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

[JSolt1210]

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.

Let's not forget that some people are actually okay with sharing their location. I did it for a while with some friends through the Find My feature on iPhone. At the time, my thinking was: "if we happen to be near each other, maybe we can meet up and hang out." Caleb could've thought along similar lines, depending on how close he was with his family.

I'll add, though, that all of this is just speculation. I brought it up earlier as a possible theory to explain why he might've turned his phone off. But we don't know that he turned it off, and we don't know that he was actively sharing his location with family, friends, or anyone else for that matter.

 

[UncaStoley]

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.

If the parents are paying for the college tuition they want to be darn sure that their kid is attending classes and not going off and partying somewhere. So I can see this happening.

 

[flowershop]

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?

I agree with this one hundred percent. I think where parents, including CH's, struggle is wanting some ideal for their child and feeling as though they as parents still have ultimate responsibility. There is an attitude these days that the age of 18 is not really a signifier of maturity and that the brain isn't fully developed into an adult version until age 26. Perhaps this is behind why CH's parents tracked CH- they thought it would keep him from engaging in reckless behavior.

I think some parents may foot the bill for their child to have that away-from-home college experience but then include stipulations. The one I agree with is grades. If the student is not going to class or doesn't pass classes, there needs to be a conversation between parents and their child. College is costly and there is no sense in paying for it if it doesn't align with their child's goals. But that can be remedied easily by making sure the child produces a report card every semester.

I think the tracking on behalf of CH's parents is a new norm and it really challenges the notion of "when do we let go of our kids".

 

[SMK777]

I think the tracking on behalf of CH's parents is a new norm and it really challenges the notion of "when do we let go of our kids".

If Caleb’s parents were tracking him to an extent, which is likely, it didn’t stop him from doing what he wanted to do — unfortunately with disastrous results in this case.

 

[flowershop]

If Caleb’s parents were tracking him to an extent, which is likely, it didn’t stop him from doing what he wanted to do — unfortunately with disastrous results in this case.

It's a bitter irony.

Where are you Caleb?

 

[carterkatt]

I wondered about this weeks ago and never really got an answer. Do we really know if he was truly going to class and/or keeping his grades up??

 

[ChatteringBirds]

I wondered about this weeks ago and never really got an answer. Do we really know if he was truly going to class and/or keeping his grades up??

I think that hasn't been revealed.

I have pondered whether this could be a voluntary "walk-away," maybe spontaneous, but too many things point away from it, in my opinion. (Such as not going back for any personal items, not accessing bank account, not contacting friends.)

What do you think?

 

[SMK777]

I think that hasn't been revealed.

I have pondered whether this could be a voluntary "walk-away," maybe spontaneous, but too many things point away from it, in my opinion. (Such as not going back for any personal items, not accessing bank account, not contacting friends.)

What do you think?

I had though about this back in April and May, because we’ve seen college kids flunking out but afraid to inform their parents— in some cases leading to suicide or even murder of the parent.

However, law enforcement insist they believe he met with foul play….

 

[slowpoke]

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.

Caleb’s father did use the word “tracking”, but isn’t it possible he just meant he logged into their family phone plan account to view the account’s details, which showed the call history for each phone, and got the info of Caleb’s last usage details? JMO

 

[daswagen]

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.

They have 3,800 license plate scanners installed in my city. They scan every car regardless of who it belongs to, so IMO that does mean they are tracking everyday people on some level, even if it is just some type of computer program.

I always thought the way his dad initially said remember the scriptures sort of indicated that they had talked about what the problem was before with Caleb, the tracking was probably a result of that.

 

[Bigditch]

Depends. If it's like a printed or typed list of 'emergency numbers to contact' - I could see that for anyone when moving into off-campus housing.

(Changing topics) The lack of any sort of publicized digital trail is worrisome, IMO.

Based on the phone being off, I think that says at least that he intended to do something or meet someone. He wasn't waiting for his Uber order, as turning off his phone would mean he couldn't see the real-time where the food was or when it would be or contact the driver.

I also have doubts of a random abduction or by harm done by someone he didn't know at all. This is solely based on 1) the phone being off and 2) the fact that this was his first time ordering from this particular Stripe store, as his usual location was already closed.

Out of all the things discussed, I'd really like to hear from the roommates. I know they may have been told not to make any statements, and obviously DON'T DOX, so we may never learn anything more. but certainly knowing about his normal pattern/habits for late night could let us figure out how normal (or abnormal) this night was.

Hi SimplyCass, is there a link to the Stripe store that Caleb ordered his Uber Eats from? Thank you.

 

[SMK777]

I always thought the way his dad initially said remember the scriptures sort of indicated that they had talked about what the problem was before with Caleb, the tracking was probably a result of that.

SBM
Yes, and since it’s highly unlikely that Caleb would have volunteered the information, his Dad must have discovered something on his phone or online.

 

[Sundog]

Caleb’s father did use the word “tracking”, but isn’t it possible he just meant he logged into their family phone plan account to view the account’s details, which showed the call history for each phone, and got the info of Caleb’s last usage details? JMO

I think this is probably the case. They had a family plan, so when Caleb disappeared, the parents had access to his phone due to family plan.

 

[Sundog]

They have 3,800 license plate scanners installed in my city. They scan every car regardless of who it belongs to, so IMO that does mean they are tracking everyday people on some level, even if it is just some type of computer program.

I always thought the way his dad initially said remember the scriptures sort of indicated that they had talked about what the problem was before with Caleb, the tracking was probably a result of that.

I took it to mean that they knew their Scripture well and that the father was invoking scriptures that Caleb could rely on in a dangerous situation, thereby providing him with strength and courage, etc.

 

[SMK777]

I took it to mean that they knew their Scripture well and that the father was invoking scriptures that Caleb could rely on in a dangerous situation, thereby providing him with strength and courage, etc.

It did seem, though, that the dad was referring to some specific problem they’d discussed in the past. That’s how it struck me, in any case.

 

[SimplyCass]

Hi SimplyCass, is there a link to the Stripe store that Caleb ordered his Uber Eats from? Thank you.

https://www.facebook.com/corpuschristicronica/posts/833832682091831

Per this article's timeline, the Stripes store he ordered at is off Flour Bluff Dr. The only Stripes store that would fit this description is located at 9602 S Padre Island Dr, Corpus Christi, TX 78418

 

[UncaStoley]

It did seem, though, that the dad was referring to some specific problem they’d discussed in the past. That’s how it struck me, in any case.

If I recall correctly, in a very early interview the father did, he encouraged his son to “extricate” himself from the situation. I found that to be a very strange word to use. I took it to mean that his dad may have known about some sketchy behavior or situation in which his son was involved.

 

[Kemug]

I had though about this back in April and May, because we’ve seen college kids flunking out but afraid to inform their parents— in some cases leading to suicide or even murder of the parent.

Yes, thinking Bart Whitaker - and someone else whose name I can't recall.

 

[MassGuy]

I wondered about this weeks ago and never really got an answer. Do we really know if he was truly going to class and/or keeping his grades up??

That was my first question when I heard about Caleb’s disappearance, and that sort of thing frequently comes out if it's the case.

We never heard anything to that effect though, and with all the agencies involved here, and law enforcement saying they believe this is foul play, it’s no longer a helpful angle to explore.

 

[EllaMae]

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.

I think that's the case. Caleb was on the phone with his Dad discussing fishing lures for the planned fishing trip the next day. Caleb also sent a photo or video of the dog to his sister not too long before he disappeared. He seemed to be close to his family.