Caleb Harris' Family Speaks Out as Police Say Human Remains Found in Well 'Most Likely' Belong to the Student

The Nueces County Medical Examiner’s Office previously said the remains “bore no obvious signs of homicide"

Authorities announced that the human remains found in a wastewater well near Caleb Harris’ apartment "likely" belong to the missing college student, who disappeared in March.

The Corpus Christi Police Department (CCPD) shared on Facebook on Wednesday, July 17, that forensic analysts with the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification (UNTCHI) determined that the remains "most likely" belong to Caleb after comparing a DNA analysis of the remains alongside DNA samples taken from his parents.

The remains “are approximately 2.4 sextillion times more likely to be observed if the unidentified remains originated from a biological child of (Caleb Harris’ parents) rather than if the unidentified remains originated from an unrelated individual from the Caucasian population,” the missing persons DNA Report issued by UNTCHI said, per police.

The Medical Examiner's Office was previously unable to "make an identification" on the remains — which "bore no obvious signs of homicide — due to its "advanced state of decomposition." It also was not able to provide a "manner or cause of death" at the time, the CCPD said.

Officials said the remains will be returned to the Nueces County Medical Examiner’s office, which will then issue a final autopsy report.

As the news was announced, Harris' family released a statement, saying, "we all have heavy hearts this evening as we learned of the positive identification of our sweet Caleb."

"We will grieve our son," the statement continued. "Thank you for your prayers and support during this tragic time."

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The Corpus Christi Police Department previously said a city employee discovered the human remains in a 40-foot-deep well near the apartment on June 24.

Caleb, 21, disappeared near his apartment complex in the 1900 block of Ennis Joslin Road near Texas A&M University's Corpus Christi campus on March 4.

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Caleb's family previously said he left his apartment around 3 a.m. local time on March 4 to pick up an Uber Eats order, according to Fox News. His roommate later found the order outside the apartment, where it had been dropped off.

Randy Harris, Caleb’s father, told the outlet that his son disappeared without his keys, wallet or car.  He had also been in contact with Caleb shortly before he disappeared, according to NBC affiliate KRIS-TV.

Uber previously told PEOPLE that Caleb’s order was completed without any reported incident and that the delivery driver made additional deliveries after dropping off his order.

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Authorities said the area where the remains were discovered was checked early into the search for the missing college student. "This whole area has been searched many times over," a spokesperson for the CCPD told the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. The CCPD said several resources including its Drone Team, Bike Team, Search and Recovery Dive Team, and Directed Patrol Officers, among others, aided in the "exhaustive search" for Caleb after his disappearance.

Over the following months, investigators also executed over "50 digital search warrants, submitted 82 preservation requests and analyzed over 1500 GB of data" to try to locate Caleb, per the CCPD.

More than $70,000 has been raised through a GoFundMe campaign for Caleb’s family in the three months since his disappearance.

The CCPD said that despite identifying the remains, the investigation into Caleb's death still "remains open," and anyone with information is asked to contact the Corpus Christi Police Department Criminal Investigation Division at (361) 826-2840.

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