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Jason Landry, the 21-year-old Texas State student who went missing four months ago, is still nowhere to be found.
Despite numerous search efforts, no trace of Landry has been found since his car was found crashed in the Luling area on Dec. 13.
Landry's case has been featured on Dateline and local news outlets across Texas in the months since he went missing. Most recently, podcast True Crime Chronicles released an episode dedicated to Landry this week.
The podcast features Landry's father Kent Landry, who said that Jason was getting his footing at Texas State and hoping to make it into the prestigious sound recording technology program before he went missing.
The podcast, that sits among other cold cases and stories on seriel killers, dives deep into the details surrounding that December night—including the window between when Landry's phone records stopped and his car was found crashed after appearing to hit two trees on the isolated Salt Flat Road.
Landry was on the way home from Texas State to Houston to celebrate Christmas, but appeared to make a detour along the way.
Investigators believe that Landry hit two trees and later a barbed wire fence after over-correcting on the gravel road.
Perplexingly, Landry's keys were still in the ignition, his car's headlights were still on and the passenger door was locked. His phone and wallet were found in his car, while a backpack with his laptop, gaming equipment and a small amount of marijuana were found 900 feet away. Alongside the backpack were toiletries, a baseball cap and a container of his dead betta fish, while some of his clothing including a shirt, shorts, underwear and a wristwatch were spread further along the road.
Investigators think that the clothes found were worn by Landry prior to the crash, although they could have also been packed beforehand. Despite the crash, there was no blood found in the car, but a small smear of blood was found on his shorts.
Kent Landry said that head injuries could have made him confused as he left the scene of the crash.
"It's possible that you're out of your mind and you think you're hot but you're cold," Landry said. "Did he change clothes? I don't know. I just have images of my child in the middle of the road in the country looking for help."
There are no leads on the circumstances surrounding the case, though it appears that the crash was a one-car collision. No sign of foul play has been found, KHOU reporter Grace White said on the podcast.
"It's just one of those situations where you don't know which direction to go," White said. "It's not even fair to call it a crime scene because we don't even know if a crime occurred."
Thousands of investigators and concerned citizens have pitched in to try to find Landry since he went missing. Search and rescue efforts lasted for nine days after he went missing, and a new three-day search was revamped with over 100 Search and Rescue crew members in late February.
According to the podcast, searchers found a glimmer of hope last week when cadaver dogs led them to a pond near where Landry went missing. The pond was drained, but nothing was found.
Kent Landry said that the family can only hope for more leads as they continue to search for their son.
"To think missing a turn could lead to something like this, it's beyond description," Kent Landry said. "It's a bad dream that we keep hoping we wake up from."
The requests for continued search efforts have been conducted through the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office. Anyone with tips or information regarding Landry can call 911, contact the office at 512-398-6777 or email Detective Jeff Ferry at jeff.ferry@co.caldwell.tx.us.
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