DNA testing identified remains found in Caldwell County as Jason Landry, who disappeared after crashing his car while driving home in 2020.
LULING, Texas — Human remains discovered in Caldwell County have been identified as Jason Landry, a Texas State University student whose disappearance after a car crash nearly six years ago prompted extensive searches and a long-running missing-person investigation, Texas officials announced.
The Texas Attorney General’s Office said Sept. 23 that DNA analysis conclusively identified the remains as Landry, who was 21 when he disappeared Dec. 13, 2020. A Caldwell County resident discovered the remains Sept. 8 east of Salt Flat Road, between Soda Springs and Biggs Road. The University of North Texas Center for Human Identification conducted DNA testing that confirmed the identification.
Landry disappeared while driving from San Marcos, where he attended Texas State University, to his family’s home in Missouri City. Authorities said his vehicle crashed shortly after midnight on Salt Flat Road in Caldwell County near Luling. The car was later found abandoned, and several of Landry’s personal belongings, including clothing, were scattered near the crash site. Landry was nowhere to be found.
The discovery led to years of searches involving law enforcement officers, professional search organizations and volunteers. The Texas Attorney General’s Cold Case Unit joined the investigation in 2022 at the request of Caldwell County authorities. The unit worked with the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas Search and Rescue while reviewing evidence, pursuing leads and conducting additional searches.
The location where the remains were found was several miles from the site of Landry’s crashed vehicle. Authorities had searched extensively throughout the broader area over the years without locating him. The September discovery finally provided investigators with physical evidence that could be tested against Landry’s DNA profile.
Officials said the skeletal remains have not provided additional information establishing Landry’s cause or manner of death. Investigators also said they have found no indication of foul play. Authorities have therefore stopped short of offering a definitive explanation for what happened after Landry’s vehicle crashed in December 2020.
The identification resolves the central question of whether Landry remained somewhere in the Caldwell County area after his disappearance, but it does not establish the precise circumstances of his death. The unusual scene surrounding his abandoned vehicle and the inability of repeated searches to locate him had kept the case in public attention for years.
Landry’s family was notified before officials publicly announced the DNA identification. In a statement shared after the announcement, the family expressed grief over his death while thanking law enforcement agencies, search teams, volunteers and others who supported the effort to find him. Search organizations had returned to the area repeatedly during the nearly six years that Landry remained missing.
Attorney General Ken Paxton said the identification marked a significant development in a case that had weighed on Landry’s family for years. The attorney general’s office credited cooperation among its Cold Case Unit, Caldwell County investigators, state authorities, forensic specialists and volunteer search organizations with maintaining the investigation and ultimately confirming Landry’s identity.
Although the identification brings the yearslong search for Landry to an end, officials have not announced a definitive cause or manner of death. The attorney general’s office said additional information would be released if appropriate as authorities complete their work following the identification of his remains.
Author note: Last updated September 28, 2026.