Body found near Seguin not believed to be Jason Landry

SEGUIN, Texas - A body found earlier this week near Seguin is not believed to be that of missing Texas State University student Jason Landry, officials say.

On Dec. 20, the Guadalupe County Sheriff's Office (GCSO) says it was notified that a decomposed body had been found in the area of FM 1117 at the Guadalupe River bridge southwest of Seguin.

The body was sent for an autopsy and as of Dec. 22, GCSO says it cannot be determined how long the body had been there and that due to the stage of decomposition, neither gender nor ethnicity can be positively determined.

However, the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) does not believe this body to be that of Jason Landry, even though the body was discovered about 20 miles from where he went missing last year.

Crimewatch: 1 year since Texas State student Jason Landry vanished

It's been one year since 21-year-old Jason Landry vanished on his drive home from school. His car crashed on a dirt road in Luling, his clothes, phone, and wallet were all left behind. FOX 7 Austin's Shannon Ryan has a look at the case.

Landry's family shared that they were aware of the body through the Facebook page they have set up to find Jason. The family says that law enforcement near Seguin is aware of Jason's disappearance and has been provided all necessary dental and DNA records for identification purposes.

Anyone with information on Jason Landry's whereabouts is asked to contact the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office at 512-398-6777. Project Absentia has also set up a tipline at 726-777-1259.

Anyone with information that could lead to the positive identification of the body found near Seguin is asked to contact GCSO at 830-379-1224 or Crime Stoppers at 1-877-403-8477.

WHO IS JASON LANDRY?

Search for missing Texas State student Jason Landry continues near Luling

TEXSAR returned for the eighth time Saturday to the area near Luling where missing Texas State student Jason Landry was last seen last December.

Jason Landry was driving home to Missouri City, a suburb of Houston, from his San Marcos apartment for winter break on Dec. 13 last year when CCSO Capt. Jeff Ferry believes Jason crashed his car on a dirt road in Luling.

A timeline from the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office tracks Landry's movements from when he left his apartment in San Marcos to when his phone ceased pinging in Luling.

The timeline provided by CCSO is as follows:

December 13, 2020, 10:55 p.m.: Landry leaves his apartment in San Marcos, headed to Missouri City
December 13, 2020, 11:05 p.m.: Landry is driving on Hwy 80 and passes under I-35 in San Marcos
December 13, 2020, 11:07 p.m.: Landry enters Caldwell County on Hwy 80, heading south
December 13, 2020, 11:11 p.m.: Landry enters Martindale, still heading south on Hwy 80
December 13, 2020, 11:15 p.m.: Landry passes over SH 130 on Hwy 80
December 13, 2020, 11:17-11:21 p.m.: Landry passes through Fentress, Prairie Lea, and Stairtown
December 13, 2020, 11:24 p.m.: Landry enters Luling on Hwy 80.

Movement map of missing Texas State student Jason Landry

The Caldwell County Sheriff's Office released new details in their search for 21-year-old Jason Landry, including a timeline of Landry's movements the day he disappeared.

CCSO says that as Landry went through the intersection at Hackberry Street where Hwy 80 becomes Austin Street, he stopped using the Waze app and began using Snapchat.

Landry then continued on Austin St. to the intersection with U.S. 183, also known as Magnolia Avenue, and CCSO says investigators believe he continued straight through that intersection, continuing onto E. Austin, but at this intersection, his digital footprint stops. Landry then continued on E. Austin onto Spruce Street, which turns into Salt Flat Road.

A volunteer firefighter found Jason Landry’s car crashed and abandoned on the 2300 block around 12:30 a.m. on December 14, says CCSO. The vehicle's lights were still on. A highway patrol trooper had Jason’s car towed. He took his backpack, which contained a few joints, and left.

Backpack filled with narcotics found near missing man's car

Jason Landry is 6’1", approximately 170 pounds with brown eyes. He has an olive complexion, and a scar on his ankle. He has medium length hair and may have a goatee.

Hours later, Jason Landry's father Kent Landry found his way to Salt Flat Road. He expected to see flashing police lights and his son. Instead, the road was dark and empty. "I saw deer, three different sets of deer ran by. Coyotes ran by and I didn’t see another car, another person."

The clothing Jason Landry had been wearing, his shoes, even his underwear, were scattered throughout the street. "I found [my son’s] fish. I found where the accident was, and I’m the only one who took pictures or video of that." he said.

Kent Landry was able to locate his son’s vehicle at an impound lot. His cellphone was still in the car. No one was searching for him. Kent Landry added, "[the accident scene is] the middle of nowhere. In that hour window, it may very well be possible that there’s not another person in that box except Jason and whoever did whatever they did. Whoever else is involved in this case."