After a monthslong search, remains found at a wastewater facility in Texas are believed to be missing college student Caleb Harris, according to authorities.
City workers conducting maintenance at a wastewater lift station in Corpus Christi, Texas, last month discovered human remains in a well and notified police, the Corpus Christi Police Department said on Facebook.
The remains had “no obvious signs of homicide,” but were transported to the Nueces County Medical Examiner’s Office for examination, according to police.
Due to the “advanced state of decomposition,” the medical examiner was unable to make an identification, nor “provide a manner or cause of death,” authorities said on Wednesday.
The DNA samples were sent to the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification (UNTCHI) for analysis with Harris’ parents’ DNA.
The remains were “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,” according to the Missing Persons DNA Report issued by UNTCHI, authorities said.
“We all have heavy hearts this evening as we learned of the positive identification of our sweet Caleb. We will grieve our son,” Harris’ family said in a statement on Wednesday. “Thank you for your prayers and support during this tragic time.”
Harris, a 21-year-old student at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, was reported missing in early March.
His roommates were unable to locate him after he walked his dog early in the morning and his family reported him missing, according to the Corpus Christi Police Department.
Harris’ father, Randy Harris, told ABC Corpus Christi affiliate KIII that his dog returned home but his son never did. He left behind his keys, wallet and vehicle, police said. He did have his phone, but it had been turned off, police said.
In the months since Harris’ disappearance, “investigators executed over 50 digital search warrants, submitted 82 preservation requests, and analyzed over 1500 GB of Data,” police said on Wednesday.
The investigation into Harris’ death remains open, authorities said.
