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

[SMK777]

Looking on the positive side of this, the social media and media campaign to find Caleb appear to be working. 1 out of 2 people who came into contact with the found phone knew about Caleb and that the phone potentially matched the one he had on him when he went missing. And they took immediate steps to preserve the evidence and get it to LE. That is a success, even though the phone turned out to be unconnected to the case. Don't we want people to turn in any and all leads, tips, and evidence, rather than make their own decision on whether it is important, connected, and worth the time to submit? MSM alone won't get the general public aware enough and motivated enough, but a combination of MSM and SM could. Yes, it is frustrating that everyone got riled up over what turned out to be nothing, but overall this seems to be an instance where SMS did what it does best (which is to rile people up and get them buzzing about a given topic, which then exposed even more people to it).

True. At least as you state, some positives to the situation although not the big break sought after. Thanks for pointing those out.

 

[SMK777]

Is Ms. Coffindaffer a pretty reliable source? I’ve only listened to her once or twice and wasn’t sure…. JMO

As she’s a former FBI agent, I’m assuming she can be trusted. I don’t think she would publicly state that Caleb’s phone remains missing unlesss she’d received law enforcement confirmation. She was aware of the excitement over the found phone on social media.

 

[flowershop]

I think that's what she's saying, and I would guess since she's been in regular contact with Caleb's father, that's where it came from? Perhaps there will be clarification this evening. MOO

Missing Monday on #BreaktheCasewithJenCoffindaffer at 630 PM tomorrow.

We will be discussing 4 missing cases:

#SebastianRogers
#CalebHarris
#MiyaTucker
#SerayaHarmon

Hope you can join us!

Break The Case with Jen Coffindaffer FBI

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https://twitter.com/x/status/1800023573974982663

I also remember from one of Coffindaffer's videos that she knows an FBI agent friend who happened to be in Corpus Christi when CH was reported missing.

 

[IDK]

JMO— if she does have confidential FBI connections, not sure she should be publicly divulging the information? We’ve seen other “leaks” of information that proved to be inaccurate (the supposed sighting under the bridge)

I guess I’m planning to take everything with a grain of salt unless we hear it straight from LE or the family.

Will await further developments and pray for answers for Caleb’s family.

 

[MassGuy]

As she’s a former FBI agent, I’m assuming she can be trusted. I don’t think she would publicly state that Caleb’s phone remains missing unlesss she’d received law enforcement confirmation. She was aware of the excitement over the found phone on social media.

Yeah, this is going to be coming from the family via law enforcement, so in this case I'd believe it. Plus that phone thing was so incredibly dubious to begin with.

 

[flowershop]

Duplicate post. DBM

 

[SMK777]

Plus that phone thing was so incredibly dubious to begin with.

SBM
Exactly: it was just too weirdly coincidental and too good to be true.

 

[branmuffin]

So Corpus Christi police confiscated this iPhone 12 —which Caleb’s dad says has a high likelihood of being his son’s — 30 hours ago yet still no confirmation nor denial on if it belongs to Caleb Harris.

I don’t understand why they can’t say, now that thousands on true crime social media sites are waiting to hear…..

They probably have to process it for fingerprints and eliminate any individuals who touched it after it was found. I personally find it interesting that the phone was found shortly after LE released the statement about certain investigations they were involved in may have made people believe Caleb's phone had been activated.

 

[branmuffin]

They probably have to process it for fingerprints and eliminate any individuals who touched it after it was found. I personally find it interesting that the phone was found shortly after LE released the statement about certain investigations they were involved in may have made people believe Caleb's phone had been activated.

I should have kept reading! A false alarm, then. Back to the drawing board.

 

[SMK777]

I should have kept reading! A false alarm, then. Back to the drawing board.

Yeah, I was just about to respond and tell you. Disappointing.

 

[SMK777]

So I guess the only real advance is that investigators are using digital forensic techniques to access some of Caleb’s phone data and activity from prior to his disappearance, but the physical phone remains missing after 3 months.

There have been no legitimate sightings of him.

 

[flowershop]

So I guess the only real advance is that investigators are using digital forensic techniques to access some of Caleb’s phone data and activity from prior to his disappearance, but the physical phone remains missing after 3 months.

There have been no legitimate sightings of him.

Right. The content of the phone is extremely vital and I am grateful for the methods to access it without its physical presence.

If that physical phone would be found I am guessing the main advantage would be to acquire DNA or fingerprints.

 

[SMK777]

Right. The content of the phone is extremely vital and I am grateful for the methods to access it without its physical presence.

If that physical phone would be found I am guessing the main advantage would be to acquire DNA or fingerprints.

Yes, I guess other than for those, they don’t really have need of the physical phone, thankfully. I hope they can find some sort of evidence related to his disappearance through their digital forensics.

 

[SMK777]

In a sense, it’s not being Caleb’s phone would appear not to really matter so much in the end:
1. They’re still able to access the data through warrants with forensic technology.
2. As it was in the water, fingerprints and DNA may not have been preserved in any case. And surely a perpetrator would have wiped it clean as a precaution.
3. If it had been his phone, it wouldn’t necessarily indicate that Caleb had been to the jetty that night: only that someone had tossed the phone there, 10 miles away from his apartment complex. That would be some information, but not all that much.
Just random thoughts…

 

[slowpoke]

Looking on the positive side of this, the social media and media campaign to find Caleb appear to be working. 1 out of 2 people who came into contact with the found phone knew about Caleb and that the phone potentially matched the one he had on him when he went missing. And they took immediate steps to preserve the evidence and get it to LE. That is a success, even though the phone turned out to be unconnected to the case. Don't we want people to turn in any and all leads, tips, and evidence, rather than make their own decision on whether it is important, connected, and worth the time to submit? MSM alone won't get the general public aware enough and motivated enough, but a combination of MSM and SM could. Yes, it is frustrating that everyone got riled up over what turned out to be nothing, but overall this seems to be an instance where SMS did what it does best (which is to rile people up and get them buzzing about a given topic, which then exposed even more people to it).

I guess you’re right on the positives, but this is the second instance in this case where we’ve all gotten hopes dashed from a new potential tip. The first, when the family side said there was a credible witness who thinks he saw Caleb and the dog under an overpass at around 3:40am, and then with the family side saying the found phone could be Caleb’s. For both, LE has discredited or ruled them out. We certainly can’t fault family in their eagerness to try to help find Caleb, but I think we do need to temper our hopes if we hear of a new tip coming first from the family.

 

[SMK777]

I guess you’re right on the positives, but this is the second instance in this case where we’ve all gotten hopes dashed from a new potential tip. The first, when the family side said there was a credible witness who thinks he saw Caleb and the dog under an overpass at around 3:40am, and then with the family side saying the found phone could be Caleb’s. For both, LE has discredited or ruled them out. We certainly can’t fault family in their eagerness to try to help find Caleb, but I think we do need to temper our hopes if we hear of a new tip coming first from the family.

It’s true that family may be ( understandably) a bit too eager to believe that the new information is a “break”. And you’re right, this is the second time new information has been embraced by the family, causing public excitement, only to have law enforcement discredit it.

In addition there have been 2-3 times now that a discovered body was thought to be Caleb’s and was not.

So the lesson here is wait for a media article announcing a break, which comes from information law enforcement has given them. Or wait for law enforcement to announce a press conference.

Gray Hughs of course only added to the phone issue and seemed to validate it. YouTube content without police backing can also lead to false hope of a break.

 

[siliconrod]

Its been 100 days since Caleb went missing but nothing new to report.
Maybe no news is good news. If LE was really at a dead end in this case I think they would be more vocal asking the public for help but I could be wrong about this.

 

[Muddy K]

Its been 100 days since Caleb went missing but nothing new to report.
Maybe no news is good news. If LE was really at a dead end in this case I think they would be more vocal asking the public for help but I could be wrong about this.

Your thought about LE and how they might manage a seeming dead end is interesting. I see it just the opposite. One hundred days later, LE has to manage the hopes and expectations of Caleb's family. But without a shred of direct evidence, how does LE anywhere advise families that someone is most probably dead?

I think of Caleb as I saw him in that short doorbell cam footage, with the roomies, the friend of the roomies and Jenny the dog. Smiling, super relaxed, hands in pockets, affable. A comfortable, confident young man outside on a Sunday night. Life, alive. I don't believe that up and disappears, I believe it gets taken.

Jeffrey Dahmer operated in my city. Gradually, men began to disappear. Sometimes media covered a disappearance, sometimes they didn't; it often depended on how vocal or local family members were. (Some of the victims were from out of town.)

My point is, considerably more than a hundred days passed with no movement on the cases of some of the missing men. No comments from LE, no asks of the public, nothing. Sometimes all there is to do is wait.

Not until Dahmer's last victim escaped screaming into the street did LE realize that a serial killer had been operating in the city for several years. Even then, they would not have been able to ID some of his victims without his help.

I'm not saying a serial killer murdered Caleb, I couldn't possibly know that. I'm saying I believe he is dead and I believe a person intentionally killed him that night. Just my opinion, as it has been since early on.

If LE suspects the same, I don't know how they message that.

 

[SMK777]

Your thought about LE and how they might manage a seeming dead end is interesting. I see it just the opposite. One hundred days later, LE has to manage the hopes and expectations of Caleb's family. But without a shred of direct evidence, how does LE anywhere advise families that someone is most probably dead?

I think of Caleb as I saw him in that short doorbell cam footage, with the roomies, the friend of the roomies and Jenny the dog. Smiling, super relaxed, hands in pockets, affable. A comfortable, confident young man outside on a Sunday night. Life, alive. I don't believe that up and disappears, I believe it gets taken.

Jeffrey Dahmer operated in my city. Gradually, men began to disappear. Sometimes media covered a disappearance, sometimes they didn't; it often depended on how vocal or local family members were. (Some of the victims were from out of town.)

My point is, considerably more than a hundred days passed with no movement on the cases of some of the missing men. No comments from LE, no asks of the public, nothing. Sometimes all there is to do is wait.

Not until Dahmer's last victim escaped screaming into the street did LE realize that a serial killer had been operating in the city for several years. Even then, they would not have been able to ID some of his victims without his help.

I'm not saying a serial killer murdered Caleb, I couldn't possibly know that. I'm saying I believe he is dead and I believe a person intentionally killed him that night. Just my opinion, as it has been since early on.

If LE suspects the same, I don't know how they message that.

Agree with all. I think law enforcement stating they believe he met with foul play is their way of messaging that.

 

[UncaStoley]

Its been 100 days since Caleb went missing but nothing new to report.
Maybe no news is good news. If LE was really at a dead end in this case I think they would be more vocal asking the public for help but I could be wrong about this.

There are some things about this case that I find puzzling. Caleb was reported missing the morning of March 4th when a roommate discovered Caleb was not at the apartment and the Uber Eats were still outside the door. In many other cases where a person is reported as missing, LE wants to wait a full 24 hours or more especially if that person is 18 or older. Families are told that a person has a right to disappear if they so desire and to wait it out. Yet with this case, LE was on it that same day well under a 24 hour period and there were multiple state and federal LE officials on this case immediately. What precipitated that?
Also puzzling is that it was reported that the roommates reported him missing to LE before they told his family. Why would they notify the police first over his family? It is reported they looked for him and could not find him. Then they report him missing. Did they have a strong hunch something was wrong? Did Caleb reveal something to them that pushed them in that direction? I know the roommates have been cleared by LE and are not considered to be suspects but I suspect they have a pretty good idea why Caleb is missing or what he was into. Whatever they know they have been tight lipped about it as they haven’t spoke to anyone in the media that I am aware of.