The Disappearance of Jason Landry

For this case, I watched an episode of Disappeared. It’s season 10 episode 4, titled ‘The Long Drive Home.’

A popular college student disappears while driving home for winter break.

Background

Jason Landry was the youngest child of Kent and Lisa Landry. At the time of his disappearance, he was 21-years-old and attending Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas.

Jason was described as strong willed, courageous, optimistic and loving.

The Road Trip

On December 13, 2020, Jason left his apartment in San Marcos to drive to his parent’s home in Houston. The distance from San Marcos to Houston is about a 2 hour and 39 minute drive.

Jason’s friend and neighbor, Jack Frank, texted Jason and asked him if he was going to get some sleep before driving. Jason said he didn’t need sleep, but appreciated Jack checking on him. This was the last time Jack spoke to Jason.

In the early morning hours of December 14, 2020, a volunteer firefighter was driving down Salt Flat Road in Luling, Texas. The distance from San Marcos to Luling is about 32 minutes.

The volunteer firefighter came across a car with the headlights on. The drivers side of the car was leaning against a fence line. The back window had been kicked in, and there was damage to the drivers side. The car had crashed into some trees and the fence.

The volunteer contacted the Caldwell County dispatcher. The Texas Highway Patrol came out to begin a search.

The “Investigation”

A Texas Highway Patrolman drove down Salt Flat Road for about an hour looking for any sign of the driver.

About 900 yards from where the crash site was, there was some clothes, a shirt and underwear found. The clothes seemed to be scattered around like someone had disrobed themselves.

A backpack was also located. Inside the backpack, the police found Jason Landry’s wallet and drivers license. The police also found a laptop, gaming equipment, a toiletry bag, a hat, Jason’s slides (shoes), and marijuana.

Jason’s clothing did have a small amount of blood on it, but the police believe that was from either the window that was smashed out or the fence.

Kent and Lisa were the registered owners of the car. The Caldwell Co. Sheriff’s Office called them around 2am about the 2003 Nissan Altima they had found. Kent and Lisa asked how bad the damage to the car was. They were told the car had been crashed into some trees and fence.

Kent described the police as nonchalant. He said he left his house soon after the call. Once he left, he received a call from Lisa that the car had already been towed. Kent told Lisa to call the police to ask where the car had been towed. Kent said Lisa had woken up the patrolman who had already went home and fallen asleep.

The Search for Jason

When Kent arrived in Luling, he went to the car crash site. He recorded videos on his cell phone. He pointed out that the police hadn’t collected Jason’s clothing, as it was all still scattered around the area.

Kent used the Find My Friends app on the iPhone to track Jason’s phone. It led him to the towing yard where Jason’s car had been taken. Jason’s phone was still inside his car. It had been dropped down between the seat and armrest. Kent said he was able to get the phone, but couldn’t unlock it.

On December 14, 2020, the Texas Search and Rescue team was brought in to search for Jason. They used horses, aerial searches and several search dog teams.

On December 16, a dive team was brought in to search a retention pond that had been found on the other side of the hill from where Jason’s car was found. The search and rescue team received permission to drain the entire pond. Kent said he was terrified that he’d find his son floating in some dirty water. There was nothing found.

Jason’s Behavior

Jason’s friend, Jack, was interviewed in this episode. He said he saw Jason everyday the week before he disappeared. Jack said everyone on campus spent a lot of time inside their rooms because of COVID-19.

Jack said Jason relied a lot on smoking, but was still cognitive and coherent. Jack said he also noticed that Jason didn’t eat or sleep a lot.

Kent said COVID negatively impacted Jason, who was a extrovert. Jason had been so excited to go to Texas State, but was disappointed when his college experience was ruined. Kent said he didn’t find it that odd that Jason smoked as a lot of college students do so.

The Theories

The police searched all over Luling for any surveillance tapes from streets, businesses, homes, etc. There was nothing useful found on any surveillance tapes.

The police relied heavily on Jason’s digital footprint. At 11:24pm, Jason is in Luling, and had been using Waze to drive from San Marcos. At 11:24pm, Jason minimized Waze and opened SnapChat. Jason was supposed to turn, but instead missed the turn and ended up on Salt Flat Rd.

There were several theories brought up in this case. The first being that maybe Jason had seen a deer or a wild animal in the road, which caused him to crash the car.

The area where Jason crashed was known to have 200-300 pound ferrel hogs roaming around. The Caldwell Co. Sheriff’s Office believed that if Jason was dead, then maybe he was eaten.

Kent said the police didn’t see Jason’s case as anything but a single car crash, and that maybe Jason was eaten by hogs.

By February 2021, the media was heavily involved in Jason’s case. There were several Facebook groups that were dedicated to Jason’s disappearance. A $10,000 reward and billboard on Hwy 183 going from Luling to Lockhart, Texas, was put up.

The Private Investigator

A private investigator and retired FBI agent named Abel Pena became involved in Jason’s case. Pena’s daughter had attended Texas State, and had dated one of Jason’s friends. Pena said his daughter asked him to look into Jason’s case, and he agreed.

A team of retired FBI agents and border patrol offered their help free of charge to the Landry family. Pena also reached out the Caldwell Co. Sheriff’s Office. The teams were able to help each other until the relationship soured.

Pena said he was very critical about the investigation. He wasn’t sure why the crash site and surrounding area where the clothes were found had been trampled on. He also said the car should have been forensically tested before being towed.

Pena and his team learned that the intersection of Austin St. and Magnolia Ave., was a known area for drugs. Pena went door to door to talk to people who lived in the area. He ended up setting up a tip line because many people wanted to talk, but were in fear of drug dealers in the area.

There were several tips that came in suggesting that Jason’s disappearance was something nefarious. Pena said the information he received was that Jason hadn’t even been the one who drove the car to Salt Flat Rd. The tipsters also said clothes had been tossed and scattered around to stage the scene.

In January 2022, Pena received a letter at his home address. The letter was confirming what several tipsters told him about Jason being killed by possible drug dealers.

The Caldwell Co. Sheriff’s Office don’t believe this theory. They seem to strongly believe that Jason just walked off. They believed he was very high and probably crashed due to that.

Other Information

The Texas Attorney General’s Office opened up a cold case unit in December 2021.

The Caldwell Co. Sheriff’s Office released information that Jason had Googled ‘how long can you live in the woods without food?’, and ‘how long can you go in the wilderness?’

On July 22, 2022, an unconscious man was found in the Bronx. It wasn’t Jason. The man was from Yonkers. A photo was posted, and he did look very similar to Jason. Out of respect for the man and his family, I will not be posting it.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I really hope that the Caldwell Co. Sheriff’s Office will just let the Attorney Generals Office look at the case. I don’t think they have been doing a thorough job, and aren’t willing to look into every possible theory. My heart breaks for the Landry family, and I hope by sharing Jason’s story, they will get answers.

If you have any information on Jason or his case, please contact the Caldwell Co. Sheriff’s Office at 512-398-6777.