Decomposed human remains were found in a 40-foot well at a wastewater plant Monday near the apartment building where a Texas college student vanished, according to authorities.
Police are investigating if the remains belong to 21-year-old Caleb Harris, who disappeared four months ago during a late night walk in Corpus Christi.
The unidentified body was discovered around 3:30 p.m. by city workers at a wastewater lift station, according to police.
The remains “bore no obvious signs of homicide,” police said, but because of how badly they were decomposed the medical examiner couldn’t determine an identification or manner of death.
Harris, a student at Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi, disappeared on March 4 from his apartment building before dawn.
He sent a photo over SnapChat to a friend around 3 a.m. that showed him walking near a small bridge over a drainage ditch near his apartment entrance, police previously said.
He was reported missing by his roommate the next morning after an UberEats order he placed around 3:20 a.m. remained outside his door, according to law enforcement.
Corpus Christi police chief Mike Markle told WOAI it could take four to six weeks until the body is identified.
“A lot of folks looking for closure, a lot of folks looking for quick answers,” he told the station.
The body was found in a well about 40-feet deep and filled with wastewater, KIIITV reported. The collection point had to be drained before the body was retrieved by first responders in hazmat suits.
The remains are being sent to the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification to be identified through DNA analysis, police said.
“At that time, we’ll know whether to bring closure to existing cases or start a new case, or if there is foul play involved,” Chief Markle told WOAI.
