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

[marloweclover]

Even not specifically there. JMO but if I had a roomie who regularly went on solo rambles after 2 am, I'd notice.

 

[mmeynstyn]

I feel like Caleb's roommates would definitely know if he regularly hung out or walked around the wastewater station. Was it a normal walking route for him, or a night time hang out for the group?

Yep, or showed any curiosity/interest in the field across from the apartment complex?

Would the investigation team go back and re-interview roommates now that additional information is known?

 

[IDK]

Someone posted an article ( I think it was Pubmed) on a previous thread that I can’t find at the moment, will keep looking. Does anyone else remember ?

The article had details about what to expect to find on a body that has been pushed through a sewage system and pipes.

One of the findings it mentioned was multiple broken bones, including comminuted fractures ( bones broken in several places)

Nothing like that has been mentioned from Caleb’s autopsy, though some bones were reported missing. It’s a detail that bothers me, IMO.

“While no significant traumatic injuries are identified, the condition of the remains could have obscured subtle injuries and/or additional significant natural disease,” it stated. “Toxicology analysis is negative. The exact details leading up to the terminal event and death are currently unclear”

“Skeletal remains were found almost complete, with several bones absent, including the mandible, clavicles, right left ulnas, sternum, some of the rib, and most of the foot “

Texas A&M CC student Caleb Harris' cause of death undetermined, according to autopsy report

The Nueces County Medical Examiner has released Caleb Harris’ autopsy report, stating that the manner of death “cannot be determined with certainty."

www.caller.com

 

[Warwick1991]

I tend to agree with Caleb's parents about foul play. Given the smells, limited visibility and tight clearances, I find it improbable that Caleb went out late at night to explore a sewage system. JMO

 

[fred&edna]

WARNING!! Very graphic information and photos from a report dated 2016.

Decomposition Changes in Bodies Recovered from Water​

Decomposition Changes in Bodies Recovered from Water

Recovering bodies from water is a common task for any medical examiner or coroner office. Unfortunately, there will be a significant postmortem interval before many of these remains are found. A thorough scene investigation must be undertaken to determine ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[fred&edna]

Also, here's a news report from 2013... a victim in California

https://ktla.com/news/local-news/human-remains-found-at-wastewater-treatment-plant/

The body, likely pulled apart inside the sewage system, was still missing a left arm, Rosson said.

“We do not believe that it was a mutilation. We believe it’s some kind of mechanical mutilation of the body that happened during the pumping process or the separation process in the plants,” Rosson said.

 

[IDK]

Found the article. I guess it’s somewhat different, as the technician was working in a sewage treatment plant. Also, I don’t know the minimum diameter of the pipes Caleb would have passed through, maybe they were wider? It is not an exactly parallel situation.
I’m very glad, though, that the finding in Caleb’s case is “undetermined”, and not accidental.

“When performing routine controls, a technician fell into an overflow sewer and was immediately pulled into a 30 cm diameter drain. Rescue efforts were initiated immediately, but had to be terminated due to gas warning. Rescue teams continued the search, however, the body remained undiscoverable. Forty-eight hours later, the cadaver was found in an adjacent digester tank, from where it was finally rescued. It was concluded, that the body had been transported between the overflow sewer and the digester tank through a 120 m pipeline with several 90 degrees bendings and branch connections with a minimum diameter of 25 cm at the discharge valve”


“Moreover, as a consequence of the passage of the pipeline system, signs of massive trauma (several comminuted and compound fractures) were disclosed at autopsy”

An unusual occupational accident: fall into a sewage plant tank with lethal outcome - PubMed

Occupational accidents, often presenting with lethal outcomes, are a rarely reported issue in forensic literature. However, these incidents are part of medicolegal casework with special regard to reconstruction, liabilities and insurance law-related issues, respectively. We report on a lethal...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[Rosiebones]

I cut a circle with a 25 inch diameter out of dark paper and had a friend put it on the grass in my back yard well after dark but with no fog. I walked back and forth for over an hour and never stepped on it. When I used a flashlight and located it and knew where it was, I could not adjust my stride to have both feet hit the circle at the same time, it was always one or the other. I think, partly because I was not looking down at my feet, but because I had my head up as he would have had.

I absolutely cannot figure out how he could have headed out into that field and manage to get both feet together into that hole and go straight down into it. I absolutely believe that another person was involved in his disappearance. MOO MOO MOO

 

[Warwick1991]

I cut a circle with a 25 inch diameter out of dark paper and had a friend put it on the grass in my back yard well after dark but with no fog. I walked back and forth for over an hour and never stepped on it. When I used a flashlight and located it and knew where it was, I could not adjust my stride to have both feet hit the circle at the same time, it was always one or the other. I think, partly because I was not looking down at my feet, but because I had my head up as he would have had.

I absolutely cannot figure out how he could have headed out into that field and manage to get both feet together into that hole and go straight down into it. I absolutely believe that another person was involved in his disappearance. MOO MOO MOO

And then there's the smell factor - there would be a powerful smell of sewage and sewage gases from that manhole. If the manhole was open the smell would have emanated from it, and if it was lifted off, the smell would have been strong. Caleb was an intelligent young man - it's hard to believe that he would have wandered to the area deliberately at that hour, especially given the smell.

 

[browneyes]

I cut a circle with a 25 inch diameter out of dark paper and had a friend put it on the grass in my back yard well after dark but with no fog. I walked back and forth for over an hour and never stepped on it. When I used a flashlight and located it and knew where it was, I could not adjust my stride to have both feet hit the circle at the same time, it was always one or the other. I think, partly because I was not looking down at my feet, but because I had my head up as he would have had.

I absolutely cannot figure out how he could have headed out into that field and manage to get both feet together into that hole and go straight down into it. I absolutely believe that another person was involved in his disappearance. MOO MOO MOO

I just love that you did an experiment….reminds me of the old CTV days. There were some wild experiments done.

Where were the clothes and hat found? TIA

 

[shetalksinstereo]

I cut a circle with a 25 inch diameter out of dark paper and had a friend put it on the grass in my back yard well after dark but with no fog. I walked back and forth for over an hour and never stepped on it. When I used a flashlight and located it and knew where it was, I could not adjust my stride to have both feet hit the circle at the same time, it was always one or the other. I think, partly because I was not looking down at my feet, but because I had my head up as he would have had.

I absolutely cannot figure out how he could have headed out into that field and manage to get both feet together into that hole and go straight down into it. I absolutely believe that another person was involved in his disappearance. MOO MOO MOO

I would say most adult strides would probably be in the +/-30" range, right? That would totally support your experiment!

 

[Centaurus]

I cut a circle with a 25 inch diameter out of dark paper and had a friend put it on the grass in my back yard well after dark but with no fog. I walked back and forth for over an hour and never stepped on it. When I used a flashlight and located it and knew where it was, I could not adjust my stride to have both feet hit the circle at the same time, it was always one or the other. I think, partly because I was not looking down at my feet, but because I had my head up as he would have had.

I absolutely cannot figure out how he could have headed out into that field and manage to get both feet together into that hole and go straight down into it. I absolutely believe that another person was involved in his disappearance. MOO MOO MOO

Why would both feet need to be together? I actually imagine one foot dropping down and the body kind of "folding" into the hole.

 

[SMK777]

Why would both feet need to be together? I actually imagine one foot dropping down and the body kind of "folding" into the hole.

@Rosiebones
Yes, I’ve seen YouTube videos where people fell into manholes, and when one foot and leg take a sudden step into a steep drop, you’re thrown off balance, your arms fly up, and the rest of you falls in. Many posters have insisted that in order for Caleb to have fallen in, both feet and legs had to be pressed together stepping in, and his arms pinned at his sides. But that’s simply not the way it happens in reality.

Sometimes the diameter is large enough to simply drop into altogether:

 

[Valiant]

Even not specifically there. JMO but if I had a roomie who regularly went on solo rambles after 2 am, I'd notice.

For all we know, the roommates may have told the police that early in the investigation and the police never disclosed it.

 

[Rosiebones]

If I couldn't find a 15 inch circle in my backyard in the night, with no fog , how did he find a 25 inch hole in a huge field 600 feet from the front gate with no flashlight ? He must have gone almost straight to it because the police were searching the next day and days after and they didn't find the hold. And, even if he did accidentally go right to it and fall in, WHY was he even ,out there? He couldn't have seen anything to chase, or investigate the fog was too thick ! He had NO reason that we know of to be out there.

The cause and manner of death cannot be determined. To me, that means if you cannot prove a homicide it does not automatically mean it was accidental. But, for that matter, the opposite holds true also. MOO MOO MOO

 

[Centaurus]

If I couldn't find a 15 inch circle in my backyard in the night, with no fog , how did he find a 25 inch hole in a huge field 600 feet from the front gate with no flashlight ? He must have gone almost straight to it because the police were searching the next day and days after and they didn't find the hold. And, even if he did accidentally go right to it and fall in, WHY was he even ,out there? He couldn't have seen anything to chase, or investigate the fog was too thick ! He had NO reason that we know of to be out there.

The cause and manner of death cannot be determined. To me, that means if you cannot prove a homicide it does not automatically mean it was accidental. But, for that matter, the opposite holds true also. MOO MOO MOO

Not sure why he was out there, but we know for a fact he was. He took his last SnapChat at the foggy bridge 600' away from the manhole. I'm going with Occam's Razor and say he was out taking pictures or exploring (which we have photos of him doing urban exploration shared in this thread) and stepped into the manhole. End of story. No one else needs to be involved for that to happen. If there were another party involved, I think with 4+ LE agencies working this file for over five months, they would have some sort of lead.

"About 600 feet away from there, investigators found a manhole in a field.

“[The manhole] was covered with grass at the time and no one was [initially] able to find this or notice that this hole was there,” Breedlove says — but, importantly, its cover "had been knocked aside."

"We don't know how that occurred," he adds. "It is an area that is farmed every year. So there's the likelihood that a farming implement knocked it off and with the high grass growing across there, it would be sort of camouflaged to most people walking around there.”

Missing Student Caleb Harris May Have Accidentally Fallen into Manhole, Police Say, as They Reveal New Details of Finding Body

As the investigation into missing student Caleb Harris' death continues, police are sharing new details about how the 21-year-old's body may have ended up at a wastewater well near his apartment without there being any evidence of "obvious homicide."

people.com

 

[Sundog]

Not sure why he was out there, but we know for a fact he was. He took his last SnapChat at the foggy bridge 600' away from the manhole. I'm going with Occam's Razor and say he was out taking pictures or exploring (which we have photos of him doing urban exploration shared in this thread) and stepped into the manhole. End of story. No one else needs to be involved for that to happen. If there were another party involved, I think with 4+ LE agencies working this file for over five months, they would have some sort of lead.

"About 600 feet away from there, investigators found a manhole in a field.

“[The manhole] was covered with grass at the time and no one was [initially] able to find this or notice that this hole was there,” Breedlove says — but, importantly, its cover "had been knocked aside."

"We don't know how that occurred," he adds. "It is an area that is farmed every year. So there's the likelihood that a farming implement knocked it off and with the high grass growing across there, it would be sort of camouflaged to most people walking around there.”

Missing Student Caleb Harris May Have Accidentally Fallen into Manhole, Police Say, as They Reveal New Details of Finding Body

As the investigation into missing student Caleb Harris' death continues, police are sharing new details about how the 21-year-old's body may have ended up at a wastewater well near his apartment without there being any evidence of "obvious homicide."

people.com

Caleb may have taken the picture that he sent to his friend while he was outside waiting for the delivery of his food order. He was ordering from a different place than usual, and he may have thought that it would be helpful for the driver if he was outside watching out for him/her.

If Caleb did wander off to the field where the open manhole was located, something likely got his attention so that he walked over to that area. Maybe another photo opportunity.

If, of course, this was an accident per the speculation.

 

[Bigditch]

Harris family believes death was not an accident; toxicology shows no drugs or alcohol in Caleb’s system at death

The Harris family has told 3NEWS they do not believe their son’s death was an accident.

Did Caleb Harris have any alcohol or drugs in his system?​

The report states that toxicology reports were negative, indicating he did not have drugs or alcohol in his system when he died.

How did Caleb Harris die? Autopsy report reveals few clues

The Nueces County Medical Examiner lists the manner in which Harris died as “undetermined,” saying there does not appear to be any evidence of a traumatic injury.

www.kiiitv.com

That means Caleb did not have any Class A (illegal) drugs in his system, but there are others that would incapacitate a victim, like Rohypnol, MDMA ... all considered Sexual-assault-drugs. A forensic toxicologist would have to be looking for those types of benzodiazepines' specifically to find it.

 

[Nfagundes14]

was it reported anywhere that the puppy was IN the apartment, or if it was LET IN by a roommate?
I am just thinking that a puppy could have very well sprinted off into an "empty" field, with the caretaker trying to wrangle them and falling into the camouflaged open hole.

or also caleb brought the dog over their to run off leash... anyways, if the dog ended up back at the apartment w/ caleb then its very likely something along those lines happened.

 

[SMK777]

I cut a circle with a 25 inch diameter out of dark paper and had a friend put it on the grass in my back yard well after dark but with no fog. I walked back and forth for over an hour and never stepped on it. When I used a flashlight and located it and knew where it was, I could not adjust my stride to have both feet hit the circle at the same time, it was always one or the other. I think, partly because I was not looking down at my feet, but because I had my head up as he would have had.

I absolutely cannot figure out how he could have headed out into that field and manage to get both feet together into that hole and go straight down into it. I absolutely believe that another person was involved in his disappearance. MOO MOO MOO

In this video, you can see that one foot stepping into a manhole causes the entire body to follow: