TEXSAR returning to help search for missing Texas State student

LULING, Texas - Texas Search and Rescue (TEXSAR) says it is returning at the request of the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office for a three-day search for Jason Landry who went missing December 13, 2020.

The search will start on February 26 at 8 a.m. and will consist of more than 100 TEXSAR members including search and rescue K9's trained in human remains detection, the TEXSAR Mounted Search and Rescue Team, UAV/drones, experts in ground search and rescue, side-scan sonar, water search resources, and a helicopter.

TEXSAR's initial search for Landry encompassed nine days of ground searching and three days of aerial searching spanning more than 31,000 acres. 

As the search continues for Landry, the public is asked to contact Detective Ferry with the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office directly at 512-398-6777 ext. 4516 with any information regarding Jason's disappearance.

WHO IS JASON LANDRY?

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21-year-old Texas State University student Jason Landry went missing in December after a crash near Luling. He has been missing since he left his apartment in San Marcos just before 11 p.m. on December 13 for Missouri City to spend the holiday break with his family. 

CCSO took over the search for Landry on Dec. 18, following initial investigative and search efforts by the Texas Department of Public Safety.

TIMELINE FROM CALDWELL COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE

A timeline from the sheriff's office tracks Landry's movements from when he left his apartment to when his phone ceased pinging in Luling. CCSO says that investigators have gained access to most of Landry's phone and computer data and is waiting for search warrants to be returned from social media and tech companies.

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

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WHAT INVESTIGATORS SAY HAPPENED

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, where his car was found abandoned in the 2300 block around 12:30 a.m. on Dec. 14, says CCSO.

CCSO says investigators are now focused on the 67-minute window between Landry's last data footprint at Austin Street and Magnolia Avenue and the discovery of the crash scene on Salt Flat Road. Investigators are trying to determine why while Landry's phone had cell signal and was powered on, it doesn't appear to have been used since that intersection.

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CCSO says his car was found abandoned with the lights on and the keys in the ignition. The front passenger side door was locked as well. The crash has been determined to be a single-vehicle crash, most likely from overcorrecting on the gravel road and spinning off the road. The rear driver’s side corner hit a tree on the east side of the roadway, propelling the front driver’s side into another tree and barbed wire fence.

There is no evidence that any other vehicle or outside force was involved in the collision, according to CCSO, and investigators are confident that the contact with the trees and fence line was the only contact the vehicle sustained based on the evidence collected. The car's rear window was broken as a result of the impact with a tree.

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CCSO says that neither the volunteer firefighter who found the vehicle or the trooper who responded to the scene entered the car. The car was then towed to an impound where Landry’s father, the registered owner of the vehicle, entered through the unlocked driver’s side door and found his son's cell phone between the driver’s seat and the center console.

CCSO says that it is unknown if the phone fell as Landry was driving through the intersection of Austin St and Magnolia Ave. or during the crash. Landry’s father collected the phone and attempted to find the crash scene.

Approximately 900 feet from the crash scene, Landry’s father found and collected articles of his son's clothing (shirt, shorts, socks, underwear, slide sandals, and a wristwatch) in the road. Investigators then processed those clothes and found a single small blood smear, which CCSO says was not indicative of serious bodily injury and was possibly caused by Landry touching the barbed wire fence or foliage. No evidence of blood was found inside the car.

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A review of the body and dash cameras from the trooper's initial response to the crash scene showed that approximately 900 feet from the crash scene, a backpack, a ball cap, a plastic bag of personal toiletries, and a tumbler with a deceased beta fish in it, all belonging to Landry, were found in the road, north of the clothing recovered by his father.

The backpack contained his wallet, a usable amount of marijuana, a laptop computer, gaming equipment, and a few personal effects. CCSO says that any previous report stating that the backpack was "filled" with narcotics is inaccurate. The small amount of marijuana is being held with findings pending on whether it was combined with an unknown hallucinogenic substance.

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CCSO says investigators believe the clothing found in the roadway was what he was wearing before the crash, but there is no indication that the clothing was removed under duress or threat. There was cold weather during the time Jason is believed to have gone missing, with the low temperature being recorded around 36 with a high of 43.

Landry's phone was released to DPS, who began efforts to access the device and its data. CCSO says that there is currently no evidence he was traveling to meet with or had communicated intent to meet with anyone in or around Luling.