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

[txsleuth70]

Wow, Vail. So much of Caleb’s disappearance has seemed unlikely/improbable and yet- here’s another! wow

Slowpoke, I googled for more coverage of Noah Dewitt and found this article with a partial comment on your question above.

“City officials said there are only two ways for a person to enter the well: through a manhole or through internalized access — which officials say is unlikely because the building is gated and locked.”

Some dates for comparison:
Noah DeWitt was reported missing Feb 14.
His remains were recovered May 27th
He was ID’d on May 31st.

ID'd in 4 days. There goes the notion of waiting 6 weeks for DNA identification.

If Caleb's clothes were found near the remains then LE should have identified him. Sure, go ahead and run DNA but disclose the info about the clothing.

I feel for the family and respect their right to privacy, but they should not keeping LE on strings about the info.

 

[SMK777]

ID'd in 4 days. There goes the notion of waiting 6 weeks for DNA identification.

If Caleb's clothes were found near the remains then LE should have identified him. Sure, go ahead and run DNA but disclose the info about the clothing.

I feel for the family and respect their right to privacy, but they should not keeping LE on strings about the info.

What do you think is causing such an extensive delay with the identification, whether to rule out or confirm Caleb?

 

[UncaStoley]

What do you think is causing such an extensive delay with the identification, whether to rule out or confirm Caleb?

The delays by LE in this case are both frustrating and I believe unnecessary. The family and public have a right to know. As pointed out in a previous post, surely they would have found articles of clothing along with the remains in that wet well. We know what Caleb was wearing that night. If they found clothes that appeared to match what Caleb was wearing they should say so. If no clothes were recovered then mention that as well.

There has been no clarification by LE regarding a body being able to flow through a 15” pipe into the lift station. Is that possible? LE should make a statement as such. If that is highly unlikely, then the body being placed in the well or Caleb falling into it somehow would be the only way for the body to get where it was found. If it is possible to fall or deliberately enter into a manhole and the body end up in the lift station then say so. One more thing, they need to reveal if there was an open manhole in that area the night Caleb disappeared. These are questions that should have been addressed by now.

As we wait and speculate as to the identification of the remains, we can only hope that some answers to this mystery are forthcoming.

 

[Diavola]

What do you think is causing such an extensive delay with the identification, whether to rule out or confirm Caleb?

Dentals shouldn't take long, but if they are not possible then they have to compare DNA. If that's what they're waiting for then maybe the labs are crowded and they don't give priority to anyone.

 

[Bahshudc]

Are there any users with knowledge in this field able to suggest a reason for this? It really is taking a while… I am praying for a release of info very, very soon. Moo.

 

[TwoBlueJays]

I speculated upthread that Caleb was assaulted by someone with access to the lift station. Whether utility workers or contractors have been interviewed, I don't know. But once the DNA confirms it is Caleb, I would think LE will turn their attention to that group. Because the incoming pipe diameter rules out even a torso being pushed into the lift station well. Moo

 

[IDK]

I wonder if they are waiting for all the results to be in before making any announcements: DNA, autopsy and toxicology. It may make sense for all this to be released together ?

The other thought is that perhaps if the determination ends up being death by misadventure, maybe only Caleb’s parents will be notified and no public notification will be made? I’m not sure how that is usually handled?

I know different jurisdictions handle these things differently. IMO.

 

[Centaurus]

I speculated upthread that Caleb was assaulted by someone with access to the lift station. Whether utility workers or contractors have been interviewed, I don't know. But once the DNA confirms it is Caleb, I would think LE will turn their attention to that group. Because the incoming pipe diameter rules out even a torso being pushed into the lift station well. Moo

That wouldn't be very smart to leave a body anywhere you had connections to.

LE has never confirmed the diameter of the pipes and/or how a body could end up in the lift station, so we actually don't know for a fact, well, much of anything.

 

[10ofRods]

I would assume they'd wait for all the standard results (some of which can take up to 6-8 weeks). Then the Coroner has to build a report, and decide whether it's apparent homicide, suicide, accident or unknown. If the Coroner cannot decide between the first 3 options, it will be listed as undetermined. Each tiny piece of a very large biological puzzle has to be put together.

It takes time. Just the wet lab procedures per slide or test take about 1 person's 8 hour day. Labs everywhere are backed up. There was a hurricane/tropical storm, IIRC, that hit the Corpus Christi area as well, IIRC.

Further, if it is ruled suicide or accident/misadventure, we may only learn that the body is Caleb's and not much else. I believe he's classified right now as a missing person, so they do have to take him off that list if he's been found.

The public has no right to know the details of someone's death. Even an open criminal investigation doesn't mean that we are entitled to details. This is true all across our 50 states and in many other parts of the world it's even more likely that the public will get no details.

The identification of Caleb, if it happens, should be part of a public report though.

 

[flowershop]

It's been 3 weeks to the day since the discovery of the remains in the wastewater well.

MOO but I think the advanced state of decomposition will keep us from learning from much other than the identification.

 

[shetalksinstereo]

I speculated upthread that Caleb was assaulted by someone with access to the lift station. Whether utility workers or contractors have been interviewed, I don't know. But once the DNA confirms it is Caleb, I would think LE will turn their attention to that group. Because the incoming pipe diameter rules out even a torso being pushed into the lift station well. Moo

I wonder if the lift station was routinely "policed" by employees? I had a friend who got a job at the truck depot as a security job (in the 80s) and she had to walk the perimiter of the grounds and keep checking that locks were locked, door closed, and she also had to take some kind if gague readings on some kind of equipment and write it in a log, like the bathroom inspection form in a store bathroom.

 

[Bigditch]

It could be that a key went missing. Employees working at utilities would have one, accidentally dropped, replaced, never handed it in after leaving the position. Who knows? Nefarious actor? A friend of Caleb's worked there in the past (summer job) knows how to access the station? Manhole left open, intentionally or accidentally.

 

[flowershop]

It could be that a key went missing. Employees working at utilities would have one, accidentally dropped, replaced, never handed it in after leaving the position. Who knows? Nefarious actor? A friend of Caleb's worked there in the past (summer job) knows how to access the station? Manhole left open, intentionally or accidentally.

Just to add..maybe someone with a relative who has access..

 

[CuriousCricket]

Dentals shouldn't take long, but if they are not possible then they have to compare DNA. If that's what they're waiting for then maybe the labs are crowded and they don't give priority to anyone.

Hurricane Beryl shut down the FamilyTreeDNA labs there in Houston, Texas, according to notifications from the company. Wonder if that may be impacting getting results in other areas of Texas.

 

[EllaMae]

The delays by LE in this case are both frustrating and I believe unnecessary. The family and public have a right to know. As pointed out in a previous post, surely they would have found articles of clothing along with the remains in that wet well. We know what Caleb was wearing that night. If they found clothes that appeared to match what Caleb was wearing they should say so. If no clothes were recovered then mention that as well.

There has been no clarification by LE regarding a body being able to flow through a 15” pipe into the lift station. Is that possible? LE should make a statement as such. If that is highly unlikely, then the body being placed in the well or Caleb falling into it somehow would be the only way for the body to get where it was found. If it is possible to fall or deliberately enter into a manhole and the body end up in the lift station then say so. One more thing, they need to reveal if there was an open manhole in that area the night Caleb disappeared. These are questions that should have been addressed by now.

As we wait and speculate as to the identification of the remains, we can only hope that some answers to this mystery are forthcoming.

The family already knows....IMHO. The public has no "right" to know anything as long as there is an active investigation. LE absolutely has no obligation to reveal anything and in fact their job is to protect the integrity of the case. Public curiosity is not a valid reason to publicize sensitive information in this or any case.

 

[LauraAnne]

The family already knows....IMHO. The public has no "right" to know anything as long as there is an active investigation. LE absolutely has no obligation to reveal anything and in fact their job is to protect the integrity of the case. Public curiosity is not a valid reason to publicize sensitive information in this or any case.

I kind of disagree. If it appears to LE that Caleb met with foul play, and the perpetrator is still out there potentially harming other partners, the public needs to know everything that might identify this predator, ASAP.

 

[Martin22]

I disagree that the public has no right to know. If Caleb has been found they MUST remove him from the list of missing persons. If he is deceased they are REQUIRED to report that information and issue a death certificate which is PUBLIC INFORMATION. They of course may withhold information until they are absolutely certain the body found is Caleb, but not beyond that finding. And no way does the family know his fate but continues to pretend they are looking for Caleb. There also is no advantage in any kind of investigation for LE to keep it a secret should they determine Caleb is deceased; it would actually be a hinderance to any such investigation. I hope it isn't Caleb and that he is soon found alive and well, but that seems rather unlikely at this point.

 

[Bigditch]

Just to add..maybe someone with a relative who has access..

Excellent point.

 

[Bigditch]

There are really no similarities between Caleb and Elisa Lam, IMO other than both of them potentially crawling into an open water tank and not being able to get out again.

But there is a striking similarity between Caleb and Noah DeWitt, who's thread is now MIA here on WS for some reason. He went missing in 2015 in the middle of the night, reported by his roomates, not wearing shoes, found in a wet well of a sewage pump station, also in college, known to enjoy urban exploration. 'We're obviously devastated,' Noah DeWitt's mom says
While LE investigated it as a crime like they are doing here, it would seem the case was quietly closed and the assumption seemed to be that Noah put himself there to intentionally end his life. Someone kindly linked this towards the beginning of the thread but here it is again How did a human body end up in the sewer?

Vail,

OMG, yes, Caleb and Noah's cases are strikingly similar. Both men are slim, similar in age, outgoing, well liked, adventerous, have fantastic smiles, like to go barefoot, and were/are students.

& then we have the Lift Station

I believe that 'suicidal cause of death' is the default for, "We don't have the resources to keep the investigation going." (No judgement).

This is why the Harris' have to raise money on their own to find out what happened to their boy.

 imo