HOUSTON – Three years have passed since Texas State University student Jason Landry vanished on his way to visit friends in the Houston area, and his family continues to search for answers.
Investigators say Jason Landry disappeared on his way to Missouri City on Dec. 13, 2020 at the start of Christmas break. Investigators with the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office found his crashed vehicle off a dirt road near Luling about 30 miles from campus. Some of his belongings were scattered nearby.
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“There’s a lot of things we have a high degree of confidence in, but really, probably the most important thing is, we don’t have the answer to that, and that is where is Jason?” Capt. Jeff Ferry with the sheriff’s office said back in 2021.
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On Wednesday, the Texas Office of the Attorney General released a statement updating its investigation into Landry’s disappearance.
The office said it has an ‘unwavering commitment’ to the investigation and has dedicated hundreds of hours of resources -- including doing extensive forensic testing, issuing numerous search warrants, and enlisting the help of a wide array of experts with specialized backgrounds.
At the time of Landry’s disappearance, some people questioned why a CLEAR Alert wasn’t issued. CLEAR stands for “Coordinated Law Enforcement Adult Rescue.” The program, enacted by the Texas legislature in 2019, is designed to help law enforcement locate and rescue missing, kidnapped or abducted adults or adults who are in immediate danger of injury or death.
Texas Search and Rescue (TEXSAR) was initially involved in the search for Landry but suspended its efforts after nine days. Landry’s family and friends offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to his whereabouts and return. The reward has since increased to $20,000.
In 2021, roughly one year after Landry vanished, Shawn Hohnstreiter, director of field operations with Texas Search and Rescue, noted the difficulty they had in searching for Landry in the area where his car had been found.
“It’s not a populated area, whatsoever,” Hohnstreiter said. “There’s very few residences, homes or businesses in the area whatsoever, more rural oil country there, so it’s been a tough search.”
There were no indications of foul play and no evidence to support that Landry was the victim of a crime, according to investigators.
A candlelight vigil is scheduled to be held Friday in Luling at the site where Landry’s car was found crashed in 2020. The vigil is slated to begin at 4:30 p.m.
Previous coverage of the Jason Landry case from Click2Houston.com