The mysterious disappearance of Texas State student Jason Landry
Jason Landry, disappeared December 13, 2020, Luling, Texas
Revised May 2024
Jason Landry, the 21-year-old Texas State student, went missing on December 13, 2020, as he was heading from the school’s campus in San Marcos back to his home in the Sienna area of Missouri City, a suburb of Houston, for Christmas.
Authorities found his car crashed and abandoned. It’s believed he was involved in an accident. His clothes and possessions were left near or in the car. Sniffer dogs tracked his scent from the crash site to a pond, but a thorough search by divers turned up nothing. Jason remains missing.
The Jason Landry crash in Luling, Texas
State troopers said it appeared Landry was involved in a crash in a remote area in Luling off country backroads. The Nissan Altima's lights were on, the keys were in the ignition, and the front passenger side door was locked. The sheriff's office said it was a single-vehicle collision, most likely caused by Landry overcorrecting on the gravel road, spinning off the roadway, and crashing the rear end into a tree.
Jason’s backpack, ball cap, toiletries, and a tumbler with a dead fish in it were found about 900 feet away from the wreck. The backpack contained a small amount of marijuana, a laptop, and gaming equipment.
Jason Landry wrecked Nissan Altima
Then bizarrely, the next day on December 14, Landry's father went to the crash scene and also found his son's clothing, including his shirt, shorts, socks, underwear, sandals, and a wristwatch.
Jason was described as a white male who is just over six feet tall and weighing 170 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.
The search for Jason Landry
The Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office partnered with the Texas Rangers and a team of retired Federal Agents and private investigators in attempting to locate Jason.
The authorities focused in on an area pond that scent dogs led them to. The pond was drained and looked over by drone, but no clues were found. A helicopter with infrared cameras, UAVs (drones), side-scan sonar, scent dogs, as well as searchers on foot, ATVs and horseback were deployed to search rivers, creeks and the surrounding land. Searchers said they are far from having a theory for what may have happened and say Landry's disappearance is still very much a mystery.
Caldwell County Sheriff’s deputies released a photo of Landry on the night he went missing and new photos of his wrecked car. He looked in good spirits and was wearing the same shirt that was found with the pile of clothes recovered by his father during the search.
His father, Ken Landry, believes his son might have gotten lost because the roads are unlit and very dark at night. Ken, a pastor at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Missouri City, said. “Every night when I’m up and not sleeping, I try to make it make sense and it doesn’t."
Ken said he is still trying to figure out what happened to his son.“There doesn’t seem to be like paint from another car, now could another car have been chasing him?”
Relatives believe he made a possible wrong turn somewhere early in the drive, and his father believes his son may have followed the directions of a malfunctioning GPS app. “I don’t know why my son was down this road. My best guess is that he will follow Waze wherever it sends him. He was coming home from college, but he was here on this road. I don’t know if he was trying to avoid a deer or what. He swerved and hit some trees on the side.”
Timeline leading to Jason Landry's disappearance
Dec. 13, 10:55 p.m.: Landry left his apartment in San Marcos to travel to his parents' home in Missouri City.
Dec. 13, 11:05 p.m. - Landry was driving his vehicle on Highway 80 and passed under I-35 in San Marcos.
Dec. 13, 11:07 p.m. - Landry continued to drive south on Highway 80 entering Caldwell County.
Dec. 13, 11:11 p.m. - Landry was in Martindale Texas, continuing south on Highway 80.
Dec. 13, 11:15 p.m. - Landry passes over SH130 on Highway. 80.
Dec.13, 11:24 p.m. - Landry entered the City of Luling on Highway 80. He quit using the Waze app and started using Snapchat. His digital footprint stopped on East Austin Street. Not long after that, he crashed on Salt Flat Road.
Dec. 14, 12:31 a.m. - Landry’s wrecked vehicle was found abandoned in the 2300 block of Salt Flat Road.
Questions on the Jason Landry disappearance
What caused the crash? Was Jason forced off the road?
What was he doing on a quiet, unlit road, Salt Flat Road?
Why were his clothes found abandoned near the crash?
Why did Jason leave his possessions in the car?
Why did the tracker dogs pick up the scent of the nearby pond, but a search turned up nothing?
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Sources
https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/new-photos-released-in-continued-search-for-missing-texas-state-student-jason-landry/285-a0f70a3b-93fd-436a-a1bd-14d4542d1f00?fbclid=IwAR2srgVp8tDCgvb-mLDCfaFZ_LRGDAMz9wC7K72-JvECEjLFleAkNFNTtEw
https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/texas/jason-landry-texas-state-student-missing-near-luling-while-coming-home-to-houston/285-8d8d11b7-6f43-457f-9ece-1240c99a488d
https://www.crimeonline.com/2020/12/16/missing-texas-student-went-off-track-on-holiday-drive-home-police-search-remote-oil-field/
