This Texas College Student Vanished While Barefoot After Stepping Outside To Pick Up A Food Delivery Order Last Month
The search continues for Caleb Harris, a 21-year-old college student who mysteriously vanished with no shoes on in the early morning hours of March 4 while picking up a food delivery order.
Caleb, an avid fisherman and student at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, had reportedly been playing video games with his two roommates earlier that night. They lived in an off-campus apartment located off of Ennis Joslin Road near S. Padre Island Drive. Caleb also had a friend from Colorado who was visiting him at the time.
Then, after remaining in contact with his family and friends via Snapchat between 2:00 a.m. and 2:45 a.m., he walked outside to pick up an Uber Eats order. Caleb subsequently vanished and hasn’t been seen or heard from since, leaving behind his keys and wallet.
“That seems to be the only item that we’re missing. We have his keys; we have his truck locked; the dog’s back in the apartment. There’s nothing else missing,” Caleb’s father, Randy Harris, said.
Later that same day, Caleb’s roommates realized that his Uber Eats food order had been left outside their door. Yet, Caleb was gone, and the investigation into his disappearance began.
Authorities have since conducted various interviews with people close to Caleb, allowing them to establish a timeline of events leading up to his appearance.
First, at 12:56 a.m. on March 4, doorbell camera footage captured Caleb, his roommate, and his friend playing with a puppy in the parking lot. The dog reportedly belonged to the girlfriend of one of Caleb’s roommates.
“Nothing appeared out of the ordinary, and the three young men returned to Harris’s apartment. Their mutual friend departed shortly thereafter,” the Corpus Christi Police Department stated.
Next, at about 2:20 a.m., one of Caleb’s roommates claimed he was going to bed. At that point, Caleb reportedly said he planned to stay up and order lunch for the next day using Uber Eats. He ordered two Lunchables and a Red Bull.
Facebook – pictured above is Caleb
Then, at 2:44 a.m., he sent a Snapchat message to his sister – showing himself walking the puppy through the parking lot of his apartment complex, which is known as The Cottages.
By 3:03 a.m., Caleb also sent another Snapchat to one of his friends, which showed “a small bridge over a drainage ditch on the 1900 block of Ennis Joslin, within a few hundred feet of the entrance to his apartment complex.”
It was at 3:12 a.m. when Caleb’s phone pinged a nearby cellphone tower for the last time. At 3:20 a.m., the Uber Eats delivery driver dropped off Caleb’s food order at his front door, where it stayed untouched until the following morning.
Caleb’s roommates discovered the Uber Eats order sitting outside their apartment at 11:00 a.m. the next day – Monday. At the same time, they noticed Caleb’s truck was still parked outside the apartment, and his keys and wallet had been left inside. However, he was nowhere to be found.
“Caleb’s roommates, who described him as a homebody and a creature of habit, immediately became alarmed by Caleb’s absence. After searching for Caleb by themselves for a short time, the roommates called the CCPD to report Harris missing,” police stated.
The first officer to receive the report that Caleb was missing checked nearby hospitals to see if any individuals matching his description had been admitted that morning. Investigators also combed through Caleb’s apartment and the surrounding area but discovered no evidence of a struggle.
At that point, additional investigators arrived on the scene to conduct a large-scale and “intensive” search of the region. Since then, authorities claim that Caleb’s roommates and friends have been very cooperative in the investigation.
The Uber Eats driver, a female, was also interviewed by authorities. She told investigators that she was driving by herself that evening and didn’t see anyone near the apartment complex.
“Investigators have scoured the surrounding area of Caleb’s last known location for surveillance video, checking well over 50 businesses and private residences,” police said.
“Thus far, investigators have retrieved video from 27 different locations, including city-owned traffic cameras, but continue to search for additional sources. Detectives have written 16 electronic search warrants, submitted over 70 preservation requests, and issued 14 subpoenas for electronic data related to this investigation,” police continued.
“Forensic Computer Examiners have already reviewed over 600 GB of electronic data and continue to pour over data as it arrives on an almost daily basis.”
According to Caleb’s father, Randy, it would have been completely out of character for Caleb to leave on his own.
The 21-year-old had already signed his apartment lease and even had plans to go fishing the following day. So, Randy claims his son was “100% preparing for life” prior to vanishing.
A spokesperson for Caleb’s family, Tony Mathis, also stated that Caleb’s loved ones believe someone knows something.
“It’s 2024, and the odds of somebody disappearing without a trace, without anybody knowing anything, are slim to none. We just feel like the word hasn’t got out to enough people, and we do believe somebody knows something,” Mathis said.
Caleb’s family had previously offered a $25,000 reward for information that led to his whereabouts. This reward has since increased to $50,000 with no deadline.
Caleb is five foot 11, weighs approximately 180 pounds, and has brown hair and brown eyes. If you have any information regarding his disappearance, you are urged to contact the Corpus Christi Police Department at (361) 886-2840.
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