South Padre Island: College Student Jordan Britten Missing Since Monday [Updated]
South Padre Island, Texas police are asking the public’s assistance in finding a Central Texas man reported missing. Jordan Britten, 20, of Killeen, didn’t return home after his weekend trip to South Padre Island.
According to police, Britten was last seen late Friday night, at South Padre Island’s Schlitterbahn Waterpark, attending the Ultimate Music Experience (UME) concert. On Monday, when he failed to return home, his mother, Ilana Stone-Britten, filed a missing persons report in Killeen. Authorities in South Texas, according to chief of the South Padre Island Police Department, Randy Smith, are thoroughly searching the area.
“We’re looking, by water, by land, by air.”
Britten attended the concert with friends, but got lost in the crowd and separated from them, all the while losing his car keys. At some point, Britten left the concert, but when he tried to get back in, he was denied re-entry. Several people saw him walking towards his car, a grey Mazda sedan, afterwards. However, police located his empty car at Schlitterbahn’s parking lot on Tuesday.
Phone records indicate that Britten sent a text message at around 4:53 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. Since then, there has been no outgoing activity on his cellphone.
Britten’s mother states that it’s unlike her son to simply walk away.
“He’s just a good kid you know. He works hard and gets good grades. He’s personable. People like him. He’s just a normal kid and this is not like him at all. There’s no way Jordan just walked off and is now gone. It just doesn’t work like that.”
A GoFundMe account was recently set up to help family and friends find the missing college student, and a Facebook page entitled “Help Find Jordan Britten,” currently has over 6,000 members.
Spring Break is normally a time for unwinding with friends, but news of tragic stories and missing students continue to break across the nation. Last week, a 21-year-old college student fell off of the balcony at a South Padre Island hotel, causing fatal injuries. Authorities confirmed the student’s identity as Nereida Cruz.
Meanwhile, in Florida, a picture of a naked female visiting Panama City on Spring Break, went viral, prompting police to investigate her whereabouts. The 17-year-old girl was seen dancing between numerous men on a beach. She later contacted authorities and said she didn’t know that others were taking her picture, but that the acts photographed were consensual.
Jordan Britten weighs around 160 pounds and stands five-feet-eleven-inches tall. He has hazel eyes and brown hair. Anyone with any information on Britten’s whereabouts should call the police immediately. Authorities in both Killeen and South Padre Island continue their search, which includes the Mexico border and other surrounding areas.
Update
The body of Jordan Britten was found “in a marshy area,” close to Schlitterbahn Waterpark, at around 1 p.m. this afternoon, according to South Padre Island spokesperson, Adrian Rodriguez. Police are awaiting an official autopsy and toxicology report before providing further information.
[Photo Courtesy of the Britten Family]
