TX TX - Caleb Harris, 21, Texas A&M University student, Corpus Christi, 4 Mar 2024 #2

[IDK]

CH disappeared without his wallet, his car, his keys, in which scenario is walking away without these item(s) least likely?

1. Leaving, walking away to start a new life?
2. Self harm?
3. Abduction?
4. Planned meet up?
5. Death by misadventure?

I would rule out planned meet up.
Walking away to start a new life is a toss up.
Self harm, abduction and death my misadventure are most likely in this scenario.
MOO.

Great list, thanks for posting.
For # 5— death by misadventure, are we talking about a purely accidental death? Examples— drug overdose, hit and run, accidental suffocation. If Caleb’s disappearance and/or death were purely accidental, I would think it would be very hard to cover all traces? ( of course we don’t know what LE might know)

At the moment, I am leaning more towards #4 — planned meet up. Maybe Caleb was somewhat suspicious about the encounter, and that is why he left keys and wallet at home. He didn’t want to be the target of a robbery.

I appreciate hearing all points of view, so really appreciate the opportunity to discuss.

 

[Marie A]

CH disappeared without his wallet, his car, his keys, in which scenario is walking away without these item(s) least likely?

1. Leaving, walking away to start a new life?
2. Self harm?
3. Abduction?
4. Planned meet up?
5. Death by misadventure?

I would rule out planned meet up.
Walking away to start a new life is a toss up.
Self harm, abduction and death my misadventure are most likely in this scenario.
MOO.

All great points!

I personally think #2 is NOT a factor in this case- my gut feeling on many levels including closeness to family and friends, strong support, no retrospective red flags for this (verbalized paranoia or known depression) -no prior mental episodes of which his family or friends are aware, thriving and outwardly happy/ smiling/ joking/ jovial -planning for anticipated future adventures the next day and over the summer…..

Originally I was team #5 - closeness of the water which takes so many lives, possible impairment from drinking and/or drugs, crazy late hour of his disappearance- possible walk to the water/water accident (this scenario fits Occam’s razor in many ways still)
#5 to me is still one of the strongest possibilities -but if he was indeed barefoot (and I tend to think he was) this seems somewhat less likely now after initial ground searches

I’m now team 3-4 or possibly team #6 - if I can take the liberty of adding
-#6 Unplanned / chance meet up with previous acquaintance?
Basing my conclusion partially on what has NOT been verbalized (that certain things have NOT been ruled out verbally despite numerous lengthy verbal interviews)

I think that Caleb possibly met someone who he had met before (either through verbal confirmation at a previous meeting) or by chance - and that he willingly entered a vehicle without realizing the immediate danger. Caleb put the dog away and ventured back out/then either turned his phone off purposely or had it turned off before the Uber Eats delivery arrived.

I personally don’t think there is a digital trail for said meeting/ abduction-even if communications were perceived to be hidden through DM or similar- a bad actor who has not yet been identified would be sure to NOT have a digital trail leading to him.

My gut at this point tells me this was a nefarious act where the bad actor capitalized on the poor visibility/ fog - knowing his license plates would not be picked up/ any cameras would basically be of no use in the fog.
This could be someone who met Caleb a long time ago and possibly stalked him/ had him in mind or who met him by chance when cruising that evening- someone Caleb recognized.

The longer that this goes on without an arrest though, I think that there is still a chance of a complete stranger abduction- someone Caleb didn’t recognize- and possibly just a crime of opportunity where Caleb was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Huge numbers of registered sex offenders were in the area. Sometimes there are things
so rare and odd that it’s not even on our radar- like the Mark Kilroy case.

I think that a good use of the $100k donation money from the two Go Fund Me accounts would be to:
1) hire a good private detective(s) to investigate all the registered offenders in the area whose profiles would possibly target Caleb and to thoroughly investigate anyone who Caleb communicated with within the many months before his disappearance - hire privately anyone who could assist police detectives in their work and research
2) hire a good CIA consultant to inform about nefarious activity surrounding drugs/ gangs/ cartels/ satanism and such within the immediate Corpus Christi area and surrounding - at this point nothing can be ruled out

It’s really frustrating to me that there are no viable leads/ that there is no given direction in this case. Hoping the police know a lot more than we do!

All IMHO

 

[AlyssaAngel]

I'm starting to think he fell off the face of the earth in the most literal way. Into a well, pipe, sinkhole, some remnant of old construction, underwater, etc.. It feels like if there were another human involved, there would be some trace left no matter how clever the person was. With all those agencies involved, that evidence surely would be found. Same for self-harm or voluntary disappearance, it would just be so hard to not leave ANY evidence behind. To leave no trace would require planning (for example, internet search of maps/locations) and that planning itself would leave evidence.

Strange and disconcerting case, for sure.

 

[Muddy K]

I don't pretend to have any answers about this case - I'm baffled. When I think of the unlikely possibility of a young, fit male becoming a victim of a predator, I remind myself that it does happen. Randy Kraft, a serial killer of many young men, managed to kill young, fit US Marines and others in the prime of life. Although many of his victims were hitchhiking otherwise vulnerable, not all were. Some of Kraft's methods are still uncertain. Of course, there are also robberies and opportunistic crimes that can befall someone of any age or sex.

Randy Kraft is exactly who I thought of when it occurred to me that Caleb may have been taken by a predator. These individuals are rare, to be sure, and it's that very rarity that makes it difficult to imagine, let alone accept, that such a thing could have befallen Caleb. Nevertheless, the Randy Krafts of the world exist. There were predators of his ilk both before (H. H. Holmes) and after (Israel Keyes,) to name just a couple. My city was home to Jeffery Dahmer, and not all of his victims moved in the same world he did. Rather, he went out and got some of them, typically through the lure of money.

ETA this link to a good overview about Kraft, with warning in advance, it's a well written but very rough read as it's blunt about what he did. I titled the link "Night Driver" because Kraft would drive long nights, trawling for his male victims.

Randy Kraft - Night Driver

For those who think a strong, physically fit young man like Caleb could not possibly be abducted, there have been "non-confrontational" methods by which some predators have gained control of an unsuspecting victim, male or female, including posing as LE or appearing to be in need of assistance, help to change a flat tire on their car parked just up ahead, etc.

JMO, but for me the "bridge" between hook-up gone wrong and taken by a serial killer is sex. In the first case, Caleb would have had a voice, at least initially, and it should echo in digital evidence. In the second case, he would have had no voice at all and there may be zero digital evidence.

 

[SMK777]

I'm starting to think he fell off the face of the earth in the most literal way. Into a well, pipe, sinkhole, some remnant of old construction, underwater, etc.. It feels like if there were another human involved, there would be some trace left no matter how clever the person was. With all those agencies involved, that evidence surely would be found. Same for self-harm or voluntary disappearance, it would just be so hard to not leave ANY evidence behind. To leave no trace would require planning (for example, internet search of maps/locations) and that planning itself would leave evidence.

Strange and disconcerting case, for sure.

I kind of know what you mean. Maybe he had a hook up that went okay, and then had a weird accident on the way home, and just hasn’t been found yet. It’s possible.

The only other thing I can think of is that the suspect was able to conceal his identity through technology to the point where they really can’t find his identity, or that he was traced but there’s not enough evidence? I go in circles. Yes, a baffling case.

 

[SMK777]

I don't pretend to have any answers about this case - I'm baffled. When I think of the unlikely possibility of a young, fit male becoming a victim of a predator, I remind myself that it does happen. Randy Kraft, a serial killer of many young men, managed to kill young, fit US Marines and others in the prime of life. Although many of his victims were hitchhiking otherwise vulnerable, not all were. Some of Kraft's methods are still uncertain. Of course, there are also robberies and opportunistic crimes that can befall someone of any age or sex.

You’re right. Years ago I read a book about Randy Kraft which I found very disturbing. And yes, he killed young, fit Marines. If you catch someone off guard, or trick them into allowing you to bind them, it’s easy to kill them. And of course a gun can subdue the strongest and the fittest.

 

[SMK777]

Randy Kraft is exactly who I thought of when it occurred to me that Caleb may have been taken by a predator. These individuals are rare, to be sure, and it's that very rarity that makes it difficult to imagine, let alone accept, that such a thing could have befallen Caleb. Nevertheless, the Randy Krafts of the world exist. There were predators of his ilk both before (H. H. Holmes) and after (Israel Keyes,) to name just a couple. My city was home to Jeffery Dahmer, and not all of his victims moved in the same world he did. Rather, he went out and got some of them, typically through the lure of money.

For those who think a strong, physically fit young man like Caleb could not possibly be abducted, there have been "non-confrontational" methods by which some predators have gained control of an unsuspecting victim, male or female, including posing as LE or appearing to be in need of assistance, help to change a flat tire on their car parked just up ahead, etc.

JMO, but for me the "bridge" between hook-up gone wrong and taken by a serial killer is sex. In the first case, Caleb would have had a voice, at least initially, and it should echo in digital evidence. In the second case, he would have had no voice at all and there may be zero digital evidence.

Well said.

 

[Sjöberg]

I'm just thinking of him being up all night ahead of a full day of classes and fishing. Sleeplessness can be just something you do when you're young, but it can also indicate manic episodes.

We have no evidence of such, but the lack of evidence of problems - is not evidence of lack of problems, as we say here. I, for example, can fool people damn well and my close friends and family are all blessfully ignorant of all my suicidal episodes in the last 10 years or so. And that's pretty easy to do for a kid who is far away in college, too. Usually, family is the last to know, not the first. Way more likely some of the friends might suspect something - but we have not really heard from them, have we now.

For me, the top 3 at the moment are:
1. Hook-up or a similar meetup turned into foul play
2. Mental health problems leading to self-harm or misadventure
3. Non-mental-health-related misadventure

I really don't think he neither took off on his own nor was ambushed by strangers randomly. He's not exactly a tiny dude.

 

[EllaMae]

All great points!

I personally think #2 is NOT a factor in this case- my gut feeling on many levels including closeness to family and friends, strong support, no retrospective red flags for this (verbalized paranoia or known depression) -no prior mental episodes of which his family or friends are aware, thriving and outwardly happy/ smiling/ joking/ jovial -planning for anticipated future adventures the next day and over the summer…..

Originally I was team #5 - closeness of the water which takes so many lives, possible impairment from drinking and/or drugs, crazy late hour of his disappearance- possible walk to the water/water accident (this scenario fits Occam’s razor in many ways still)
#5 to me is still one of the strongest possibilities -but if he was indeed barefoot (and I tend to think he was) this seems somewhat less likely now after initial ground searches

I’m now team 3-4 or possibly team #6 - if I can take the liberty of adding
-#6 Unplanned / chance meet up with previous acquaintance?
Basing my conclusion partially on what has NOT been verbalized (that certain things have NOT been ruled out verbally despite numerous lengthy verbal interviews)

I think that Caleb possibly met someone who he had met before (either through verbal confirmation at a previous meeting) or by chance - and that he willingly entered a vehicle without realizing the immediate danger. Caleb put the dog away and ventured back out/then either turned his phone off purposely or had it turned off before the Uber Eats delivery arrived.

I personally don’t think there is a digital trail for said meeting/ abduction-even if communications were perceived to be hidden through DM or similar- a bad actor who has not yet been identified would be sure to NOT have a digital trail leading to him.

My gut at this point tells me this was a nefarious act where the bad actor capitalized on the poor visibility/ fog - knowing his license plates would not be picked up/ any cameras would basically be of no use in the fog.
This could be someone who met Caleb a long time ago and possibly stalked him/ had him in mind or who met him by chance when cruising that evening- someone Caleb recognized.

The longer that this goes on without an arrest though, I think that there is still a chance of a complete stranger abduction- someone Caleb didn’t recognize- and possibly just a crime of opportunity where Caleb was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Huge numbers of registered sex offenders were in the area. Sometimes there are things
so rare and odd that it’s not even on our radar- like the Mark Kilroy case.

I think that a good use of the $100k donation money from the two Go Fund Me accounts would be to:
1) hire a good private detective(s) to investigate all the registered offenders in the area whose profiles would possibly target Caleb and to thoroughly investigate anyone who Caleb communicated with within the many months before his disappearance - hire privately anyone who could assist police detectives in their work and research
2) hire a good CIA consultant to inform about nefarious activity surrounding drugs/ gangs/ cartels/ satanism and such within the immediate Corpus Christi area and surrounding - at this point nothing can be ruled out

It’s really frustrating to me that there are no viable leads/ that there is no given direction in this case. Hoping the police know a lot more than we do!

All IMHO

We do not know if there are viable leads or not. LE is quiet so I think there must be something they're working on, possibly several things. The fact that they aren't saying anything is actually encoraging. It usually means they do have very good leads to follow and they are probably building a case. I'm OK with that.
IMHO Caleb is no longer living,and he was killed shortly after he came into contact with his killer, but I'd love to be wrong about that. It would certainly be wonderful if he is still alive, and I don't blame his family for holding out hope. I would do the very same thing. It's not an impossibility but it is very unlikely after all this time.

 

[SMK777]

We do not know if there are viable leads or not. LE is quiet so I think there must be something they're working on, possibly several things. The fact that they aren't saying anything is actually encoraging. It usually means they do have very good leads to follow and they are probably building a case. I'm OK with that.
IMHO Caleb is no longer living,and he was killed shortly after he came into contact with his killer, but I'd love to be wrong about that. It would certainly be wonderful if he is still alive, and I don't blame his family for holding out hope. I would do the very same thing. It's not an impossibility but it is very unlikely after all this time.

Agree with all.

However, unfortunately there is some doubt about your first paragraph, because the same was said about the silence in the Summer Wells case. Posters kept saying that the silence meant an arrest was pending. That was 3 years ago and it never led to any break of any kind.

Ditto the Sebastian Rogers case. Silence on the part of law enforcement can mean they’re working on something; but sometimes it means they’ve hit a dead end, all leads led nowhere, and the case has grown cold.

Silence for a couple of weeks can mean that a big break is coming. But if it drags on too long, it’s usually not a good sign.

 

[branmuffin]

Agree with all.

However, unfortunately there is some doubt about your first paragraph, because the same was said about the silence in the Summer Wells case. Posters kept saying that the silence meant an arrest was pending. That was 3 years ago and it never led to any break of any kind.

Ditto the Sebastian Rogers case. Silence on the part of law enforcement can mean they’re working on something; but sometimes it means they’ve hit a dead end, all leads led nowhere, and the case has grown cold.

Silence for a couple of weeks can mean that a big break is coming. But if it drags on too long, it’s usually not a good sign.

Same with the Sherman murders in Toronto in 2017. Barry Sherman was the billionaire owner of Apotex a generic drug manufacturer. It'll be seven years in December and the cops are no further ahead than they were the day they were discovered.

 

[MassGuy]

Agree with all.

However, unfortunately there is some doubt about your first paragraph, because the same was said about the silence in the Summer Wells case. Posters kept saying that the silence meant an arrest was pending. That was 3 years ago and it never led to any break of any kind.

Ditto the Sebastian Rogers case. Silence on the part of law enforcement can mean they’re working on something; but sometimes it means they’ve hit a dead end, all leads led nowhere, and the case has grown cold.

Silence for a couple of weeks can mean that a big break is coming. But if it drags on too long, it’s usually not a good sign.

Yeah, that logic is generally true, but it all depends on the context; every case is different and has its own nuances.

With the passage of time here, there's just no way to gauge where the investigation is. It's entirely possible they do in fact have a suspect identified, but it's also possible that they just don't have much to go on. With the agencies involved here, and the fact that organized LE searches wrapped up along time ago, I would have expected a break by now.

We pretty much have the same information that we had from the beginning, and all indications are that this is an extremely complicated case, at least as far as figuring out a digital trail, which I'm convinced holds the answers here.

We could see a major break tomorrow, or never see one. This is the most baffling disappearance case I've ever followed.

 

[10ofRods]

All great points!

I personally think #2 is NOT a factor in this case- my gut feeling on many levels including closeness to family and friends, strong support, no retrospective red flags for this (verbalized paranoia or known depression) -no prior mental episodes of which his family or friends are aware, thriving and outwardly happy/ smiling/ joking/ jovial -planning for anticipated future adventures the next day and over the summer…..

Originally I was team #5 - closeness of the water which takes so many lives, possible impairment from drinking and/or drugs, crazy late hour of his disappearance- possible walk to the water/water accident (this scenario fits Occam’s razor in many ways still)
#5 to me is still one of the strongest possibilities -but if he was indeed barefoot (and I tend to think he was) this seems somewhat less likely now after initial ground searches

I’m now team 3-4 or possibly team #6 - if I can take the liberty of adding
-#6 Unplanned / chance meet up with previous acquaintance?
Basing my conclusion partially on what has NOT been verbalized (that certain things have NOT been ruled out verbally despite numerous lengthy verbal interviews)

I think that Caleb possibly met someone who he had met before (either through verbal confirmation at a previous meeting) or by chance - and that he willingly entered a vehicle without realizing the immediate danger. Caleb put the dog away and ventured back out/then either turned his phone off purposely or had it turned off before the Uber Eats delivery arrived.

I personally don’t think there is a digital trail for said meeting/ abduction-even if communications were perceived to be hidden through DM or similar- a bad actor who has not yet been identified would be sure to NOT have a digital trail leading to him.

My gut at this point tells me this was a nefarious act where the bad actor capitalized on the poor visibility/ fog - knowing his license plates would not be picked up/ any cameras would basically be of no use in the fog.
This could be someone who met Caleb a long time ago and possibly stalked him/ had him in mind or who met him by chance when cruising that evening- someone Caleb recognized.

The longer that this goes on without an arrest though, I think that there is still a chance of a complete stranger abduction- someone Caleb didn’t recognize- and possibly just a crime of opportunity where Caleb was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Huge numbers of registered sex offenders were in the area. Sometimes there are things
so rare and odd that it’s not even on our radar- like the Mark Kilroy case.

I think that a good use of the $100k donation money from the two Go Fund Me accounts would be to:
1) hire a good private detective(s) to investigate all the registered offenders in the area whose profiles would possibly target Caleb and to thoroughly investigate anyone who Caleb communicated with within the many months before his disappearance - hire privately anyone who could assist police detectives in their work and research
2) hire a good CIA consultant to inform about nefarious activity surrounding drugs/ gangs/ cartels/ satanism and such within the immediate Corpus Christi area and surrounding - at this point nothing can be ruled out

It’s really frustrating to me that there are no viable leads/ that there is no given direction in this case. Hoping the police know a lot more than we do!

All IMHO

I generally agree with all you say.

However, as a college professor and a student of both suicide and homicide, I can say that cheerfulness is common in students who are suicidal. There's academic literature on this.

I think sending the money to the CIA or its subsidiaries is not the best lead.

I do think there's lots more known by LE and that this case is leading somewhere (although we may never know). I don't think it's drugs/gangs/cartels.

It is my opinion that there are far more persons skulking around college campuses than "random place in the US." I also think that the typical behavior of American college students leads to some vulnerabilities that attract such bad actors. Everyone knows that there's less active LE during the wee hours of the morning. That's when a variety of things go down.

There are likely viable leads - but perhaps too many of them. Every person in that apartment complex should be suspect, as well as all the nearby residents. It's a lot for LE to process. But what else is to be done? Unless Caleb actually told his roommates exactly where he was going after he returned the puppy to the apartment, it's pretty open-ended.

I could say a lot more about public messaging, but right now, the goal has to be to find the person or persons who made Caleb disappear.

IMO

 

[Bigditch]

Same with the Sherman murders in Toronto in 2017. Barry Sherman was the billionaire owner of Apotex a generic drug manufacturer. It'll be seven years in December and the cops are no further ahead than they were the day they were discovered.

Money bought a plethora of silence in the Sherman case. imo

 

[SMK777]

Yeah, that logic is generally true, but it all depends on the context; every case is different and has its own nuances.

With the passage of time here, there's just no way to gauge where the investigation is. It's entirely possible they do in fact have a suspect identified, but it's also possible that they just don't have much to go on. With the agencies involved here, and the fact that organized LE searches wrapped up along time ago, I would have expected a break by now.

We pretty much have the same information that we had from the beginning, and all indications are that this is an extremely complicated case, at least as far as figuring out a digital trail, which I'm convinced holds the answers here.

We could see a major break tomorrow, or never see one. This is the most baffling disappearance case I've ever followed.

Yes, I’m with you on that. Truly baffling.

 

[SMK777]

Same with the Sherman murders in Toronto in 2017. Barry Sherman was the billionaire owner of Apotex a generic drug manufacturer. It'll be seven years in December and the cops are no further ahead than they were the day they were discovered.

That’s exactly what bothers me, and what I fear may happen in this case.

 

[Bigditch]

Hi everyone,

What really irks me is internet providers that supply secure platforms to people doing illegal or harmful online. I believe the key to solving Caleb's disappearance lies somewhere between 'hurry up and wait, and outer space'. That needs to change.

 

[annpats]

If you think Caleb went to meet a hook-up, why do you think he didn't go in his car?

The person he was meeting likely had a car.?
He was getting picked-up close to his apartment in walking distance?

That is quite trusting.

I myself would've arranged a neutral meeting point and gone in my own car.
I would've then had a safety net of locking myself in my car or driving away, should something happen.

I think Caleb left himself more open to a nefarious person as a pedestrian.

He could've also been driven a long way away to the middle of nowhere, and left himself stranded, especially if something happened to his phone.

 

[annpats]

Hi everyone,

What really irks me is internet providers that supply secure platforms to people doing illegal or harmful online. I believe the key to solving Caleb's disappearance lies somewhere between 'hurry up and wait, and outer space'. That needs to change.

I'm a great fan of "geo-fences" and hope the police and other agencies are working on obtaining data from all other phones in the area at that time.

 

[marloweclover]

The person he was meeting likely had a car.?
He was getting picked-up close to his apartment in walking distance?

That is quite trusting.

This, plus the very late hour, plus the lack of shoes, is one of the things that leads me to consider the possibility that he met with someone he'd been with before. JMO.

One might be willing to do a quick, barefoot, no keys or wallet, late-late meetup in a car if it was an ongoing or at least intermittent thing. The classic "u up?" message comes in and you're up and not opposed...

Less likely imo for a brand new stranger.