New information released Monday by Texas Tech, Texas Tech Police, and Lubbock Police confirms that the unresponsive person found in the parking lot of the South Loop Walmart was missing Texas Tech student Grant Kleman, 18.
TTPD said they got a call on the morning of December 9 from Kleman’s family asking to check on his welfare. They told TTPD that they hadn’t heard from him in a while.
Tech Police did not find Kleman in his dorm nor anywhere else on campus. All Tech Police and LPD officers were then asked to be on the lookout for Kleman.
LPD said Kleman’s car was spotted Saturday night in the parking lot of Walmart at South Loop 289 and Quaker Avenue. Lubbock Police said they were tipped off to the location because of someone who notified Kleman’s family that they saw his car. Kleman’s body was found in the car.
LPD also said, “Once it was determined there was a death, the Lubbock Police Department became the lead agency for the death investigation. Officers on the scene did not find any obvious signs of foul play.”
They added that it did not appear as though anyone else was with Kleman when he died.
The Lubbock County Medical Examiner’s office said they are performing an autopsy on Kleman and his cause of death is still pending.
Kleman’s mother, Jennifer Kleman said, “He was a great kid, and we’re sad that he’s gone.”
She traveled from their hometown of McKinney, TX to help with the search. Ms. Kleman spoke to EverythingLubbock.com over the phone Monday.
Jennifer Kleman described Grant as having an entrepreneurial heart. Ms. Kleman explained that her son was on a business track at Texas Tech and that he had only been attending college for a few months. Grant Kleman had a history of entrepreneurship, his mother explained, he started his own business at age twelve doing car detailing and eventually moved on to doing gravel and work with concrete and crushed granite.
Texas Tech confirmed that Kleman was a freshman at the university. TTU plans to lower the flags on campus Wednesday to honor Kleman’s memory.
A university spokesman released a statement saying, “The Texas Tech University community extends its deepest sympathies and condolences to the family and friends of Grant Kleman during this difficult time. ”
* Note: On Tuesday, the Lubbock Police Department released a redacted version of a police report. Much of the information related to his cause of death was blocked. However, the portions of the report that remained open seemed to indicate no other person was responsible for Kleman’s death.
