After a monthslong search, the body of Caleb Harris has been found and identified.
According to a release from the Corpus Christi Police Department, forensic analysts with the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification, or UNTCHI, have determined that the human remains found inside a 40-foot well last month are most likely Caleb Harris.
Harris, a 21-year-old Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi student, disappeared from his off-campus apartment in the early morning of Monday, March 4. Then on June 24, city workers notified police after discovering human remains at a wastewater collection point near the apartment.
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A few days later, police had said the medical examiner's office was unable to identify the remains nor provide a manner or cause of death due to the "advanced state of decomposition," but officers say they bore "no obvious signs of homicide." The remains were then sent to the UNTCHI for DNA analysis, along with DNA samples from Harris' parents.
According to the Missing Persons DNA report issued Thursday by UNTCHI, the remains "are approximately 2.4 sextillion times more likely to be observed if the unidentified remains originated from a biological child of [Caleb Harris's parents] rather than if the unidentified remains originated from an unrelated individual from the Caucasian population."
The remains will now be returned to the Nueces County Medical Examiner's Office, which will then issue the final autopsy report.
Within days of Harris' disappearance, an investigative team formed with members of the CCPD's Criminal Investigation Division and Organized Crime Unit, the FBI, the United States Marshals Service and the Texas Rangers. For weeks following Harris' disappearance, officials used everything from drones and dive teams and obtained help from agencies like the Coast Guard and Texas Parks and Wildlife to find Harris. Student volunteers and countless civilians joined in the efforts, too.
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Investigators ultimately executed over 50 digital search warrants, submitted 82 preservation requests and analyzed over 1500 GB of data during their monthslong investigation. Police said the area of the well in which the human remains were found was searched in the early days of the investigation.
In a letter to students and staff Thursday morning, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi president Dr. Kelly Miller explained that the university hoped for a different outcome but that it's now mourning the loss of a kind friend, "cherished son" and "beloved brother." She thanked members of the community for what they did to try to find him.
"From joining search parties to sharing social media posts, the outpouring of support was truly remarkable. These actions exemplified the very best of our Islander spirit," Miller wrote.
The university president ended her letter by stating that the university will honor Harris' legacy at a remembrance ceremony this fall.
