Investigation of missing Texas A&M student enters eighth week

As the investigation of missing Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi student Caleb Harris enters the eighth week, search and rescue crews are awaiting new leads from the Corpus Christi Police Department to determine where to look next.

Among those organizations is Search and Rescue SATX, a professionally trained first responder group based in San Antonio that has been stationed in town for the last seven weeks. Volunteers have ventured out across Corpus Christi and North Padre Island on dirt bikes and in boats, submerging underwater drones into the coastal waters to find clues.

They've covered miles of territory on foot, from the Oso Bridge to Packery Channel and the Laguna Madre, focusing on roads, shorelines, nature preserves and heavily vegetated and secluded areas.

The group's searches expanded in April as people from the community and social media began participating in the effort to find the 21-year-old New Braunfels man, who was last seen walking his dog outside his off-campus apartment, The Cottages at Corpus Christi, in the early morning hours of March 4.

Seven people from Corpus Christi have joined the organization locally, said founder Nina Glass, and while there is no new information on the case, searches will continue as more becomes available.

Other nonprofits based in Texas, including Texas Search and Rescue (TEXSAR), which sends out K-9 units, and Project Absentis, which helps find missing and unidentified persons, have also coordinated with law enforcement to find the missing student.

Harris' family posted a $25,000 reward on March 21 for anyone with information leading to the safe return of their son by March 31, encouraging people to call (361) 826-2950 to report details. That reward has since been increased to $50,000 with no due date. A GoFundMe campaign created by a friend on Harris' behalf has raised more than $68,000.

Corpus Christi police published their latest update of the investigation on the police blotter on March 28, saying they continue to work fervently behind the scenes to solve the case with the help of state and federal partners.

A team comprised of detectives from the Criminal Investigation Division and Organized Crime Units of CCPD formed within days of Harris vanishing and now work in collaboration with the FBI, U.S. Marshals and several civilian crime analysts. Corpus Christi police say they continue an intense, full-time investigation to solve the case, with teams of detectives persisting in interviewing potential witnesses in Corpus Christi, San Antonio and New Braunfels.

Some of the people who have helped search are relatives and friends of other people who have gone missing from the area.

DeAnna Jones, the sister of Ivie Joe Gutierrez, who disappeared from Flour Bluff on Feb. 21, 2022, at the age of 27, said Harris’ disappearance has brought a lot of light to the case of her brother.

“The searchers have come from all over, and I’m very grateful they’re helping search for not only Caleb Harris and my brother, but these other missing men,” she said. “People can lose faith day by day, but I pray there’s a good outcome. I wouldn’t wish the lack of closure that we’ve felt on anyone.”

Amidst the professional investigation, friends, acquaintances and strangers have formed an online search community through mobile networks to share pictures, snapchats and chat logs on social media intimating details of Harris’ last known whereabouts.

In cases focused on missing persons, user-generated content can serve as digital evidence to assist investigators in gathering background information that might help follow up on tips or find potential leads that can be authenticated to widen or narrow the scope of the search and keep track of any new developments.

The social media posts have helped people form their own search parties. Some searches have been conducted in The Cottages’ backyard at the Oso Baseball Complex.

Family members reported Harris missing when his roommates were unable to locate him later on the morning of March 4. An avid fisherman, Harris had been chatting with friends about a planned fishing trip and ordered food between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m., after which his phone died or was turned off. He was wearing teal pants and a white shirt. He weighs 180 pounds and is 5 feet, 11 inches tall.

Investigators still have not settled upon a motive for Harris’s strange disappearance, nor identified a suspect or person of interest. Detectives are seeking assistance from the public to solve this case. If you have information regarding the disappearance of Harris, please contact Corpus Christi police at (361) 886-2840 or (361) 886-2600. To report an anonymous tip to detectives, call Crime Stoppers at 888-TIPS (8477) or submit the tip online at https://www.p3tips.com/TipForm.aspx?ID=343&C=&T=.

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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Search and rescue teams await new leads on missing Texas A&M student