Police find body believed to be Jorian Caldwell, missing 22-year-old, in Cedar Hill pond
Cedar Hill police believe they’ve found in a pond the body of Jorian “JD” Caldwell, a 22-year-old man who went missing last week, according to a news release.
The body was recovered Saturday from a pond at the 1600 block of West Belt Line Road. Police said the clothing and physical description match that of Caldwell but they’re waiting on verification from the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Caldwell went missing Nov. 13. Police found his phone, shoes and backpack near where he was last seen.
Law enforcement searched for Caldwell using a Dallas Police Department helicopter, drones and dogs, focusing on the area where he was last seen around the 17000 block of Mansfield Road in Cedar Hill, about a mile and a half from where the body was found.
His family said through close friend and spokeswoman Amy Burton that Caldwell will be remembered for his love, smile, involvement in church, ability to have meaningful conversations about deep topics and his expertise as a mechanic.
The family declined to comment directly.
“One of the things I think was the most common theme as the family was talking Sunday was just that JD was kind of the glue that held the family together,” Burton said.
He would call family members every night. The night before his disappearance he called his mother, father and cousin, who family said was more like a twin brother to him. They said through Burton that knowing they got to talk to him and say they love him that night is one of the things helping them make it as they grieve.
They’ll continue celebrating family traditions in his honor, they said. The family will still gather to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas. His father will still go on their annual “guys trip,” planned this year for New Orleans.
His mother, Tina Wallace, said through Burton that Caldwell wrestled in high school and never lost his love for the sport. He would regularly hang out with friends from the wrestling team and return to Bowie High School in Arlington and help coach the young athletes, giving pointers from his own experience.
Caldwell was also a leader in St. James’ African Methodist Episcopal Church, working with the youth group and singing in the choir. He aspired to learn as many instruments as he could so he could use them in worship, Wallace said.
His aunt Camilla Harris said one of her funniest memories she’ll hold onto was that when he would visit family out-of-state as a child he would be told he shouldn’t eat french fries and instead eat vegetables. They listed off the reasons french fries were bad and he refused to eat them ever since.
Burton said the family is now waiting to hear an update from police following the autopsy.
Caldwell was in a car with his ex-girlfriend on the morning of Nov. 13 before he went missing, according to Burton. The woman told police he was acting erratically before he started running, Burton said. Police obtained a doorbell camera from the area, she said, showing him running through a street.
His parents are the type who typically would speak with him every day, she said. They checked in with him between his two jobs, which he always showed up to.
— Staff writer Jack Howland contributed to this report
This story was originally published November 22, 2020 at 3:13 PM.