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E089: Jason Landry
2k Plays4 years ago
A college student disappears on his way home for winter break. Searches by horse, searches with dogs and helicopters, and searches using sonar turn up little. Family prayers and the efforts of hundreds of volunteers are the driving force behind continued searches and continued hope that one day he will come home.
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Transcript
Getting Started with Podcasting
00:00:00
Speaker
Sleuth Hounds, have you ever considered creating your own podcast? Have you been inspired by listening to some of your favorites and thought, I'd love to try this out on my own? Whether it's a true crime podcast like ours, a motivational podcast, or maybe one filled with tips and strategies for those interested in the same activities you are,
00:00:18
Speaker
When Maggie and I first decided to start our podcast, we knew absolutely nothing about what podcasting would entail. But when we found that the platform Buzzsprout was one for which we didn't need any special equipment, just a computer microphone, some quiet space, and each other, we knew that this was the way to go. It is intuitive to use, fun to play around with, and so helpful in getting analytical data about our number of downloads to track trends,
00:00:43
Speaker
and from where our listeners hail. Best yet, Buzzsprout is affordable, even by our teacher salary standards. Buzzsprout will get your podcasts listed on every major podcasting platform.
00:00:56
Speaker
What are you waiting for? Fulfill that dream of yours and start today. If you use our Coffee and Cases referral code, 709-643, linked on Facebook and in our show notes, not only will you help support our show, but you will receive a $20 Amazon gift card after your second month on a paid plan. It's that easy. Podcasting isn't hard when you have the right partners. Join over 100,000 podcasters already using Buzzsprout to get their message out to the world.
00:01:25
Speaker
Now it's time for the world to hear what you have to say.
Introducing 'True Crime Creepers'
00:01:31
Speaker
Sleuth Hounds, I want to spend one final week letting you in on an amazing new podcast. If you are looking for a new podcast to binge because you've already listened to every episode of Coffee and Cases at least once, maybe twice, here's a new one to check out. So let us suggest an amazing option for you. True Crime Creepers. Here's a little bit about them.
00:01:55
Speaker
Hey peeps and creeps. Let me introduce you to a new true crime podcast true crime creepers where we talk about all the real life creeps from con artists to serial killers. I'm Kristin the true crime fanatic who loves to tell these stories and I'm O gap the true crime newbie who hasn't heard any of them. No, really she's heard none of them. Hey, uh,
00:02:17
Speaker
I guess that's true. Each week, Kristen tells me a new case with excellent victim-centered storytelling. We laugh, we cry, we get scrunch face, but we always stay respectful of the victims and their story while ruthlessly dragging criminals.
00:02:31
Speaker
Flaming them. We've covered everything, from con artist Anna Delvi, a personal favorite of mine, to unsolved crimes like the Austin yogurt shop murders. With a five star rating on iTunes, go check us out because we're probably that true crime podcast you've been looking for. You can find true crime creepers wherever you get your podcast. New episodes every Thursday. Bye peeps and creeps.
00:02:58
Speaker
Kristin and Mogab are not only fantastic storytellers, but as I've mentioned before, they are great people. And we all need to support good people like them.
Tech in Podcasting: Friend or Foe?
00:03:11
Speaker
I really think that technology is both a blessing and a curse. I love that technology allows Alison and I to record together even when we're miles apart. The relief of knowing that by setting up a simple link, we're able to record each episode if we can't make meeting in person work really eases my mind.
00:03:29
Speaker
I love technology when I can FaceTime my mom and it's been weeks since I've seen her. I love technology when it allows me to connect with and teach my students after COVID-19 turned our schools upside down. I love technology when I'm driving in an unknown area and I'm magically provided with step-by-step instructions on where to turn.
00:03:50
Speaker
But I really hate technology when Allison and I are in the middle of recording and one of us gets kicked out of the session or when my computer won't allow me to have multiple tabs open at one time. It can be so frustrating to spend 30 minutes of our time waiting for the recording website to work properly.
00:04:07
Speaker
I hate technology when my mom doesn't have enough service to answer my calls. Living two hours away from her can be hard, and we depend on our daily conversations to stay in touch with one another. I hate technology when I can't disconnect from my job. I hate that it keeps my work at my fingertips. I hate technology when there's a detour and my GPS can't figure out where to tell me to turn because I definitely can't read a map.
00:04:31
Speaker
What an amazing thing it is that we can chat with people from across the world, all thanks to technology. Technological advances help us put killers and rape us behind bars. It helps us give a name to Jane Doe, but technology can also ruin our lives. When a GPS instructs a driver to take one wrong turn, the consequences can be significant. You could end up stranded, stuck in a ditch with no way to call for help. You could end up in an accident on a deserted gravel road.
00:04:59
Speaker
You could end up missing as you try to find your way to safety.
Jason Landry's Mysterious Disappearance
00:05:03
Speaker
One wrong instruction given by your GPS can change everything. This is the story of Jason Landry.
00:05:44
Speaker
Welcome to Coffee and Cases, where we like our coffee hot and our cases cold. My name is Allison Williams. And my name is Maggie Dameron.
00:05:54
Speaker
We will be telling stories each week in the hopes that someone out there with any information concerning the case will take those tips to law enforcement so justice and closure can be brought to these families. With each case, we encourage you to continue in the conversation on our Facebook page, Coffee and Cases podcast, and to follow us on Instagram at Coffee Cases podcast and on TikTok
00:06:17
Speaker
at Coffee and Cases podcast. Because as these families know, conversation helps to keep their missing family member in the public consciousness, helping to keep their memories alive. So sit back, sip your coffee, and listen to what's brewing this week.
00:06:34
Speaker
Okay, Alison, before jumping into the show, I wanted to take a minute just to thank all the people who have recently submitted new reviews for the show. I don't know if like you do this, Alison, but I definitely have like a nightly ritual where I check to see if we have any new reviews. Oh yeah. Like Rodney and I just had this conversation where he kind of insinuated that I'm a little bit obsessed with checking.
00:07:01
Speaker
Yeah, it's kind of a problem. Yeah, and we've had like, I think, well, there's been several, but like, Jessica from Mississippi, yours was super good. We love Jers. Anna Williams. Yeah, we love Jers. That was sweet. And then, Elemino Pass. Yes, yes. Which is a clever name.
00:07:26
Speaker
Yeah, there's so many that we couldn't thank you all individually, even though I wish we could, but we really do. Thank you. And we can never say thank you enough. We also want to take a second to thank each family member that has gotten back in touch with us regarding their family members case. I know we talked about it in a previous episode, but Allison and I.
00:07:48
Speaker
You know, we rely heavily on these credible resources that we find during our research. So like news stations, the Charlie project, things like that. But just as with anything as time passes, information can be incorrectly shared. So it's super helpful to have family members input on all of these cases, because we do want to represent each case with grace and dignity and input from those families. I think help us achieve that. Absolutely.
00:08:16
Speaker
And we appreciate like you all sharing stories and information about your loved ones with us because I know, you know, those conversations can't be easy to have. Right. And the case we're talking about today is unlike most of the cases that we're used to that are normally like several years old. The one we're discussing today is only several months old. Oh, yeah. So it is new. And I know that in each case that we discuss on here,
00:08:46
Speaker
Like we always have the hope that, you know, someone listening will have information that help police in the investigation. But I feel like because this case is so new that we really could make a difference and we could really help bring this young man home to his family. I hope so.
The Night of the Disappearance
00:09:05
Speaker
But unlike many of the cases where we have like multiple suspects or theories, this case doesn't
00:09:12
Speaker
like really have a lot of that because this case isn't like we can't say that he like is a victim of foul play. Okay, so part of the double-edged sword is because it's so recent what we talked about could have an impact but then at the same time because it's so recent there isn't as much information. Yeah and like there's been like
00:09:41
Speaker
a lot of searching going on. There's actually been quite a bit of evidence that's been found, but like because of how this happens and what happens, we can't say, oh yeah, he's definitely a victim of foul play. Like all we can say is he's missing. Okay. Yeah. So we're going to discuss like, I guess many theories of maybe why it could have potentially happened to him, but that's really
00:10:09
Speaker
That's as much as the into the theories as we can get with this one. Okay. So Jason Landry has been missing since December 13th slash maybe the early morning of the 14th 2020 because we don't know the exact time some of this took place. So yeah, we're talking like seven months ago. Yeah, super early.
00:10:33
Speaker
Um, and his case is particularly puzzling for police for his family and for us as listeners, because unlike many of our cases where we have like, you know, that definite sign of foul play, all we can conclude is that Jason is gone and there at this time is no evidence of foul play from the outside. It really just seems like Jason has.
00:10:56
Speaker
vanished into thin air. So like I said, it's my hope that after hearing his story, someone will have like a spark of inspiration or someone will have something that they can add so that we can find Jason and hopefully bring him home safe and sound. Okay, in Sleuthounds, if you have listened to the Bryce Less Pizza episode, this will sound kind of vaguely familiar to you because there are certain aspects that I thought sounded similar. Allison,
00:11:27
Speaker
Tell me if you think the same thing. Okay. So Jason was 21 at the time of his disappearance and he had just finished up his first semester at the university that's in San Marcos, Texas. And he was super excited to be attending this university. He was working really hard.
00:11:44
Speaker
were being accepted into their sound recording technology program, which I guess is what this particular university was known for. Okay. The kind of sucky thing for Jason is that he goes to this college and then COVID hits. And he's kind of corn read that he was like, quarantined twice because roommates, like have been around someone that had COVID. And, you know, so it just wasn't like a typical
00:12:12
Speaker
college experience. So just like every student, Jason was living for winter break, right? He needed time to relax, time to recharge, and in his case, like time to be away from COVID-19 in a school setting. So at 10.55 PM on December 13th, Jason left his apartment to drive the 165 miles to Missouri City, Texas. And like
00:12:41
Speaker
I first read that and I was like, what the heck? He's leaving at almost 11 o'clock at night. But then I think back to when I was in college and we were going to the tanning bed at like midnight or like 11 PM was early. So it's not like he had super Florida drive. So I don't think that it's weird that he left at 11 to drive two hours home because he's 21. So like I said, pretty early for him if I had to guess.
00:13:11
Speaker
Well, yeah, because most college students, if you're not a night owl, which I'm not, you kind of adjust your body to be that because you're up studying or you're up, you know, whatever. So you kind of fall into that rhythm where you're still wide awake around 11 o'clock. I am not anymore. Anymore of that cutoff is like,
00:13:32
Speaker
839. I saw a t shirt and it was like, I'm your ride or die until about 930 or so. That's totally me. See, I am a night owl. I don't like, if my day could just start at like 11am or 10am and then I could just stay up until like midnight every night, then I would be fine.
00:13:54
Speaker
because I could remember in college I was like I could take like my first semester I was like I could take an 8 a.m. class I live on campus takes me 10 minutes to walk there like I'll be fine that's what I'm used to in high school and then like
00:14:06
Speaker
I remember looking to the girl next to me and I'd be like, Brandy, do not let me fall asleep today. I would fall asleep almost every day. But in that like two to three hour frame that it would have taken Jason to get home, something must have gone horribly wrong because in those late hours, Jason's car was discovered by a volunteer fireman in the wee like morning hours of the 14th. So we're talking like,
00:14:36
Speaker
in between like midnight and 1 AM. Oh, and that is PS, very fireman protocol, I think, because like we have multiple times come across accidents. And even though Rodney's retired now, he's like, I have to go help. Like I, it's like it's part of him. Yeah, it's like ingrained. You know, yeah.
00:15:02
Speaker
There are several odd things that the fireman notices when he pulls up to the abandoned car and several odd things that we have discovered since. So at first glance, the man noticed that the lights on the car were still on, like the headlights were still on. The keys are in the ignition. The front passenger's door was locked, but the driver's side was unlocked and there was no sign of the driver.
00:15:31
Speaker
Okay. So if I am looking at that, I know like most cars, once you go over like a certain speed, all the doors lock, even if, you know, they're all unlocked previously. So for only the driver's door to be unlocked would tell me that from my perspective,
00:15:53
Speaker
that Jason had opened the door from the inside. Yes. Like he himself had opened the door. Yeah. Right. Because even in my car, like when it's in drive or it's in park, if I open just my door, only my door unlocks. So that's also why we can kind of gather that the car had been involved in a single vehicular accident. So just Jason's car was involved in an accident. Okay.
00:16:23
Speaker
According to Dateline, his dad, whose name is Kent, got a call from a state trooper around 2 a.m. that his son had been in that single vehicle crash on a dark country road. And it was apparent to the investigators that Jason had overcorrected on this like country gravel road. And in the process, it looked like he had like hit a barbed wire fence and then like hit a tree. So like, I think he's, yeah, I think he's like kind of spinning.
00:16:53
Speaker
Right. Yeah. Yeah. Like disoriented, maybe. Yeah. And, um, I reached out to a Facebook group called missing person, Jason Landry, um, and ask if the car was totaled because like, in my mind, if it wasn't like later on, you're going to be like, well, why didn't he just drive away? But the car was totaled from this accident. Okay. Well, like I said, trees don't budge. So right. Yeah. Um, his dad told Dateline,
00:17:20
Speaker
It's a call that every parent fears. It's our worst nightmare to know that our son is out there hurting and we can't fix it But not knowing where he is or if he's okay. It's confusing and heartbreaking in quote The singing of the crash right because we can't call it The scene of a crime because we don't know if a crime took place. We just know there was a crash that held very few answers and
00:17:48
Speaker
Troopers who responded to the scene found several of Jason's personal belongings like scattered outside the vehicle, like approximately like 900 feet away from the cart. Oh, and it was things like his backpack, his ball cap.
00:18:06
Speaker
toiletries. I guess he had like a betta fish that he was obviously bringing home because he would feed it while he was gone and he had it like in a tumbler thing and that was like 900 feet away from the car and the betta fish was dead. Okay. So can I comment on several things? Yeah.
00:18:28
Speaker
Number one, this is off topic, but I'll say it anyway, because my little sleuth hound, you know, she prides herself when she can teach me something. And this is, this has been years ago.
00:18:43
Speaker
Rodney and I were driving around and my little sleuth hounds in the backseat and we were talking about betta fish and she goes Mommy this is back when she called me mommy into the mom. I'm very sad But she was like mommy it's betta fish and I was like, no, it's not it's beta fish and she was like it's better and I was like, okay, you know, she was like, I don't know five or six at the time and
00:19:10
Speaker
I was like, no, it's betta fish. I've, I've heard it called betta fish. So I Googled it and I watched a video on YouTube and it was like the betta fish, mispronounced as beta fish. And I was like, Oh my goodness. So anyway, she like brings it up every single time that a picture is mentioned. So I thought I'd share, but second of all, that is super, super, super odd that his belongings were that far away.
00:19:39
Speaker
Because I feel like even if, let's say a window were shattered, I would think of the car were totaled, then airbags would deploy, which blocks the windows. So I wouldn't think that his items would be that far away, unless he had crashed his car and he's like, in my mind, this is purely speculative, and he's carrying them, but then something happens to him, which would explain why they're scattered.
Clues at the Crash Site
00:20:09
Speaker
and so far away from his car because 900 feet. I mean, that's wow. Yeah. And there'll be more about the items that I think may kind of help explain sort of maybe why they're so far away from the car.
00:20:29
Speaker
Okay. Um, in the reports that I read, it looked like the backpack had like a small amount of marijuana. Like I even saw that it was called like a usable amount. Again, whatever that means. Whatever that means. There was a laptop in his backpack, you know, per college kid, and he had like his gaming system in his backpack. So again, like college kid. What about a cell phone? Do we know? We do. And we'll talk about it here. Okay. Okay.
00:20:56
Speaker
There are out there some reports that said that Jason had harder drugs or like a larger amount of marijuana in his backpack. Like again, I don't think that that detail, like it doesn't change the case any to me. But law enforcement and like the sheriff's office have come out and said like any report stating that the backpack was like quote unquote filled with narcotics is inaccurate. And they say the small amount of marijuana like
00:21:24
Speaker
Has been seized and is being held so even they say it's like a small amount of marijuana Which I think okay for the normal college kid may be more typical than what we realize Of course as we've talked about on other episodes, you know Like there is the possibility that the weed could have been combined with some like hallucinogenic substance Maybe that could explain like the assortment of personal belongings that were found and like so far away from the car Maybe he wasn't
00:21:53
Speaker
fully in control of his mind at the time. But police weren't the only ones to find personal effects if Jason spread over the scene of like the crash. His father Kent also went to the scene and he stated in an interview that I listened to that he made it there around 5am and that Jason's clothing including a shirt, socks, shorts, underwear, slides, which is that like sandals,
00:22:18
Speaker
Yeah, like like slip on like you would wear in a shower. Maybe it's a college student and like his wristwatch were also about 900 feet from the crash site like along the road. Now, what is crazy about this is that investigators believe that he was wearing those clothes
00:22:44
Speaker
when the car crashed. They were like, oh, I know. Which changes things for me. But they were able to locate pictures of Jason that he'd taken earlier that same day. And he was in those clothes, like at least the t-shirt. OK, yeah. It just took a weird turn for me. Yeah, because obviously, it would have had clothes going home. Right. Yeah, it's completely different if he's wearing those clothes and then now
00:23:11
Speaker
isn't wearing those clothes. So they're like the only thing that I could kind of think of because there was no sign like the clothes have been removed by force. There were like there was like a single drop of blood that was found on one of the items and that was like not even enough to be like a fatal injury. Like they're saying like this probably just happened like in the accident.
00:23:38
Speaker
So I'm wondering if maybe he changed clothes because he was trying to walk home and it's winter. So I wonder if he put on like heavier clothes. Oh, now that would make sense. Yeah, because like in a car you have a heater. Yeah. That makes complete sense. That's a good speculation, I think. And his dad will talk about in a little bit like on into the case kind of
00:24:05
Speaker
says something similar. And like I said, we'll talk about kind of what his dad thinks. Alison, the first responders did not enter the car when it was found, which I feel like was probably a good call on their half. They actually just went ahead and impounded it. Jason's father actually entered the car before anyone else. And he discovers Jason's cell phone wedged in between the driver's seat and the center console.
00:24:30
Speaker
Like that's where my phone drops. There's so many times when I'm driving like you're just you're gone until I stop cuz like I can't I can't reach you. Oh, yeah Yeah, it'll be like you get your fingertips on it and then it like oh no it shift. Yeah What's weird to me though? Like about that is I feel like once he's fully stopped You think then you could like adjust your seat to like get the phone out? Yeah, and I'm not so sure that
00:25:00
Speaker
that Jason was fully aware of what was going on. Like I'm not saying because he was hallucinating from drugs. I'll talk about it later on that maybe he had like head trauma from the car accident and maybe he was just slightly confused. Well, and let me say this. So I've been in car accidents before but only one where the car was totaled.
00:25:28
Speaker
and airbags deployed. And those airbags are not soft. I mean, it's like you're hitting because we were hit by a truck and then launched into a tree. And that's why I know trees don't budge. But the airbag deployed and it was like my head hit
00:25:47
Speaker
a pound of bricks. Well, don't they come out like super fast and that's part of the force there? Right. And I remember just holding my head and I was like, my head, my head. And it, you know, I was fine, but I was disoriented for a little bit after. So I definitely think that's a possibility.
00:26:09
Speaker
What's good though is that when Jason's phone records were released, like we were able to get like a pretty good sense of where and when he was on the road.
Theories and Speculations: Why Did Jason Disappear?
00:26:20
Speaker
Like the biggest question is why was he on this particular section of road when his route home shouldn't have included such a remote part of the road.
00:26:33
Speaker
right? So if you look at, and we'll post this luthounds for you guys, but if you look at Jason's route home, like you can see it's pretty direct. Like he does have to like make a few turns to get on like different highways and interstates, but it's not like just from the glance that I took, it wouldn't be anything that was super crazy. And you can see like he takes a definite detour that doesn't really look like it fits where he should be going. Huh.
00:27:04
Speaker
Jason was using the navigation app called ways as I've used that before and it's like.
00:27:13
Speaker
Um, sleuth ounce, if you haven't used ways and this probably ages me, but like, it's really similar to Google map, but I like it, especially in like central Kentucky. It's useless in Eastern Kentucky because I don't think anybody uses it, but it like the users can update information. So like if I were to pass a police officer, as Anthony and I are driving, I can put in ways that there's a police officer on the whatever side of the road. And then other people would know like, I need to slow down through there.
00:27:41
Speaker
Or like there's an accident, take another route, like that kind of thing. Like even simple things like potholes in the road you can put on the Waze app. Right.
00:27:53
Speaker
I mean, I guess it could have told him like maybe there's road construction. I wouldn't say traffic because obviously it's super late slash early. So I wouldn't think there would be much traffic. But I know a lot of times, at least here in Kentucky, on the interstates, they do road work overnight.
00:28:11
Speaker
so that it doesn't impede travel as much. So maybe he had notification that there was going to be like road construction and then maybe decided to take this rural path instead. Yeah, many believe that Waze actually rerouted Jason in Luling, Texas and that he got just lost on this like lightly traveled, really dark road and that
00:28:38
Speaker
in the process of him trying to like get turned around because I think he realized he was going the wrong way. Something happened that made him wreck his car. Um, but we are going to retrace together the steps of his journey to see what we can piece together. Okay. And again, we know this from the app. Yeah. I guess because he was using Waze, he had like a pretty significant digital footprint.
00:29:04
Speaker
That's awesome. Yeah. This makes me want to use like Google apps, like everywhere I go in case something were to happen, like people could figure out where I was. Yeah, exactly. That's way better than like calling somebody and being on the phone when they're a hundred miles away. Yeah. They know where you are. So we know on December 13th at 10 55 PM, Jason left his apartment in San Marcos with the intent of driving to his parents' home in Missouri city, Texas. Okay.
00:29:34
Speaker
At 11.05, Jason drives his vehicle on Highway 80 and passes under I-35 in San Marcos. So we're on our way. All good. Yeah. At 11.07, so two minutes later, Jason continues to drive south on Highway 80 entering Caldwell County, which is where Luling is located. Okay.
00:29:58
Speaker
At 11 11 p.m. Jason is in Martindale Texas continuing south on highway 80 so he's going the way he should be and it's taking him like the proper amount of time to get from these places. At 11 15 Jason passes over say highway 130 on highway 80 so again right where we need to be.
00:30:22
Speaker
At 11.24 p.m. Jason enters Luling, Texas on Highway 80. At this point, he stops using the Waze app and opens Snapchat. But if he's taking an alternative route, maybe not the time to be open in Snapchat. First of all, you're driving. Well, I don't know if
00:30:46
Speaker
Maybe he stopped and was like at a gas station and he closes ways and open Snapchat when he's like in line. We'll give him the benefit of that out then. So he passes through the intersection of Magnolia Avenue and East Austin Street. And that's where Jason's digital footprint stops. So it's believed he continues on East Austin to Spruce Street and then turns into Salt Flat Road, which is where
00:31:15
Speaker
the car accident happens. So at 1231, Jason's wrecked vehicle is spotted on that road. See, that seems odd to me, though, because if this is not the direct route home, then it would have to be a road that he's familiar with, because that would be the very time that I would have my Waze app open. Well, I think going to Luling is on the way home. I don't think turning on to this salt flat road
00:31:45
Speaker
is the way home. Like I think he had to go through this town to get onto like an interstate or something like that. But he takes that random turn onto this road. We believe that he crashed his vehicle somewhere between like 11 30 p.m. on Sunday and 12 30 a.m. on Monday. So that's why I said like it's either late on the 13th or early on the 14th that he's missing. OK. OK.
00:32:11
Speaker
So some things that I noticed right away that I think like we should discuss kind of help us better understand or speculate things that could have happened. Notice that Jason has only been driving around 30 minutes when he entered Luling from another podcast that covered Jason's story called True Crime Chronicles.
00:32:34
Speaker
It seems that Luling, they made it appear to be like a busy town. I don't think it's like a giant town. But I think it would be a place where like people would stop for gas or snacks kind of as they're passing through. So like, Salyersville if you're on like the Mountain Parkway. Right. It appeared to be a town where like
00:32:54
Speaker
bull truck drivers. And I'm not sure like what the proper terminology is for that. But in Eastern Kentucky, we have cold truck drivers. So I just assume in Texas, they're known as ultra drivers. That's what I was. I think that's a good assumption. Okay. So you can let us know if we're wrong, but I'm going to go with you Maggie. I defer to you. But they would have been passing through. And I did ask this
00:33:17
Speaker
Facebook group, the missing person, Jason Landry group, if the town would have been like busy at all hours, or if around 11 30 PM, the town would have been more quiet. Because like in my mind, if the town is busy, even that late at night, you know, maybe Jason stopped for a snack and was followed or chased down this gravel road. Because like I had to have something to snack on when I'm driving to my parents and it's about a two hour drive.
00:33:45
Speaker
So maybe Jason was the same and this is like the most convenient place to stop and something happens and he's chased because many are- Yeah, I don't even think about that because that would explain why he would turn down a road that- He didn't really know. Exactly. And many people do believe he stopped somewhere because the pictures that were later released of him appear to have been taken in like some type of gas station and he's in that shirt that we would later find at the scene of the crash.
00:34:15
Speaker
Do you think that was a Snapchat picture? Cause I'm thinking why else would you take a selfie in a gas station? I think it, I think so. And like, we'll also put the picture up on Facebook and it just looks like you're taking a Snapchat picture. It's not like super pose or anything. And it's kind of most of him. Okay. But the people through this Facebook group said that, um, you know, Luling is a small town.
00:34:42
Speaker
Um, they didn't really go into detail about like actual Luling, but said that where the accident occurred would not have been highly traveled. Okay. So the second weird thing to me is there.
00:34:58
Speaker
is a 67 minute window that passes between Jason's last digital footprint and the discovery of the car. And I think if we could figure out what happened in that timeframe, we would find out what happened to Jason, right? That's a long time. That is a long time. We know that his car hit a barbed wire fence because police are able to determine that the single drop of blood on his shirt
00:35:26
Speaker
happened during this accident. We also believe that Jason, you know, hit a tree and is in the accident because his back bumper had like pieces of wood in the bumper. There was no paint from another vehicle to make us think that this was like a multi vehicle accident. Police determined that Jason would not have suffered fatal injuries from his accident. So again, like
00:35:56
Speaker
one, where's Jason, obviously. And then my next question is, like, why the heck are clothes everywhere? Other than like what you said, I mean, maybe he's disoriented, or on the opposite end of the spectrum, maybe he's with it enough to realize, okay, it's December, I'm going to have to walk somewhere. So I do need to put on warmer clothes, like you mentioned.
00:36:22
Speaker
Yeah. And Jason's father kind of talked about, um, something very similar. So he stated in that podcast interview, you know, Jason could have been suffering from head trauma. We know that the injuries weren't fatal, but there's no way of telling if he suffered from a head injury because we don't have Jason. So if that were the case, you know, maybe he was confused and changed clothes before he set off on foot. His dad, which this I think, I think is a good point. I'm not sure the weather in Luling, Texas in
00:36:52
Speaker
you know, mid December, but said perhaps Jason was suffering from hypothermia. So remember in the dialogue past week episodes, we talked about this, like people actually start taking their clothes off because they feel like they're hot when hypothermia sets in and 67 minutes would be enough time for hypothermia to set in. Oh, absolutely. So I just Googled.
00:37:21
Speaker
and about hypothermia. I didn't even know this. There is hypothermia, which is what we know of with the colder temperatures and hyperthermia.
00:37:36
Speaker
Right. But hypothermia really doesn't have to do with necessarily the outside temperature, but your body's temperature. And if it gets lower than 95 degrees, that's considered hypothermia. So I wouldn't think it would take that that much. Yeah.
00:38:05
Speaker
What many don't understand is Jason's phone. So remember his father found his phone in between the driver's seat and the center console. The phone when it was found was charged and Jason would have had service on that road. So why didn't he call for help? Right.
00:38:31
Speaker
I mean, again, if he has a head injury, we can assume that he likely would not have had the cognitive ability to realize, hey, my phone's in the car, I can use my phone. Yeah, that would be the only thing I could think.
00:38:44
Speaker
Some others may question how Jason got lost in the first place as he's likely, so if we're saying, right, that he's driving through this town and he takes a wrong turn, people are like, how the heck would he have taken this wrong turn? Because he's made the trip before he went home for Thanksgiving. So that's like less than a month before he went missing.
00:39:10
Speaker
But what I don't think people realize, especially if you're not from like a country area. Do you want me to say the R word? Yeah. From a rural area. Is like how different roadways can look in different circumstances. 100%.
00:39:32
Speaker
Like I know from personal experience, one, when I went home with Anthony this past Christmas to Eastern Kentucky, first off, should not have been driving because couldn't even see the road because there was so much snow on the road. But like I had no idea where I was, like
00:39:51
Speaker
location like I mean I knew I was on the mountain parkway but like I had no idea like what town I was close to or anything because of the conditions on the road and then like if you're traveling at night on like an isolated road it's not like you're driving in downtown Louisville where there are street lamps that light your way
00:40:14
Speaker
Yeah. Like the road is literally dark. There may be like a house with a light on in the window, but like that's really going to be it. So even if you're familiar with the road, that when it's daylight outside doesn't mean that you're familiar with that road when it's nighttime. Right.
00:40:38
Speaker
Like intersection sneak up on you, exit sneak up on you. And if you aren't paying close attention, it can be really easy to just take the wrong exit or take the wrong turn. Is that the case with Jason? Like all those times he traveled, had it been like earlier in the day? So his dad said that each time Jason had traveled home would have either been during the day or during the evening. So he never would have been on that road at nighttime.
00:41:08
Speaker
and can't his father goes on to say that there were reports of traffic lights not working correctly in town and if that were the case getting turned around would be even easier to do yeah so i mean while jason was familiar with the way home i don't know how familiar he would have been in luling at night had he gotten lost himself you know there is also the possibility that his gps system took
00:41:37
Speaker
him down the wrong road. And he ended up on that salt road that way. Because like, okay, Kentucky problems, but the road that I dropped to my mom and dad's house, there was a sinkhole, which is one of my worst fears on the road that happened. So there was a detour.
00:42:03
Speaker
Okay, well, we had Sprint slash T-Mobile at the time, and I had zero service. Well, obviously knew that there was gonna be a detour, so when I'm in civilization where I have service, I put the address to my mom's in, so it can take me on this detour.
00:42:21
Speaker
It keeps telling me that it's wanting to take me up this single lane gravel road up a mountain. No, thank you. And I can clearly tell like that has been like a coal mine or something. Like that's a coal truck road. That's not like an altitude road. And so then, because I didn't take that, it could not reroute me because I had no service.
00:42:47
Speaker
Oh, so it's just like gray screen. Basically. Yeah. And like, I'm, I can't read a map. I feel like I'm waiting.
00:42:59
Speaker
Yeah, like we've talked before it'll say like in 200 yards and I'm like, I have no idea in my head like how far that is. I'm not Christopher Columbus. I can't tell you how far that is. So like I've relied almost too heavily on my GPS and like I pressed it
00:43:20
Speaker
the majority of the time. And Kent said the same about Jason. So much like me, Jason would have followed his GPS just about anywhere, especially if it's dark outside and you're not 100% sure where you're at.
00:43:35
Speaker
there have been several reports of this happening. So like this isn't like the first time this has ever happened and like something bad has happened. In an article called Jason Landry texts a student missing after wrong turn on his way home for Christmas. There was a similar incident where a teenager actually froze to death and this is in Russia, I believe, like after his GPS
00:44:03
Speaker
took them on a wrong turn. They got stranded and they were like on, I can't even remember. Oh yeah, it's called like the road of bones. Oh, oh gosh. The last road I would want to turn on. And I guess the temperature dropped.
00:44:26
Speaker
And something happened that they got like a flat tire. And so they were literally stuck here because their GPS took them the wrong way. And one of them died from hypothermia and the other one just happened to miraculously survive. Wow. Because the same with Jason.
00:44:45
Speaker
They were toasty in their car, right? Driving because it's heated, but once they ran out of gas or
Search Efforts and Public Appeal
00:44:53
Speaker
they had to get out of their car, it was literally negative 50 degrees Celsius there. It's going to be cold. Hypothermia is going to set in. Very quickly.
00:45:06
Speaker
So like we've talked about before, investigators, nowhere that I have found, have stated that this is a case of foul play because the investigation is ongoing. If Jason was a victim of foul play, I don't think that the motive would have been robbery. Oh yeah, because all of his stuff was laptop. His gaming system, his wallet, his phone.
00:45:31
Speaker
Mm hmm. Oh, the car itself. I mean, I know it's totaled, but you could like, I'm sure get something. Yeah. So the search for Jason is still ongoing. Police have used dogs, horses, sonar, helicopter, they've recruited hundreds of volunteers, ponds have been drained, oil fields have been examined. I'm in an article called Texas State student Jason Landry is still missing a month later.
00:45:55
Speaker
Um, one of the family friends named Heather shared on Facebook that like dogs had tracked his scent to a nearby abandoned house. This was literally the only article that I saw that in though. So I'm not sure if that was just, you know, rumor at the time. Um, but obviously nothing was found there tracking dogs did pick up his scent. Um, and it indicated that Jason had headed toward Luling on foot.
00:46:23
Speaker
when he disappeared and the scent lasted about a quarter of a mile, like from the crash site. And that's when the scent just stopped. So was it possible? Well, so he could have been picked up by somebody. Yeah. Especially if that's like a trucking area, you know. And I mean, this would be a sad scenario, but if he did suffer from some head trauma in the accident, I mean, it could honestly be the case that he doesn't know. Like who he is.
00:46:52
Speaker
Exactly. Yeah. Which I think is heartbreaking. I do too. Thousands of concerned citizens and investigators, they have all pitched in to try to find Jason since he went missing. Search and rescue efforts lasted for nine days, like initially, and then there was like a three-day search in late February and the puck. So again, not long ago.
00:47:18
Speaker
And the podcast I listened to, it stated investigators couldn't exactly say what they found in this three-day search in February, but they did say they're passing the information along to the sheriff's office, which is, that's the entity that is doing the case trial. And their hope is that it will either help them find Jason or rule out where he is not. Okay. Well, that's hopeful.
00:47:49
Speaker
And the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office and like later on refer to it as CCSO because that's a lot to type and that's what it referred to them online. Said, you know, Jason's family has been cooperative. His ex-girlfriend has been cooperative and helpful. There are no suspects or persons of interest in this case. There's no evidence to indicate that a person of interest would have been involved in the incident.
00:48:17
Speaker
hundreds of hours of surveillance videos from in and around Luling have been reviewed. None have offered up any evidence. The sheriff's office is urging citizens in that area, if you have cameras on your private property, like even like those cameras that like track deer or whatever, like out in the middle of your 200 acre farm, they're urging you to look through those because
00:48:45
Speaker
If he's on foot, he could have wandered anywhere.
00:48:49
Speaker
Right. They're continuing to ask for the public's help in this case and provide any details that could contribute at all to the investigation. And if Sleuthounds, you're from that area and something has pinged your interest, they're asking you to call Detective Jeff Ferry with the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office at 512-398-6777 at extension 4516.
00:49:16
Speaker
So like, really, that's all we have. Well, let's just hope that somebody listening, recall something, uh, know somebody from the area passes it along. I mean, again, even if, if somebody saw somebody fitting Jason's description, hitching a ride.
00:49:38
Speaker
or whatever it is that can just help us normally. Or like in a hospital or like. Right. You know. A homeless shelter. Yeah. That they're kind of confused and don't know who they are. Maybe that could be Jason. Jason's father is a pastor and he says every night he says this prayer. Quote that Jason comes home safe and sound with a story I can't wait to hear. End quote. I think we all have that prayer for Jason as well.
Hope and Prayer from Jason's Family
00:50:05
Speaker
We all hope
00:50:06
Speaker
that he will turn up at home with a crazy story about how his GPS advised him to take a wrong turn and he ended up totaling his car against a tree. And as he walked home, he got confused and lost, but he finally figured it out and figured out who he was and where he needed to be. We hope for the best. We hope the more Jason's story is shared, the chances of him coming home will grow. In an interview that I heard can't give, he said something that I think we could all learn from.
00:50:35
Speaker
He said that because no one knew Jason's passcodes that they are unable to get into his phone or laptop. He urged everyone to share your passwords and codes with an uncle or a cousin in case something like this were to happen to you. He feels those items may hold valuable clues to finding Jason and at this time those clues are hidden safely away in Jason's phone.
00:50:57
Speaker
it's my hope that one day this missing person is found. Again, please like and join us on our Facebook page Coffee and Cases podcast to continue the conversation and to see images related to this episode. As always, follow us on Instagram at Coffee Cases podcast and on TikTok at Coffee and Cases podcast or you can always email us suggestions to coffeeandcasespodcast at gmail.com.
00:51:23
Speaker
Please tell your friends about our podcast so that more people can be reached to possibly help bring some closure to these families. Don't forget to write our show and leave us a comment as well. We hope to hear from you soon. Stay together. Stay safe. We'll see you next week.