Caleb Harris’ Family Claims Death Was 'Not an Accident,' Though Police Say They Have No Evidence of Foul Play
The family's claim came a day after an autopsy report stated that his cause of death could not be determined
Caleb Harris/Facebook
Caleb HarrisAfter the release of Caleb Harris' autopsy report, which stated that his cause of death could not be determined with certainty, the student's father said the family believes his death "was not an accident"
In their autopsy report, medical examiners wrote that "while no significant traumatic injuries are identified, the condition of the remains could have obscured subtle injuries and/or additional significant natural disease"
Police, who previously said they had no evidence of foul play and that Harris might have accidentally fallen into a manhole, confirm to PEOPLE that as of Aug. 8 nothing has changed in their investigation
After Caleb Harris' autopsy report was released, which stated that his cause of death couldn't be determined, his family said that they still believe his death was "not an accident." Meanwhile police, who previously said that they had no evidence of foul play, although they hadn't officially ruled it out, confirm to PEOPLE that nothing has changed in their investigation.
In an interview with the San Antonio Express-News published on Wednesday, August 7, Randy Harris, Caleb’s father, said that the family is continuing to cooperate with authorities amid the ongoing investigation.
"There are no updates at this point, but we fully believe this is a homicide and not an accident," Randy Harris told the outlet, without providing additional details.
When reached for comment, Deputy Chief Billy Breedlove of the Corpus Christi Police Department says that "not much has changed" since speaking to PEOPLE in July, after Harris' remains, which were found in a wastewater lift station, were identified.
At the time, Breedlove said that while it was possible that Harris had been "harmed," there was no evidence of foul play, and that it was also possible that an accidental fall could explain how he ended up in the sewer system.
"There's nothing in this autopsy that has given us any more direction to say it was a homicide, nor was there any direction to say it was not a homicide," Breedlove tells PEOPLE on Thursday, Aug. 8.
As for their investigation, Breedlove says that they've "pretty much exhausted all of the digital evidence and different videos" and have "covered everything we can at this point."
He went on to say they're in "weekly contact" with the family, although when asked why the family would say they believe Harris' death wasn't an accident, Breedlove says, "I don't have any way to speculate on that."
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The Nueces County Medical Examiner’s Office released of its autopsy report on Tuesday, August 6.
The findings, obtained by PEOPLE, stated that Harris’ remains had already been in an "advanced state of decomposition and skeletonization,” which is a reason why his cause of death "cannot be determined with certainty.”
“While no significant traumatic injuries are identified, the condition of the remains could have obscured subtle injuries and/or additional significant natural disease,” the medical examiners wrote, noting that "the exact details leading up to the terminal event and death" remain unclear.
“Hence, the cause and manner of death are classified as undetermined at this time," they wote. "If additional information becomes available in the future, the cause of and manner of death can be amended, if needed.”
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Harris, 21, was last seen on March 4 near his apartment complex on Ennis Joslin Road in the vicinity of the campus of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, where he was a second-year student, according to the CCPD. His disappearance led to an exhaustive months-long search in which authorities said an investigative team “executed over 50 digital search warrants, submitted 82 preservation requests, and analyzed over 1500 GB of Data."
On July 17, the CCPD said that human remains discovered on June 24 at the Perry Place wastewater lift station had been positively identified as belonging to Harris. At the time, police said that the remains “bore no obvious signs of homicide.”
Deputy Chief Billy Breedlove previously said that around 3:03 a.m. on March 4, Harris shared a Snapchat photo to a friend showing a small bridge located a few hundred feet away from his apartment complex. About 600 feet away from there, authorities came upon an open manhole — whose cover was knocked aside — in a field.
Additionally, the night that Harris disappeared was one of the foggiest in the area, which may have affected visibility, per Breedlove.
While police are not definitively sure how Harris made his way into the manhole, which measured 25 inches wide and 15 feet deep, Breedlove told PEOPLE they do think that was Harris' point of access into the sewer system.
Related: Missing Student Caleb Harris Remembered at Vigil After His Remains Were Identified: ‘Profound Pain’
Two days before the release of her son's autopsy report, Becky Harris, Caleb’s mother, shared a Facebook post about her late son.
“I know that I have a battle in front of me. I hurt. I grieve. I am brokenhearted, not just for me but for those around me who know and love Caleb. This makes me love harder," she wrote. "I will see Caleb again in heaven because of His Amazing Grace.”
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