Texas college student disappears on his way home for holidays, dad says. ‘No answers’
The father of a Texas college student who vanished on a trip home for Christmas asked for helping finding his son a week after he went missing.
“I stand here almost a week later and I still don’t know where my son is,” Kent Landry said at a prayer vigil Sunday. “And I cannot tell you how hard that is.”
Jason Landry, 21, disappeared last Monday after crashing his car on a rural road near Luling in Caldwell County, just east of San Marcos where he went to school at Texas State University, KTBC reported.
Landry’s phone and wallet were in the vehicle, but he was nowhere to be found after the overnight crash, leaving investigators to believe he walked away, according to the news outlet.
Landry’s father is a pastor at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Missouri City, a suburb of Houston. He was awakened in the middle of the night to news his son was missing and immediately drove to the rural area.
“I have images in my mind of my son hurting, walking away from a car accident, walking down a dark and lonely road looking for help. And I am not there,” Kent Landry said. “But I know who is. No matter what happened — and I do not know and we do not know — I know God was with my son and is with my son. We have so many questions and no answers.”
The search efforts over the past week have included dogs, teams on horseback, a drone and the draining of a nearby pond, Landry’s family said. Five dogs have led searchers to the pond, according to the family.
The Caldwell County Office of Emergency Management said searching for Landry was a “difficult week for all involved.”
“The Landry family remains heavy on our hearts. We continue to stay positive as we move forward,” officials posted on Facebook.
But on Sunday, Landry’s father said he was open to the possibility his son may not be found alive.
“I know that my son will spend eternity in heaven with me. I pray that he is not there yet because I should go there before him,” Landry said.
He recalled hugging and telling his son he loved him before Landry returned to college after Thanksgiving.
“I pray that I will have the opportunity to hug my son and tell him I love him again,” Landry said. “God, I hope it’s before Christmas.”
This story was originally published December 21, 2020 at 1:30 PM with the headline "Texas college student disappears on his way home for holidays, dad says. ‘No answers’."