Human remains have been found in Corpus Christi, Texas, not far from where a Texas A&M Corpus Christi student went missing in March.
At about 3:30 p.m. Monday, police were called by a city employee and told that what appeared to be human remains were found in a wastewater collection point that was a wet well about 40 feet deep, according to a news release from Corpus Christi police.
The remains “bore no obvious signs of homicide,” police said, according to the New York Post, which noted officials said that due to decomposition, the manner of death could not be determined Monday.
The location is across the street from the location where Caleb Harris, 21, of New Braunfels, Texas, went missing on March 4, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
Harris’ cell phone was missing, but his wallet, keys and truck remained at his apartment.
The statement from police said the spot where remains were found had been checked in March during the search for Harris.
A Facebook post from police from late March said that on the night he disappeared, "At approximately 3:03 AM, Harris sent another SnapChat photo to a high school friend currently residing in San Antonio. The photo depicted 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. At approximately 3:12 AM Harris’s cell phone last shared location data with the nearest cell phone tower."
The post said an UberEats order delivered at 3:20 a.m. was left outside of Harris's apartment door, but was never collected.
Identifying the remains could take up to six weeks, Christi Police Chief Mike Markle said, according to KRIS-TV.
"At that time, we'll know whether we'll bring closure to existing cases or start a new case or even if there's any foul play involved," Markle said.
Markle was asked if police found a full body.
"Almost,” he replied. “We found human remains.”
Markle urged local residents to be patient while the identification process plays out.
"I understand families are waiting. Loved ones and a lot of the community that are anticipating quick results but we need to take our time and make sure we do this right and the investigation is handled properly and we'll have to wait for some answers," the chief said.
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"Let us do the investigation that we know how to do. Let us continue our methodical approach. We want to make sure we do it right and there's no shortfalls at the end of this. These things take time,” he said.
Markle said he spoke to Harris's family.
“We made them aware right away. We didn't want them to see it for the first time on social media or somewhere else,” he said.
