TX TX - Caleb Harris, 21, Texas A&M University student, Corpus Christi, 4 Mar 2024 #3

[UncaStoley]

I’ve been reading this thread and thought of a plausible scenario — if he DID want to meet someone for a sexual encounter, this would require Caleb either reaching out to somebody, or (for example on Reddit) making some sort of post generally asking others if anyone is available for a hook-up. However, in college, (does anyone know how far into the course Caleb was? How many people did he know personally at the complex?) it’s common to have a few acquaintances whom you’ve hooked up with before — and probably would hook up with again.

So, if Caleb is in the mood for a hook up, he could’ve done all of these things at ONCE:
- posted online
- messaged somebody online
- texted someone he knew either on or near the complex.

It was late, maybe there was less of a chance of meeting someone online, so he tried a few different options? Maybe ended up meeting someone he knew near the house, therefore sending LE on a rat-race for online warrants / information which actually led nowhere? This also would make me think Caleb brought the dog out to show her off to someone he knew — something like “look at this adorable new dog we have near our place!” I’m a dog lover, I would totally show my neighbours new puppy off to my friends. Speaking as a female college student who’s pretty used to getting a few naughty / “you up?” texts at night from male students in my apartment block.

Would the dog also work as some sort of ice breaker? Something to talk about if they’d previously met for a sexual encounter and it was awkward perhaps? I’m rambling now.

ETA: on the timeline, it’s said that Caleb & friends were playing video games and drinking before the 12.56 mark when they play with the dog on camera. His friend leaves at 2.20, do we know if the friend drove back himself? Was he sober enough to do this? It seems significant to me that Caleb and friends were drinking until roughly an hour before his phone goes off. He may have been more likely to engage in riskier behaviour and been less aware of his surroundings.

Moo!

I have a question for you all. Was Caleb wearing a cap when he went missing? I never could find info on that. On the doorbell ring camera we see Caleb with a ball cap on. Was he wearing that hat when he went missing? If the ball cap can be identified it could be a clue to his whereabouts if it shows up. If he was wearing a cap when he went missing, can someone provide a description.

 

[MassGuy]

In the Oklahoma case LE had Persons of Interest from the very beginning. They started off the investigation ahead of the game.

In Caleb's case LE is looking for a needle in a haystack.

Yes, but I’m talking about the response to subpoenas, not comparing the investigation. They got responses immediately from a bunch of major companies, likely some of the same ones involved here.

 

[Muddy K]

This makes me wonder how thorough and precise the questioning of the inhabitants of the apartments was by LE.

. . . snipped and bolded by me for focus.

I could go on and on but the questioning of the occupants was done so early on and long before it became apparent that this was much more complex than originally thought.

Or it wasn't complex at all and that's precisely why it's "baffling" or "mysterious" to LE. Maybe they made it way more complex than it needed to be by assuming that whatever happened to Caleb involved digital technology or would leave maplike traces reverberating forever via digital technology.

IMO, through no fault of their own, LE now are completely accustomed to look immediately for digital evidence when anything untoward happens to anyone, anywhere. It's an obvious investigatory shortcut: just find the data and trace it back. But one consequence I wonder about is whether old-school alternative scenarios end up falling by the wayside.

LE have not found Caleb's phone. They have not found camera footage of "suspicious actor/s" near The Cottages. They have not found camera footage of Caleb being directed into a vehicle at gunpoint or video footage of any other thing that may have befallen him. In short, LE have come up empty on digital evidence. (Unless they're really keeping their lips zipped.)

My Occam's Razor here, and JMO, is that Caleb was killed by a predator late that night and his body is long gone. Compared to all other scenarios, this one strikes me as being the simplest, period. But is "simple" where LE starts anymore?

I don't know.

 

[acutename]

Thank you for the info. Any cash app type account I wonder?

parents have said no money taken from joint accounts
(it was brought up before whether C had any account(s) which were only known to him)

 

[SMK777]

It's an obvious investigatory shortcut: just find the data and trace it back. But one consequence I wonder about is whether old-school alternative scenarios end up falling by the wayside.

SBM:
That’s a very good point. Things can happen to us that wouldn’t necessarily have anything to do with who we are texting or what apps we are using. [ I’m currently on vacation and staying in a hotel, and just went out back to smoke. It’s very dark out, and if I were grabbed by someone it would have nothing to do with my social media or online activity. There would be zero clues there. As Caleb was out in the dark and the fog in the dead of night, he was vulnerable. ]
2 questions:
1. Although his phone was not found, they’re still able to access all the data, correct? Just in case the digital trail does in fact have any bread crumbs to follow.
2. Do you think a predator had targeted Caleb by seeing him, not online, but in the flesh? Was the motive likely sexual, or a robbery that didn’t pan out because he had no wallet or cards on him? This last to me is a very scary thought: Someone is desperate for drug money, sees this guy out in the dark, decides to ask him for directions and then pull a gun on him, only to realize he’s got no wallet or ATM cards. ]

 

[Angelcat13]

Unless and until a body is found....there is no death certificate issued for several years after a person goes missing. The family has to request it after the legal period deadline has passed. In my state, a person must be missing for at least 7 years before being declared dead by a court.

I think you misunderstood my post. I used the example of Facebook’s “Legacy” requiring a death certificate.

The point of my post was that someone could designate - in advance - someone that could authorize access to calls, posts, contacts, etc in the event that the account holder went missing. This could allow access more quickly than having to obtain subpoenas, but only if there was a POLICE REPORT documenting that the account holder has been reported missing.

Original Post (bbm):

Perhaps other providers (i.e. AT&T, Apple, Google, etc) could allow account holders to designate someone that could quickly authorize access to their account info (calls, posts, contacts, searches, etc) immediately upon providing a police report that the account holder is a legitimate missing person.

 

[Imvp2]

parents have said no money taken from joint accounts
(it was brought up before whether C had any account(s) which were only known to him)

I would be thinking monies may be going into his account. At one point I understand he worked in a movie theater there, I'm not sure or haven't heard if he was still working there. Monies may have been transferred in from people he was meeting up with? Idk. My opinion only as I think out loud

 

[MassGuy]

. . . snipped and bolded by me for focus.

Or it wasn't complex at all and that's precisely why it's "baffling" or "mysterious" to LE. Maybe they made it way more complex than it needed to be by assuming that whatever happened to Caleb involved digital technology or would leave maplike traces reverberating forever via digital technology.

IMO, through no fault of their own, LE now are completely accustomed to look immediately for digital evidence when anything untoward happens to anyone, anywhere. It's an obvious investigatory shortcut: just find the data and trace it back. But one consequence I wonder about is whether old-school alternative scenarios end up falling by the wayside.

LE have not found Caleb's phone. They have not found camera footage of "suspicious actor/s" near The Cottages. They have not found camera footage of Caleb being directed into a vehicle at gunpoint or video footage of any other thing that may have befallen him. In short, LE have come up empty on digital evidence. (Unless they're really keeping their lips zipped.)

My Occam's Razor here, and JMO, is that Caleb was killed by a predator late that night and his body is long gone. Compared to all other scenarios, this one strikes me as being the simplest, period. But is "simple" where LE starts anymore?

I don't know.

I don’t think this is what happened; it appears they handled this by starting in, and moving out.

We know the roommates were investigated right away, as was that Uber Eats driver. Surveillance footage was checked, people were questioned, and for days and days, the surrounding area was searched.

That’s pretty old school right there.

Then we see all the modern stuff, subpoenas all over the place, and technical analysis (devices).

With what the assistant chief said, they do have information they are holding back. That further indicates to me that the answer does lie, at least in part, in the digital realm.

If this evidence indicated he was a believed to be a random target of opportunity, anything and everything would be out there, so I found that telling.

 

[carbuff]

Lots of good ideas here and I don't think we can rule anything in or out based on the evidence we have. It truly is baffling. Where are you, Caleb?

 

[Orso49]

In speculating whether or not Caleb requested a hook-up in the early morning hours, did he have any history of doing this prior?

 

[SMK777]

I don’t think this is what happened; it appears they handled this by starting in, and moving out.

We know the roommates were investigated right away, as was that Uber Eats driver. Surveillance footage was checked, people were questioned, and for days and days, the surrounding area was searched.

That’s pretty old school right there.

Then we see all the modern stuff, subpoenas all over the place, and technical analysis (devices).

With what the assistant chief said, they do have information they are holding back. That further indicates to me that the answer does lie, at least in part, in the digital realm.

If this evidence indicated he was a believed to be a random target of opportunity, anything and everything would be out there, so I found that telling.

But I don’t understand if a digital trail could indicate a last person to see him, why they would not have flagged this person as a suspect. I got the impression that what was “baffling” was that the digital forensics indicated he didn’t meet up with anyone. He just vanished shortly before the UberEats order arrived. Or am I missing something?

 

[Bigditch]

In speculating whether or not Caleb requested a hook-up in the early morning hours, did he have any history of doing this prior?

Great question, Orso49. I don't think the link to Reddit has been substantiated. Or apps like Grindr, etc. Although it does seem likely that he would have participated in this type of turn-key style dating (just like the rest of his cohort).

 

[Bigditch]

Hi MassGuy,
Do you believe Caleb might have been involved in illegal activity?

 

[MassGuy]

Hi MassGuy,
Do you believe Caleb might have been involved in illegal activity?

I definitely don’t, I’d bet a lot of money on that. He seemed like a strait laced introvert. I don’t see him going out late at night to buy drugs or anything. There’s no known history of that sort of thing, and it doesn’t make sense based on what we know.

Unfortunately, I think he inadvertently crossed paths with someone who was. Someone who wound up being a murderer.

 

[SMK777]

I definitely don’t, I’d bet a lot of money on that. He seemed like a strait laced introvert. I don’t see him going out late at night to buy drugs or anything. There’s no known history of that sort of thing, and it doesn’t make sense based on what we know.

Unfortunately, I think he inadvertently crossed paths with someone who was. Someone who wound up being a murderer.

Do you think it’s possible that there was somehow no digital footprint, or one so concealed that law enforcement agencies can’t determine the identity?

 

[Bigditch]

I agree, MassGuy.

From what I've read about iphones some can be easily hijacked. Criminals can imbed malicious spyware remotely on someone's phone, tablet, or laptop without the owner ever knowing it exists. It allows the trespasser to access personal information, take photos, read messages, record private conversations, and track a potential victim.

The five in the Panhandle had their phone data tracked quickly (2 weeks) because forensics had an awesome lead. But in Caleb's case, if someone used highly sophisticated state-of-the-art software to conceal their identity for the purpose of committing a heinous crime. It might not be an easy task for a forensics team to crack.

It would appear the cyber-criminal is able to stay one-step ahead of the software designers that create the state-of-the-art programs.

I wonder, where might one acquire one of those nefarious programs?

 

[MassGuy]

Do you think it’s possible that there was somehow no digital footprint, or one so concealed that law enforcement agencies can’t determine the identity?

Anything is possible, but I think it does exist. Perhaps this person used a burner phone, and communicated with Caleb through an app. I think this person may have exhibited a type of sophistication I've never seen in a case before. There's always some mistake, and it's discovered relatively quickly. No matter what, this case appears to be one huge outlier.

If this goes on much longer, hopefully law enforcement does release the information they say they're holding back. I hope it doesn't come to that though, and they find the lead that breaks this open.

 

[SMK777]

Anything is possible, but I think it does exist. Perhaps this person used a burner phone, and communicated with Caleb through an app. I think this person may have exhibited a type of sophistication I've never seen in a case before. There's always some mistake, and it's discovered relatively quickly. No matter what, this case appears to be one huge outlier.

If this goes on much longer, hopefully law enforcement does release the information they say they're holding back. I hope it doesn't come to that though, and they find the lead that breaks this open.

Thanks. Yes, I sure hope so, too.
If this person planned this for awhile, or had other victims, he may have put a lot of time, research, and money into hi-tech sophisticated proxies and VPNs. As you say, he could still trip up in some other aspect. I’m trying to think of any case where there was sophisticated technology used for concealment, but the person was later apprehended. Can’t think of any….
But this is very troubling: They need to know who you are to get your internet provider to help:

 

[starlightstarbright]

If it’s the lack of digital footprint that could be the baffling part of this case, I wonder if it’s because Caleb had a second (unknown to friends and family) phone? If his family had him on Find My and perhaps the phone was on a family plan, maybe he wanted a completely separate number and phone for doing anything he perceived his family might disapprove of.

If that phone is unknown to everyone including LE, it wouldn’t be possible to request that information by warrant and it would look like there was nothing there digitally to link him to anyone else. That could explain why his phone turned off, because he was using the other phone, and that phone and it’s secrets have gone with him.

 

[SMK777]

If it’s the lack of digital footprint that could be the baffling part of this case, I wonder if it’s because Caleb had a second (unknown to friends and family) phone? If his family had him on Find My and perhaps the phone was on a family plan, maybe he wanted a completely separate number and phone for doing anything he perceived his family might disapprove of.

If that phone is unknown to everyone including LE, it wouldn’t be possible to request that information by warrant and it would look like there was nothing there digitally to link him to anyone else. That could explain why his phone turned off, because he was using the other phone, and that phone and it’s secrets have gone with him.

That’s something I hadn’t thought of….