Vigil for missing Texas State student Jason Landry in Houston area
MISSOURI CITY, Texas - Friends and family held a vigil in the Houston area for missing Texas State student Jason Landry. It's been one year since 21-year-old Landry vanished on his drive home from San Marcos. His car crashed on a dirt road in Luling, his clothes, phone, and wallet were all left behind.
While searches and investigations into Landry's whereabouts continue, Landry still hasn't been found. Landry's loved ones are holding out hope that they'll find out what happened to him.
"After thinking about it an entire year, all of the theories and all of that, I think we have more questions and less answers," Jason's father Kent Landry said at the vigil. "I pray there wasn't someone else involved. I can't imagine staying quiet for an entire year."
FOX 7 Austin's Shannon Ryan spoke to Capt. Jeff Ferry with the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office and retired FBI agent Abel Pena with Project Absentia about what they believe may have happened to Jason. Ferry believes Jason walked away from the crash and he most likely "expired out there" and that "animals got his remains." Pena disagrees and believes something else happened due to "some anomalies" his nonprofit discovered.
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.
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.
WHO IS JASON 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, 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.
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.
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."
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MORE HEADLINES:
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