Dad of missing New Braunfels student clings to hope
While the search continues in Corpus Christi for missing college student Caleb Harris, his parents say they haven’t lost hope that the 21-year-old from New Braunfels will be found safe.
“It’s a parent’s worst nightmare. We all feel like we’re living out a story on TV,” said Caleb’s father, Randy. But after meeting with police Wednesday, he said he was still confident in the efforts to find his son.
Caleb Harris, a student at Texas A&M University-corpus Christi, was last seen on March 4 near his apartment complex in the 1900 block of Ennis Joslin Road, between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. His roommates were unable to locate him and his family reported him missing. Harris is 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighs 180 pounds and has brown eyes and brown hair.
Police said he left behind his keys, wallet and vehicle, and his phone was turned off. Since then, fellow students, friends and family have helped search for him, along with the Corpus Christi police, Texas Equusearch and TEXSAR Search and Rescue.
“The police are doing an excellent job in keeping us informed and they are pushing forward,” Randy Harris said. “They’re not stopping, and they’re using every resource to their advantage to find my son.”
Harris said he’s currently in Corpus Christi, and took part in a search Wednesday morning.
His son’s disappearance is extremely out of character, he said.
“He’s a very punctual creature of habit,” Randy Harris said. Caleb is an avid fisherman and hunter and always communicates with his parents about his location, he said.
“He knows to never go out by himself, and any time he would go out, he’s got a VHF broadband radio and a first aid kit and things like that, so if he’s ever stranded for any reason, he has a radio and can call for help,” he father said.
He said his son wouldn’t leave at 3 a.m. without shoes or keys.
“That’s not a sign of somebody trying to leave,” he said.
Before Caleb was reported missing, he was preparing for school and to go fishing the next day, Randy Harris said.
“He was texting me different lures in his tackle box” and had ordered lunch for the next day: Lunchables and a Red Bull.
He was talking about longterm plans: He had signed a lease for the next school year and was looking forward to a job in Alaska this summer, his father said.
“Those are signs of somebody who is not going to run away,” Randy Harris said. He said Caleb is “somebody that’s full of life, ready to tackle the world.”
He said he’s leaning on his faith, and hoping his son is doing the same.
“He’s a believer in Jesus Christ, and that’s what we’re holding on to as well,” Randy Harris said. “We’ve asked for prayer, and we’re getting prayer from all over the world now.”
He said he is asking anyone with any information to call police and report it, “no matter what it is.”
“Stay vigilant,” he said, and continue to pray, “knowing that God’s going to reveal himself in a miraculous way.”
Anyone with information about Caleb Harris’ whereabouts is asked to call the Corpus Christi Police Department at 361-886-2840 or 361-886-2600.