RICE UNIVERSITY DISAPPEARANCE - RENY JOSE

INTRODUCTION

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College is meant to be a time period where individuals discover their true passions and potential for the future. But college can also be a haven for distress and - in this case - an unsolved disappearance. Because this particular disappearance is from a student who attended Rice University, my current school, it is a bit hard to discuss the incident in full detail, but Reny’s story should be told to the world.

OCCURRENCE

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Reny Jose was a senior at Rice University from Martel College majoring in Mechanical Engineering. Jose was an extremely intelligent student - he not only had a 4.0 GPA, but he also already had multiple job interviews lined up for the week after his disappearance. Needless to say, Jose disappeared on March 3rd, 2014 from Panama City, Florida.

To celebrate spring break, Jose, alongside 22 of his friends, had rented a beach house in Panama City for a week. During the first few days of the trip, Jose had called his mother and described his excitement for the trip as well as his job interviews he had lined up. Jose’s mother did not note anything particularly strange or out of place during the calls. The following day after his last call to his mother, Jose disappeared.

It is estimated that Jose disappeared around 7PM on March 3rd, but his group of friends did not notify the police until the following day, around 11AM on March 4th. The family was notified later the same day and immediately made their way to Florida. However, by the time they had arrived, 16 of the 22 friends had already left. Furthermore, many of them had hired lawyers and refused to speak to the family. Those who did stay either had conflicting testimonies or refused to talk to the family. In fact, two of the girls who stayed left the crime scene to get Starbucks as a way to avoid the family. As for the testimonies, they ranged considerably: one claimed to have been asleep while the others were busy doing other activities and did not notice Jose’s disappearance.

The police did not really take much action initially. They assumed Jose just ran off, but evidence was found behind the beach house. Jose’s clothes and phone were found stuffed in a trash can, but there are conflicting details as to who first found them. Also, the trash is usually cleaned up in the morning at the beach, so how did Jose’s clothes not get taken away with the trash? Some speculate that they were placed there after his disappearance. His socks were also found in front of the beach house, near the ocean. Phone interviews were later conducted on March 5th, and these did reveal an interesting detail about Jose. If the interviews are to be believed, then on the night of his disappearance, Jose approached one of his friends, while on LSD, and said that he was going to run away and hurt himself. Jose was reportedly a heavy drinker and drug user, but it was noted that he avoided LSD. This is a strange detail if true considering the earlier friend’s testimony.

The only other evidence we have is that, some time after Jose’s disappearance, an unknown number called Jose’s mother. When the mother answered, the person on the other line reportedly said that they missed her. It is unknown if this evidence will help make a break in the case.

THEORIES

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The first theory is the one proposed by the police. They suspect that Jose, on LSD, walked into the ocean and drowned. They cite evidence such as the clothes, Jose saying he was going to hurt himself, and the fact that LSD is a very powerful drug. They conducted a thorough search of the ocean, but the police were unable to find Jose’s body. A motive for suicide would be the strenuous workload Jose had of attending an elite university such as Rice, but the majority of people, including the family, do not believe in this theory.

The most popular theory is that the friends had something to do with Jose’s disappearances. From the conflicting testimonies to the friends fleeing the beach house, forums thrive with suspicions of the friends. However, there is not much evidence that proves the friends had a role in the disappearance. Also, it is much harder now to interview them as they have all graduated and moved on to their careers.

There is also the possibility that Jose ran away, but to where and why? One of Jose’s friends mentioned that them and Jose used to have philosophical conversations where they questioned if their schoolwork and life had any meaning or substance to it. Reportedly, Jose talked about running away to the friend, describing how it would feel amazing to simply explore and experience other cultures. He also seemed to not have been happy with his major and career choices, but rather, felt pressure to continue his academics. Journal entries from Jose were found where he wrote that he wanted to live in Tibet and become a monk. As a result, theorists speculate that Jose felt the pressure of academics and decided to run away and seek a new life.

Reny Jose’s family still works extremely hard to find out what happened to Jose. Only the friends know what happened in the beach house that night, but with them silenced, Jose’s fate remains unsolved.

SOURCES

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Reny Jose (https://charleyproject.org/case/reny-jose)

Reny Jose still missing after five years, family continues to search for answers (https://www.wjhg.com/content/news/Reny-Jose-still-missing-after-five-years-family-still-searching-for-answers-506634321.html)

Reny Jose (https://disappearedblog.com/reny-jose/)

Reny Jose likely drowned under the influence of LSD, say police in Panama City Beach(https://www.americanbazaaronline.com/2014/03/13/reny-jose-likely-drowned-influence-lsd-say-police-panama-city-beach/)

Episode 13 - Reny Jose (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IkIpE8TC_c)