FL FL - Reny Jose, 21, Panama City Beach, 3 March 2014

[Skully]

Hoping this young man was just under pressure and decided to just leave. Tossing the cloths and wallet and cell phone makes sense to me as you don't want anyone to track you by GPS, or recognize your cloths if they are on a poster or a cop to ask for ID and figure out you are the missing student. Lots of people go missing each year, most are found alive, and I think he may just be overwhelmed with school and stuff and took a break.

 

[CluelessWonder]

There have been many WS cases where students voluntarily went off the radar. Sometimes, parents discover that the student was failing in school or had withdrawn but didn't know how to tell family and friends. It appears that Reny was doing well in school and was only a few months from graduation. That brings its own kind of stress. There are grad school applications, internships, job hunts, etc. Perhaps he was stressed over that kind of thing. Or, perhaps there was a family matter or love situation that had him acting out of sorts. Those are possibilities. But I still believe that he went swimming with every intention of returning. But I would have expected his body to end up somewhere. I don't know the nature of the Gulf water, though. Maybe it carried him off to somewhere else.

 

[SanJuanMom]

I understand suicide way more than a successful strong male college student on Spring Break with "friends" who vanishes ...What part of "sticking together in groups or pairs" do these kids NOT get????!!!!!!!

 

[cluciano63]

I understand suicide way more than a successful strong male college student on Spring Break with "friends" who vanishes ...What part of "sticking together in groups or pairs" do these kids NOT get????!!!!!!!

I think the word "friends" is used a lot more loosely than in my "day". All you have to do is look at these young people with 2000 or more FB "friends"...

My husband knows someone who lives near where Reny disappeared and saw a post he made earlier this week that LE was going door-to-door showing his photo, this past weekend or Monday I believe. But until then, this person had not heard about Reny.

 

[Dixie811]

"Friends" in regards to spring break trips is a very relative term....

I was once invited to go on a college spring break trip to PCB with two girls I hadn't seen in 2 years, and about ten of their friends whom I had never met. If I had gone, I would have been sharing a rented house in PCB with them for the week-- much like Reny.

I also knew several girls in college who went to PCB together for spring break, who weren't even really friends. They went and fought practically the whole time, and when they returned the girls continued to talk negatively about one another-- why did they take a spring break trip together? They never socialized together normally, but when one is renting a house in PCB for spring break you usually need to fill a certain amount of spots in the house in order to get the most affordable price for everyone. This means when a group is desperate to fill the house, they will ask almost any acquaintance.

 

[Snoods]

I think the word "friends" is used a lot more loosely than in my "day". All you have to do is look at these young people with 2000 or more FB "friends"...

My husband knows someone who lives near where Reny disappeared and saw a post he made earlier this week that LE was going door-to-door showing his photo, this past weekend or Monday I believe. But until then, this person had not heard about Reny.

Wow, that's incredible. Maybe he's not a news hound like most of us here are?

 

[Snoods]

I think about Reny every day, this is driving me nuts. Here's the only recent article to come out about him.

http://www.americanbazaaronline.com...00-reward-information-recovery-missing-youth/

 

[MamaJoJo]

:bump: for Reny.

 

[sophiebelle]

Just sad. They have no idea if he ran into the ocean, or just ran. Either way, I don't see good from this. After he sobered up, he surely would have gone back to get his clothes.

 

[Eileen730]

This sounds scary. I wonder if any strangers were seen lurking around?

It was spring break in Panama City!
Thousands upon thousands of kids!
Alcohol
Drugs
Etc!
All strangers!

Drunks create problems where none exist!

 

[StillInHope]

Just joined to post this article: http://www.malayalamdailynews.com/?p=81360

A loose translation of a few paragraphs:
Reny's father Jose George said that he did not receive a satisfactory response from the Rice University administration... The twenty spring breakers reached PCB in five cars. The father said that soon after Reny was reported missing, sixteen of them went back to Houston. Only four remained in PCB and even they gave conflicting information.

Police have been really cooperative in the investigation, JG said. But, since they found no further information on Reny's whereabouts, the family reached out to the Rice University administration. They were not receptive and their apathy shocked the family.

JG also said that there is something weird about Reny's roommate (a good friend)'s behavior. His answers sound like they were influenced by someone else. JG does not understand why this student, who knows him very well, is treating him like a stranger.

Reny's family believes that the people who were with him know more and that there has been foul play. Thus, they hired a lawyer in PCB and a private detective in Houston. Rice university cannot fall back on its responsibility, JG says.

 

[Nugget]

:welcome: StillInHope

 

[popsicle]

Just joined to post this article: http://www.malayalamdailynews.com/?p=81360

A loose translation of a few paragraphs:
Reny's father Jose George said that he did not receive a satisfactory response from the Rice University administration... The twenty spring breakers reached PCB in five cars. The father said that soon after Reny was reported missing, sixteen of them went back to Houston. Only four remained in PCB and even they gave conflicting information.

Police have been really cooperative in the investigation, JG said. But, since they found no further information on Reny's whereabouts, the family reached out to the Rice University administration. They were not receptive and their apathy shocked the family.

JG also said that there is something weird about Reny's roommate (a good friend)'s behavior. His answers sound like they were influenced by someone else. JG does not understand why this student, who knows him very well, is treating him like a stranger.

Reny's family believes that the people who were with him know more and that there has been foul play. Thus, they hired a lawyer in PCB and a private detective in Houston. Rice university cannot fall back on its responsibility, JG says.

Welcome and thank you. I think about this young man everyday and I hope this brings his family answers.

 

[sophiebelle]

What were they asking Rice U to do? I'm not sure I understand that part. I mean they can notify students about this, but would they have anything to do with what happened off campus? I do think it strange the guys left and I think they were afraid they would be in trouble for drugs. Too bad they didn't help. It's horrifying for this family.

 

[meanmaryjean]

What were they asking Rice U to do? I'm not sure I understand that part. I mean they can notify students about this, but would they have anything to do with what happened off campus? I do think it strange the guys left and I think they were afraid they would be in trouble for drugs. Too bad they didn't help. It's horrifying for this family.

I agree. He was hundreds of miles away and on break. Not sure what the university CAN do?

I suspect he died accidentally and his 'friends' covered it up (poorly)- thus their reluctance to speak. The four that stayed behind may not have even been involved.

 

[StillInHope]

I agree. He was hundreds of miles away and on break. Not sure what the university CAN do?

I suspect he died accidentally and his 'friends' covered it up (poorly)- thus their reluctance to speak. The four that stayed behind may not have even been involved.

Yea, I don't know if the university can actually do anything either in terms of anything with legal hold.

But I was just thinking of what would happen if something like this happened at my university. There's a student newspaper with a vibrant comments section, a blog with campus news and gossip, another student-run magazine with constant discussions, etc. Everyone who went on that trip would have been pressured to speak by now, even if the actual administration does nothing.
I can't seem to find anything like that at Rice. If these conversations are in fact happening, off-line and in private among friends and hallmates and roommates, I wish there could be some way to put pressure on someone to speak up. Student organizations, even those that Reny seemed to be a part of, seem to continue work as usual. It's really confusing... I wish one of those students would explain their perspective as well.

It's nearing a month

 

[docbh]

I can't imagine that if 16+ youths were aware of what happened that someone wouldn't have talked by now, although it may be that they've been counseled to keep quiet by someone else - their own legal counsel, parents, who knows.

 

[Momoffourboys]

Just adding my two cents..
My son just returned from spring break (longest week of my life!)
One of his friends returned home with half a finger missing (and has no idea how it happened), another with 13 stitches to his head (drunk and walked into glass door), a third spent most of the week in a hospital (didn't get the entire story, yet). My darling boy had his credit and debit cards cloned (yes, cloned) and used, but I'll take it!

While this doesn't explain what happened to Reny, good kids, brilliant kids do end up in terrible situations. Especially, when drugs and alcohol are involved, and they usually are on spring break.

 

[arielilane]

I believe that the "friends" know more about what happened to Reny. I feel so horrible for Reny's family. The story about LSD was made up. Most of the friends left PCB right after Reny went missing. Who does that!? You can't stay and help look for your friend? You can't tell LE what you know?

 

[arielilane]

Here is a more recent article, which might be of some help.
http://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=22784794&ref=https://m.facebook.com

welcome to websleuths, Findreny! I wish it wasn't under these circumstances. I look forward to your updates and I hope that Reny is home soon for his graduation in May!