New details have been released about the mysterious disappearance of Jason Landry, the 21-year-old student from the state of Texas who has been missing since December 13, 2020.
Jason had just finished his first semester at the university in San Marcos, Texas, where he had been working to be accepted into his prestigious Sound Recording Technology program.
It was around 10:55 pm on December 13 when Jason left his San Marcos apartment and began the 2-3 hour drive to his parents’ home in Missouri City, Texas, for Christmas holidays. Jason never came home.
Shortly after midnight on December 14, a passing volunteer firefighter discovered Jason’s wrecked car, abandoned on Salt Flat Road in Luling, Texas. The lights were still on, the keys in the ignition and the front passenger door locked. But there was no sign of Jason.
Kent Landry received a call from a state police officer at 2 am, informing him that his son had been in an accident with a single vehicle on a dark road. But the bad news doesn’t stop there.
“It’s a call that every parent fears,” Kent Landry told Dateline. “It is our worst nightmare. Knowing that our child is suffering and we can’t fix it. But not knowing where he is or how well he is – is confusing and painful. “
Almost two months later, investigators at the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office released new information after gaining access to Jason’s phone and computer. The data was compiled on the following timeline:
December 13, 10:55 pm – Jason leaves his San Marcos apartment with the intention of driving to his parents’ home in Missouri City, Texas.
December 13, 11:05 pm – Jason drives his vehicle on Highway 80 and passes under I-35 in San Marcos.
December 13, 11:07 pm – Jason continues driving south on Highway 80 into Caldwell County.
December 13, 11:11 pm – Jason is in Martindale, Texas, continuing south on Highway 80.
December 13, 11:15 pm – Jason passes over the SH130 on the highway. 80
December 13, 11:24 pm – Jason enters Luling, Texas, on Highway 80. He stops using the Waze app and opens Snapchat. He passes the intersection of Magnolia Avenue and East Austin Street, and that’s where Jason’s digital footprint stops. It is believed that he continued from East Austin to Spruce Street, which becomes Salt Flat Road.
At 12:31 pm, Jason’s wrecked vehicle is found on Salt Flat Road. Investigators say it was a single vehicle collision, probably due to excessive correction on the gravel road, spun out of the road and hit the back of a tree.
But it is the approximately 67-minute window between Jason’s last fingerprint and the discovery of the accident scene that investigators are focusing on. Investigators say Jason’s phone, which was found between the driver’s seat and the center console, was on and had a signal, so they’re still trying to figure out why it doesn’t seem to have been used since the intersection on Magnolia Avenue.
“There are 67 minutes when we just don’t know what happened,” Jason’s father told Dateline. “Was someone chasing him? Perhaps. Did he just destroy it and go out to find help? We do not know. Anything is a possibility. “
The police officers who responded to the accident scene found the backpack, cap, toiletries and a glass of Jason with his dead betta fish on the road about 300 meters away. The backpack is said to contain a small amount of marijuana, a laptop and gaming equipment.
“Any report that the backpack was ‘full’ of narcotics is inaccurate. The small amount of marijuana has been seized and is being held, ”the sheriff’s office said in the statement.
Jason’s father arrived at the scene just hours later and found some of his son’s clothes, including a shirt, shorts, underwear and a wristwatch, scattered on the road about 300 meters from the accident site.
New evidence released over the weekend includes a photo of Jason the night he disappeared. He seemed to be in a good mood and was wearing the same shirt that was found with the pile of clothes recovered by his father during the search. Investigators from the Caldwell County Sheriff also released new photos of Jason’s wrecked car.
The car was processed for any evidence of DNA or blood, according to the statement, but no evidence of blood was found inside the car, and there is no evidence that Jason was going to meet someone in the Luling area.
The sheriff’s office said Jason’s family was cooperative and helpful in the investigation. The sheriff’s office clarified that they are not suspects or people with an interest in the case and, so far, there is no evidence that an unknown person was involved in the incident.
Hundreds of hours of security videos in and around Luling were also reviewed, but none offered any evidence, according to the statement. The sheriff’s office continues to ask the public for help in the case and to provide any details that may assist in the investigation.
“You never know what kind of information will lead us to it,” Jason’s father told Dateline. “I stay up every night trying to understand where he may be or what may have happened. But I can not. We need everyone’s help. “
Kent, who is pastor of the Southminster Presbyterian Church in Missouri City, said thousands of people are praying for Jason as they try to find out what happened to him.
“He’s been missing for 50 days,” said Kent. “We just want what any parent would do in this situation – we want answers and we want our child to be safe at home.”
Jason is described as being 6’1 “tall and weighing 170 pounds. He has brown hair, brown eyes and facial hair.
Anyone with information about Jason’s disappearance can call the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office at 512-398-6777 or any of the following investigators: Detective Ferry with Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office, 512-398-6777 extension 4516 or by email: [email protected]; Investigator Abel Pena, with PM Investigations by phone: (210) 954-1476 or by e-mail: [email protected]; Investigator Tuleta Copeland, with Leverage Investigations at [email protected].