DNA testing confirmed remains found in Caldwell County belonged to the 21-year-old who vanished after a December 2020 car crash.
LULING, Texas — Human remains discovered in Caldwell County have been identified as Jason Landry, a Texas State University student who disappeared nearly six years ago after crashing his car while driving home for Christmas break, state officials announced.
DNA analysis by the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification conclusively matched the remains to Landry, according to the Texas Attorney General’s Office. A local resident discovered the remains Sept. 8 east of Salt Flat Road, between Soda Springs and Biggs Road. Officials announced the identification Sept. 23. Landry was 21 when he disappeared Dec. 13, 2020. Investigators said the skeletal remains have not provided additional information about his cause or manner of death, and authorities have found no indication of foul play.
Landry was a student at Texas State University in San Marcos when he left for his family’s home in Missouri City on the night he disappeared. Shortly after midnight, his crashed and abandoned vehicle was discovered on Salt Flat Road in Caldwell County near Luling. Several personal belongings, including clothing, were found near the crash site, but searchers could not locate Landry.
The disappearance prompted extensive searches by law enforcement agencies, professional search teams and volunteers. Crews repeatedly searched the rural area around the crash site using ground and aerial operations. Despite those efforts, investigators went years without finding evidence that established where Landry had gone after the crash.
The Texas Attorney General’s Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit became involved in February 2022 after receiving requests for assistance from the Caldwell County District Attorney’s Office and Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators reviewed previously known information, interviewed witnesses and consulted experts in digital forensics and accident reconstruction. They also obtained a geofence search warrant covering the area near the wreck.
In a 2022 update, the attorney general’s office said its review supported the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office’s earlier conclusion that Landry appeared to have been involved in a single-car accident. Investigators said they had found no evidence another vehicle was involved. A review of Landry’s electronic devices also found no evidence that he had planned to meet someone in Luling, according to the state investigation.
Digital records showed Landry traveled from his apartment in San Marcos toward Luling before his phone last connected to the navigation application Waze at 11:26 p.m. Dec. 13, 2020, according to the attorney general’s office. Cellphone data indicated he likely continued along Austin Street rather than taking the turn that would have led toward Interstate 10. He later crashed on Salt Flat Road outside Luling.
Search efforts continued as investigators reviewed new leads and repeatedly reexamined the case. The attorney general’s Cold Case Unit worked with the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas Search and Rescue. Citizen volunteers also spent significant time and resources looking for Landry throughout the nearly six-year investigation.
The discovery of the remains in September provided investigators with the physical evidence needed to resolve the central question of Landry’s whereabouts. Testing by the University of North Texas center established his identity, but officials said the condition of the remains did not reveal how he died. The attorney general’s office has not announced a definitive cause or manner of death.
Attorney General Ken Paxton called the identification a critical development in a case that had weighed on Landry’s family for nearly six years. His office said Landry’s family was notified before the identification was announced publicly and asked that the family’s privacy be respected.
Authorities have said further information will be released as appropriate. While the identification ends the yearslong search for Landry, the circumstances surrounding his death remain undetermined, and investigators have reported no indication of foul play.
Author note: Last updated September 28, 2026.