Family, investigators push for geofence warrant in Jason Landry case
LULING, Texas - It has been 150 days since Texas State University student Jason Landry vanished on a drive home for holiday break.
"People don’t know what to say to us and we’ve learned to understand that. It touches all of us kind of in our deepest place… It’s the nightmare of any parent. You know, it’s, the worst thing is not knowing, " said Jason Landry’s father, Kent Landry.
Investigators believe the 21-year-old planned to drive home from his apartment in San Marcos to Missouri City, a suburb of Houston. 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, 10:55 p.m.: Landry leaves his apartment in San Marcos, headed to Missouri City
- December 13, 11:05 p.m.: Landry is driving on Hwy 80 and passes under I-35 in San Marcos
- December 13, 11:07 p.m.: Landry enters Caldwell County on Hwy 80, heading south
- December 13, 11:11 p.m.: Landry enters Martindale, still heading south on Hwy 80
- December 13, 11:15 p.m.: Landry passes over SH 130 on Hwy 80
- December 13, 11:17-11:21 p.m.: Landry passes through Fentress, Prairie Lea, and Stairtown
- December 13, 11:24 p.m.: Landry enters Luling on Hwy 80.
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.
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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.
"After that it is a complete mystery. There is no sign of Jason." said Tuleta Copeland, a retired FBI agent who currently works as a private investigator and volunteers to search for missing people, including Jason. She and fellow retired FBI agent Abel Peña founded "Project Absentis." Absentis means "missing" in Latin.
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A highway patrol trooper had Jason’s car towed. He took his backpack, which contained a few joints, and left.
Hours later 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, an attorney, told FOX 7 Austin "As a lawyer I can tell you, normally you’re better safe than sorry. It’s better to have too much in evidence than not enough."
Copeland says interviews and searches have come up empty thus far. "If someone knows something we desperately want to know what happened with our boy," said Kent Landry.
Copeland and Kent Landry are now hoping investigators can get that answer with a geofence warrant. Which Copeland explained "is basically a box around the vehicle accident and we can ask, ‘tell us what other cell phones were in that area at that time?’"
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."
Anyone with information is asked to contact Project Absentis by calling 726-777-1359 or emailing ProjectAbsentis@ProtonMail.com
"If you know anything or if you’ve seen anything we can protect you. We can protect your name. We can keep you confidential. Just call us and just talk to us," said Copeland.