End Up in the Sewer System?

Breedlove told PEOPLE that authorities still don't know exactly what happened, and that it's possible he was "harmed and then was put there" or that an accidental fall could be to blame.

However, they do believe that the open manhole in the field, which measured25 inches wide and 15 feet deep, was his point of access into the sewer system.

“There are four other manholes on the roadway, and we cannot rule out that he entered the system in one of those, but it is more likely to have entered through the open hole,” he said, noting that police are uncertain if there was water in the manhole on the night of Harris' disappearance.

While it's unclear how he entered the manhole, Breedlove said that its cover "had been knocked aside," but that most people walking by wouldn't have noticed, as it was "sort of camouflaged" by high grass. Additionally, the night Harris went missing was described as "probably one of the foggiest nights we've had."

How Did Harris Die?

As of Friday, July 19, police say that the exact details of the student's death remain unknown, and there's a chance they always will.

"The cause and manner of death is undetermined currently. We don’t believe that will change," Breedlove told PEOPLE on Friday, July 19.

"It is possible he fell," the investigator added, while going on to say that it was also possible he was already deceased and then "placed in the opening of the manhole."

While previously speaking with PEOPLE, Breedlove explained that while Harris's remains showed no signs of homicide, authorities aren't eliminating the possibility of foul play. “We just don't have enough information to say one way or the other,” he said.

At the time his remains were initially found, police said that because they were in an advanced state of decomposition, the medical examiner couldn’t make an identification or find a cause of death at the time. As a result, the remains were sent to UNTCHI for examination along with DNA samples from his parents.

Following the identification, the remains will be returned to the medical examiner’s office, which will subsequently issue a final autopsy report.

What Has His Family Said?

Throughout the search for Harris, the college student's family spoke out a number of times, both to share what they knew and pray for his safe return.

“We encourage you to keep social media positive,” his parents wrote in a press release on April 26, about eight weeks after he went missing. “This is our son, and we are making decisions based on our faith and what is best for our family. We repeatedly cry out to God for him to come safely home.”

The following month, his mother, Becky Harris, shared that she still had hope her son would be found, and that until then, the family would "plan our summer and wait for him to join us."

Meanwhile, aGoFundMewas established on behalf of his family, which has gone on to raise nearly $72,000.

On the day police announced that his remains had been identified, his mother said the family all had "heavy hearts."

"We will grieve our son," she wrote. "Thank you for your prayers and support during this tragic time.”

What's Next?

Breedlove told PEOPLE that police, like the entire Corpus Christi community, "really hoped" they would be able to find Harris and return him to his family.

Instead, they were left with a "different type of closure" for the family.

Although they may never have all the answers, Breedlove said that police will continue to investigate "what we can" amid the ongoing investigation.

Police are also still asking for the public’s help in the case. Those with information can call the Corpus Christi Police Department Criminal Investigation Division at 361-826-2840 or Crime Stoppers at 1-888-TIPS (888-8477).