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

[IDK]

That picture of the bridge is almost haunting. It was taken at 3:03AM or very close to the time when Caleb disappeared. Was that picture a clue or taken to confirm his whereabouts? Was the picture part of his nervous energy while anxiously waiting for his meet-up? Or did Caleb see a foggy bridge and streetlight and think it interesting enough to photograph? Whatever the reason one thing is certain; it is likely the last thing he saw and was able to share with his family, his friends, and even with us who have taken an interest in this case.

I was thinking about this today, too, and wondering whether it could be a clue. I know the photo was titled with an unusual hashtag that was a private “code” between Caleb and his friend.

Did Caleb just think it was a cool photo of a bridge in the fog? Or some other meaning?

I’ve read that sometimes people who hitch hike will take a photo of the license plate before they get in a car. If anything happens to them, there will be a record.

Was Caleb embarking on a specific type of adventure for the first time? Crossing a “bridge of no return”? Wanting to leave a record?

Anyway, just a random thought after a very long week and I’m glad you brought this up!!!

 

[JSolt1210]

I was thinking about this today, too, and wondering whether it could be a clue. I know the photo was titled with an unusual hashtag that was a private “code” between Caleb and his friend.

Did Caleb just think it was a cool photo of a bridge in the fog? Or some other meaning?

I’ve read that sometimes people who hitch hike will take a photo of the license plate before they get in a car. If anything happens to them, there will be a record.

Was Caleb embarking on a specific type of adventure for the first time? Crossing a “bridge of no return”? Wanting to leave a record?

Anyway, just a random thought after a very long week and I’m glad you brought this up!!!

The photo was taken on SnapChat. I don't use the app but I've read that when you and a friend "snap" each other at least once every 24 hours, it creates a "Snapstreak" which users often try to maintain as long as they can.

Maybe Caleb saw the "streak" between him and his friend was about to expire, so he snapped a random photo just to keep the "streak" active. If so, then the photo would have no meaning—except to show where Caleb was at that particular moment.

 

[EllaMae]

I mean, they might know his family, but how many of you have your friend's parent's phone numbers?

I had the phone numbers of all my roommates' parents over the years when I was in college and as a young single girl sharing an apartment in the city....just in case of an emergency.
And Caleb's roommates have known the Harris family since childhood and spent a lot of time in their home. It makes sense that they'd have that number.

 

[azure]

BBM.

If we could know whether or not his parents had the ability to track his phone, then I feel like we'd have our answer.

That’s true. But, in the reverse, I do recall Caleb’s father saying he had the phone number of the Colorado friend who Caleb had been playing video games with on Sunday night.

from about 30:10 Interview with J Coffindaffer (bolded by me) transcript

“he was he was playing a video game with one of his friends in Colorado and and instead of they they really don't like doing the whole Chat thing on video games so they would normally just use their phones put them on speaker or whatever and play video games so he was uh as I was tracking his phone the next day um you know I noticed the number okay I'm going to call it or I punched it in my phone realized it was his buddy out of out of that he grew up with you know out of Colorado and it was in my phone so I knew exactly who it was and he was playing uh a video game for about 71 minutes and then so if you if you”

BBM. Sounds like they could track him pretty closely. I honestly don't know what's more weird, calling LE within 12 hours of a 21 year old going missing or tracking his phone so closely within 24 hours.

The tracking gives me a hinky feeling. Caleb is 3 years older than men dying for our country, and he had no privacy on his personal cell phone.

 

[Kemug]

Hi all, been following this but not joining in. However, I just had an idea which I will share (although maybe it's been said before). Anyway. I wonder if Caleb's parents keeping track of him so closely was not just out of love and interest, or wanting to control him. What if they knew/believed/thought for example, that he had "certain propensities", shall we say? And perhaps hoped that his parents "watching" him would curb those "propensities", and keep him safe.

 

[Kemug]

Following on from my previous post - were his parents perhaps involved in his room-mates being old friends? But then did the old friends know all about it?

 

[Sundog]

Hi all, been following this but not joining in. However, I just had an idea which I will share (although maybe it's been said before). Anyway. I wonder if Caleb's parents keeping track of him so closely was not just out of love and interest, or wanting to control him. What if they knew/believed/thought for example, that he had "certain propensities", shall we say? And perhaps hoped that his parents "watching" him would curb those "propensities", and keep him safe.

It's possible they are just a really close family. And Caleb is still in school, albeit college. He's not really out on his own yet.

 

[nao]

Moo...hope he just walked away, to find some space, relief, n a change in life....moo

 

[Blue-Skies]

SBM
I’m assuming the possibilities are that:
1. Caleb turned the phone off deliberately so he couldn’t be tracked.
OR
2. The battery wore down and powered off.
OR
3. The person he was with turned it off, or destroyed it, or threw it in the water causing it to go off.
OR
4. [least likely] Caleb accidentally fell into the water and the phone went dead.
I’ve always assumed that there is no way for law enforcement to differentiate between those causes, yet they assume that he met with foul play so maybe that indicates that they can?

There was a lot of discussion about this early on and it was said by the family that his phone port was messed up and he had to use a wireless charger. Because of that, his phone was often not fully charged and was constantly dying on him, it was a quirk he was known for.

So it’s quite possible it simply ran out of charge at that point, especially if he’d been out playing with the dog and hanging with the roommates, sending snaps and all that.

 

[SMK777]

There was a lot of discussion about this early on and it was said by the family that his phone port was messed up and he had to use a wireless charger. Because of that, his phone was often not fully charged and was constantly dying on him, it was a quirk he was known for.

So it’s quite possible it simply ran out of charge at that point, especially if he’d been out playing with the dog and hanging with the roommates, sending snaps and all that.

True, it may have lost power on its own. But it still leaves the question of why Caleb fail to return home, and where he and his phone are located right now.

 

[IDK]

The photo was taken on SnapChat. I don't use the app but I've read that when you and a friend "snap" each other at least once every 24 hours, it creates a "Snapstreak" which users often try to maintain as long as they can.

Maybe Caleb saw the "streak" between him and his friend was about to expire, so he snapped a random photo just to keep the "streak" active. If so, then the photo would have no meaning—except to show where Caleb was at that particular moment.

I don’t have Snapchat either, but have read about those Snapstreaks. Do you know if each person has to send a snap every 24 hours, or just one or them?

From what I read, the friend he was sending it too didn’t even see the picture for quite a while, so it seems that the friend was not as invested in the Snapstreak, if that’s what it was?

I will look back to see if I can find a link about when the friend saw it.

 

[Leopard]

I honestly don't know what's more weird, calling LE within 12 hours of a 21 year old going missing or tracking his phone so closely within 24 hours.

The fact that the roommates immediately called LE to me has been weird from the start. I can't tell you how many times a roommate during my college years crashed elsewhere and didn't notify everyone. I don't think the roommates are related to the disappearance but I think they had more insight than the general public that Caleb was in danger.

As for the parents tracking him, a lot of families do that now thinking it will prevent things like this from happening, but tracking only works if the tracker is functional, and IMO only encourages those being tracked to leave their phones behind when doing anything they want kept private.

 

[vereb]

There was a lot of discussion about this early on and it was said by the family that his phone port was messed up and he had to use a wireless charger. Because of that, his phone was often not fully charged and was constantly dying on him, it was a quirk he was known for.

Also possible that this was just an excuse he gave to his parents as to why the phone was turned off sometimes when he didn't want to be tracked...

 

[|lighthouse|]

I don’t have Snapchat either, but have read about those Snapstreaks. Do you know if each person has to send a snap every 24 hours, or just one or them?

From what I read, the friend he was sending it too didn’t even see the picture for quite a while, so it seems that the friend was not as invested in the Snapstreak, if that’s what it was?

I will look back to see if I can find a link about when the friend saw it.

Yes, I remember the same. The friend that it was sent to, noticed it some time after cause he had seen Caleb was missing and realized he had a snap from him and that is why he screenshotted it when viewing it, because of the situation. But yeah I don't remember exactly where that was stated. So if that was the case. Did he send it to that friend by accident, maybe supposed to go someone else? I don't know that snap is so weird, the timing anomaly, the contents, everything. ugh.

The fact that the roommates immediately called LE to me has been weird from the start. I can't tell you how many times a roommate during my college years crashed elsewhere and didn't notify everyone. I don't think the roommates are related to the disappearance but I think they had more insight than the general public that Caleb was in danger.

Yeah I agree 100%, I feel like that has to be the case. But like WHAT? that would be the biggest lead in the case potentially. IMO, finding his uber eats order is not reason to be like "OMG! call the police!" moment. Especially if I saw my buddies car etc I would be thinking he's somehwere close, crashed somewhere else etc (just me though)

 

[daswagen]

If he was still waiting for his UberEats order, I highly doubt he turned the phone off himself. You gotta keep track of those drivers, sometimes they get lost.

 

[daswagen]

It is incredible that in this day and age someone could disappear so fast. As far as I know, law enforcement around the country is beginning to implement technology to track our every movement like in China, to supposedly, prevent stuff like this from happening.

 

[branmuffin]

Hi all, been following this but not joining in. However, I just had an idea which I will share (although maybe it's been said before). Anyway. I wonder if Caleb's parents keeping track of him so closely was not just out of love and interest, or wanting to control him. What if they knew/believed/thought for example, that he had "certain propensities", shall we say? And perhaps hoped that his parents "watching" him would curb those "propensities", and keep him safe.

You mean like Mike Johnson and his son? If that is the case, it's pretty weird to expect a 21 year old guy to agree to have his life monitored 24/7 by his parents. To me, that level of big brother dystopia, would breed secrecy and blow back. Even without 'certain propensities' it smacks of overreach. You either trust your children or you don't, especially when they are an adult. And if you didn't trust them, why would you agree to pay for an education that includes a lifestyle that's been around since kids chose colleges far enough away from parents that you have no idea about their day to day lives?

 

[SMK777]

Also possible that this was just an excuse he gave to his parents as to why the phone was turned off sometimes when he didn't want to be tracked...

That’s a possibility, definitely.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

It is incredible that in this day and age someone could disappear so fast. As far as I know, law enforcement around the country is beginning to implement technology to track our every movement like in China, to supposedly, prevent stuff like this from happening.

LE doesn't care about tracking everyday random people. They don't even track very high risk offenders who have been released from prison, except in rare cases. And people disappear in moments. It is tragic, but the world is vast. IMO.

 

[SMK777]

You mean like Mike Johnson and his son? If that is the case, it's pretty weird to expect a 21 year old guy to agree to have his life monitored 24/7 by his parents. To me, that level of big brother dystopia, would breed secrecy and blow back. Even without 'certain propensities' it smacks of overreach. You either trust your children or you don't, especially when they are an adult. And if you didn't trust them, why would you agree to pay for an education that includes a lifestyle that's been around since kids chose colleges far enough away from parents that you have no idea about their day to day lives?

All true, but for better or worse this actually does occur more often than you think (I’ve seen it in my own family) and is justified and rationalized by parents as just being careful and stemming from loving concern. 21 may be technically an adult, but college students being supported by parents are often still viewed as kids by them.