Jason Landry, 21, disappeared after leaving his San Marcos apartment on Dec. 13, 2020. His Nissan Altima was found crashed on Salt Flat Road in Luling with the keys in the ignition and lights on; about 900 feet away his clothes and personal items were discovered. Investigators found a single small blood smear on the clothing but no evidence of serious injury inside the vehicle, and his digital activity stops more than an hour before the wreck was located. The case remains active, the Texas AG’s Cold Case unit has devoted extensive resources, and the family is offering a $20,000 reward for information.
21-Year-Old Texas Student Vanishes After Car Crash; Father Finds His Clothes 900 Feet From Wreck
Jason Landy; his crashed Nissan Altima.Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office (2)
Jason Landry, a 21-year-old Texas State University student, disappeared after leaving his San Marcos apartment on the night of Dec. 13, 2020. His Nissan Altima was later discovered crashed and abandoned on Salt Flat Road in Luling, but Landry himself was nowhere to be found.
What Happened
Officials say Landry left his apartment at 10:55 p.m. local time and, based on his digital activity, appeared to be driving toward his parents' home in Missouri City. A volunteer firefighter found his vehicle shortly after 12:30 a.m. the next morning in the 2300 block of Salt Flat Road on a remote gravel stretch. The car's lights were on and the keys were in the ignition; the front passenger-side door was reported locked.
The Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office described the incident as a single-vehicle crash likely caused by an overcorrection on loose gravel, which sent the car spinning off the roadway. According to the department, the rear driver’s-side corner struck a tree on the east side of the road, then the front driver’s side hit another tree and a barbed-wire fence.
Items Found Nearby
Investigators say Landry's father found Jason's cell phone between the driver's seat and center console after the vehicle was towed to an impound lot and the unlocked driver’s-side door was opened. While searching the area, the father discovered many of Jason's clothes — shirt, shorts, socks, underwear, shoes and a watch — roughly 900 feet from the crash site. Authorities noted a single small blood smear on the clothing but said it was not consistent with a serious injury and suggested the mark could have occurred when Jason exited the vehicle and came into contact with barbed wire or foliage. No blood was observed inside the car.
Jason Landry's crashed Nissan Altima.Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office
Nearby, searchers also recovered a backpack containing a wallet, laptop and gaming equipment, a bag of toiletries and a tumbler holding a dead betta fish. Officials found a "small amount" of marijuana in the backpack; subsequent toxicology testing found no evidence that the marijuana had been laced with other substances.
Digital Footprint and Timeline
Investigators reported that Landry opened Snapchat at one point during his drive, and that his digital activity appears to stop a little more than an hour before his crashed car was discovered. The gap in the timeline and the presence of belongings and clothing far from the vehicle have left many questions unanswered.
“Whether somebody did something, whether somebody chased him, whether he got lost track of the directions that he was going — we don’t know,”
Ongoing Investigation and Community Effort
The Texas Attorney General’s Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit accepted a request for assistance in February 2022 and has since dedicated substantial investigative resources to the case. The Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office continues to list the disappearance as active and open. Volunteers with the Jason Landry Search Team have organized dozens of searches, and the family has offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to Jason's whereabouts.
Jason’s father, Kent — a former prosecutor who is now a pastor — has said he believes someone in the community may know more than they have shared. Authorities ask anyone with credible information to contact the Texas Attorney General’s Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit.
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