The Corpus Christi Fire Department was donning hazardous materials gear and wetsuits Monday evening to remove human remains from a deep pit near the intersection of Holly and Lexington roads.
Police said they received a call Monday afternoon about human remains found at the wastewater collection point.
Corpus Christi Police Chief Antonio Contreras told reporters that CCPD received a call from Corpus Christi Water officials alerting them to remains found in what is being called a “wet well” around 3:31 p.m. The Corpus Christi Fire Department was called to assist, said Contreras, who spoke at a news conference Monday evening near the site on a bridge over a long ditch that runs between Ennis Joslin and Lexington roads.
The well only contains wastewater, the officer clarified. It is completely underground and had to be cleared before fire personnel could enter, he said.
Additional personnel and equipment had to be called in to assist, he said, which resulted in law enforcement personnel remaining at the site for most of the afternoon and evening hours.
The Nueces County Medical Examiner was called to the incident and was on standby with other personnel, he said.
Contreras stated that police did not know exactly what was at the collection point, and that the medical examiner would now attempt to identify the human remains.
The wastewater collection point is located near a ditch in the middle of a large field located directly across from the Cottages at Corpus Christi Apartments at 9400 Ennis Joslin Road, where the missing 21-year-old Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi student Caleb Harris was found. Last seen on March 4.
The proximity of the collection point to the student’s apartment complex led to speculation among bystanders and the public that the remains were those of the missing student.
Contreras made it clear that the entire area had been searched many times by police, volunteers and specialized K-9 units.
“This entire location was searched days after the initial report,” he said.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Human remains found at wastewater collection point Monday afternoon
