Years of searches and forensic reviews produced no answer before skeletal remains were recently found near the area where Landry vanished.
LULING, Texas — The discovery of skeletal remains in rural Caldwell County has returned attention to the disappearance of Jason Landry, nearly six years after investigators traced the Texas State University student’s final known movements to a crash on an isolated road outside Luling.
Authorities have not identified the remains or said they are connected to Landry. The Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office said the remains were found in the 1400 block of Biggs Road and were undergoing further examination. The location is near Salt Flat Road, where Landry’s abandoned car was found after he disappeared in December 2020, making the discovery significant to the public interest in the case while leaving the central question unresolved.
Landry was 21 and attending Texas State University when he left San Marcos on Dec. 13, 2020. He was traveling toward his family’s home in Missouri City for the winter break. Investigators later reconstructed much of his route with electronic data, following his movements through several communities before his phone stopped providing the same digital trail around Luling.
According to the Texas Attorney General’s Office, Landry’s phone last connected with the Waze navigation application at 11:26 p.m. while he was in Luling. Cell tower data indicated he likely continued straight on Austin Street rather than making a turn that would have taken him toward Interstate 10. He eventually traveled onto Salt Flat Road, where authorities concluded his car was involved in a single-vehicle crash.
The abandoned Nissan Altima was found on the rural road early Dec. 14. Landry was nowhere nearby. His disappearance triggered searches by multiple law enforcement agencies and search-and-rescue organizations using ground teams, dogs, drones and infrared equipment. Follow-up searches also examined areas surrounding the crash location, but investigators reported no discovery that explained where he went.
The case expanded beyond the original local investigation in February 2022, when the Caldwell County District Attorney’s Office and Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from the Texas Attorney General’s Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit. The unit reviewed evidence, interviewed witnesses, sought search warrants and consulted specialists in fields including digital forensics and accident reconstruction.
State investigators said their review supported the earlier conclusion that Landry’s crash involved only his vehicle. A geofence search warrant produced no activity near the crash site that added useful information, according to the attorney general’s office. Investigators also said they found nothing on Landry’s social media, cellphone or other electronic devices showing that he planned to meet another person in Luling.
The inquiry continued with specialized searches. The attorney general’s office said Texas Railroad Commission investigators examined oil tanks in the area and reviewed operating records for irregularities without finding anything unusual. An independent phone expert also received location and cellphone data for additional analysis as investigators looked for information that might have been missed earlier.
By November 2023, the cold case unit had organized a broad review that included experts in digital forensics, geospatial sciences, data mapping and criminal intelligence. Participants included representatives from the FBI, Texas Rangers and Department of Public Safety, Texas Search and Rescue, local prosecutors and other agencies. The attorney general’s office said the group concluded that all credible leads and investigative steps available at that point had been pursued.
That conclusion did not close the case. State officials continued to classify Landry’s disappearance as an active investigation and said new credible information would be evaluated. His listing also remained active through the Texas Department of Public Safety Missing Persons Clearinghouse.
The remains now under examination add a new development near the landscape that has defined the investigation for years. But the sheriff’s office has made no public identification and has not tied the remains to Landry or any other missing person. Until forensic work establishes an identity, Landry’s disappearance remains unresolved and the significance of the Biggs Road discovery remains unknown.
Author note: Last updated September 20, 2026.