Leah Freeman News Articles .....No Discussion Please

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 12:30 pm

Tests show shoes belong to missing Coquille teen

Posted: Wednesday, August 2, 2000 12:00 am

Two shoes found miles apart have been linked to a Coquille girl who disappeared late last month.

Coquille Police Chief Michael Reaves said Tuesday that DNA testing shows the two white Nike tennis shoes belonged to Leah Freeman, 15, who vanished June 28.

Freeman was last seen sometime after 9 p.m. walking on Central Boulevard near 10th Street. She was wearing a white tank top, blue jeans and white Nike tennis shoes with a blue swoosh.

Yellow ribbons are tied to signs and fenceposts along the route Freeman was supposed to be taking from a friend's house to her home on Knott Street.

The first shoe was turned in to police by a private citizen on July 4. Police have yet to identify the person who found the shoe, but Reaves told investigators the shoe was found across from Coquille High School on the evening of June 28, the day Freeman disappeared.

The second shoe was discovered July 5 by Coos County Sheriff's Cpl. Kip Oswald alongside a road on Hudson Ridge, approximately 13 miles northwest of Coquille.

Reaves said Oswald was on routine patrol and was checking areas where juveniles were known to go. According to Oswald's reports, the deputy was not specifically checking the road for evidence.

"He just had a missing girl and he knew there were spots where kids go to hide out or hang out," Reaves said.

Coquille Police turned the shoes over to the Oregon State Police crime lab in Coos Bay. After doing preliminary testing, the shoes were then sent to the OSP Forensic Laboratory in Portland where the DNA testing was done.

The tests showed the DNA evidence found in the shoes appears to match DNA on a toothbrush that belonged to Freeman, Reaves said.

Police did not wait for the DNA test results to search the rural area where the second shoe was found, Reaves said.

The first searches of the area were carried out immediately after Oswald turned the shoe over to police. Police assumed the shoe was one of Freeman's. "We just made our searches up there as if it were so we wouldn't be behind the curve when it came back positive," Reaves said.

Timber deputies with the Coos County Sheriff's Office searched the area twice, the second time using specially trained dogs. The area was searched twice more afterward. The most recent search was last week, when 15 to 20 people covered an area from Middle Creek Road over the top of the ridge and down to the community of McKinley.

Reaves said he did not view the DNA findings as a major advance in the case.

"We had assumed that they were hers," the police chief said. "It's just confirming our assumptions. It's actually not really a major break. An assumption that we had was confirmed and we're going forward from that point."

The mother of the missing girl, Cory Courtright, had little to say this morning about the latest findings.

"I don't know how to take it," she said, discussing the confirmation that the shoes belonged to her daughter.

Courtright said she is dealing with the strain of Leah's disappearance one day at a time, but has not given up hope.

"You can't ever quit," she said.

Dennis and Denise Freeman, Leah's father and stepmother, said the news about the shoes leaves them with mixed feelings.

"We more or less decided that if the shoe that was found 13 miles out of town was hers, we're never going to see her again," Dennis Freeman said Tuesday.

He said he thought if the shoes hadn't proved to have been Leah's, it might indicate that his daughter had been abducted by a stranger and taken from the area.

But they still haven't given up hope, Freeman said. "We're hoping for a really pleasant surprise or miracle, whatever you want to call it. But at this point in time, it doesn't seem likely. But we pray every night."

http://theworldlink.com/article_1596b663-42cd-5821-b8c5-86d3dc4347c6.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 12:33 pm

How forensic tests are conducted

Posted: Wednesday, August 2, 2000 12:00 am

Evidence in criminal cases is often tested using a variety of complex and time-consuming procedures. Test results can often determine someone's guilt or innocence.

The tests are also used to confirm whether potential leads are linked to police cases, as in Monday's confirmation that a pair of tennis shoes did belong to missing 15-year-old Leah Freeman.

Oregon State Police Lt. Jim Pex said the shoes were turned into the OSP's Coos Bay crime lab by Coquille Police in early July.

"We did a preliminary exam to see if there were any biological fluids to test," Pex said. Besides sweat, the other body fluids that are tested by the crime lab include saliva, semen and vaginal fluids. "In this case we were looking for her own sweat to confirm these were her shoes," Pex said.

After the initial local examination, the shoes were sent to the Portland crime lab, for DNA testing.

The process for extracting DNA is complex, Pex said. During the testing, nucleated cells are removed from the material.

"All our body fluids have cells," Pex said. "Inside those cells is the DNA. A process is then used to separate out the components of the DNA."

Each person's DNA is unique, Pex added. When the DNA testing is complete, results show a genetic pattern that is unique to an individual.

In the Freeman case, the evidence from the shoes was compared to a sample taken from the missing girl's toothbrush.

The lab found a match.

"DNA testing is very accurate," Pex said. "The only difference between DNA and fingerprinting is a matter of law. Fingerprints are considered unique to each individual by law, while DNA is not yet. I think that will change in the future."

DNA test results refer to the pattern of the material. Calculated frequency tests determine how rare it is. Many times, the patterns are found in one in a million people, or even one in a billion, Pex said.

The testing is helpful both to the defense and the prosecution in a case, the OSP lieutenant added.

"DNA tests can be used to put someone away in a case," Pex said, "but in reality they can also demonstrate that a person was not involved in a crime."

http://theworldlink.com/article_94dedcfd-aee7-5528-b6f2-efc5a6a5b2e1.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 12:35 pm

Police seek murder clues

Posted: Friday, August 4, 2000 12:00 am

Coos County Sheriff's Sgt. Rod Summers stands next to police barrier tape sealing off the scene where a body, tentatively identified as 15-year-old Leah Freeman of Coquille was found Thursday afternoon. Freeman vanished on June 28 and the disappearance has been the focus of an intense police investigation since. World Photo by Madeline Steege

COQUILLE -- An autopsy was scheduled Friday to help investigators determine what killed a teen-age girl whose death is considered a homicide.

The body, tentatively identified as that of 15-year-old Leah Freeman, was removed from a forest area east of Coquille on Thursday night after being discovered by police searchers earlier that afternoon.

A police investigation of the scene was completed late Friday morning, but the section of road above and below the area remained blocked off.

Lt. Jim Pex, director of the Oregon State Police Crime Lab in Coos Bay, said the body had been taken to Roseburg for the autopsy. Coquille Police Chief Michael Reaves said he had not received the autospy results as of Friday night and special prosecutor R. Paul Frasier could not be reached for comment at press time.

Freeman vanished June 28, while walking toward her home on Knott Street sometime after 9 p.m. Two of her shoes, one found in Coquille on the night she disappeared and the second found approximately 13 miles away on Hudson Ridge, were the only evidence found of the girl before the body was discovered Thursday.

The body was found off the north side of Lee Valley Road approximately one-and-a-half miles from its intersection with Fairview Road.

The north side of the road, which runs along the Coquille River's north fork, slopes steeply down the hillside and the body was found at the foot of the embankment, which ends about 15-feet below the roadway.

In an impromptu press conference held at the roadblock on Lee Valley Road shortly after 10 a.m. Friday, Pex said investigators had finished their examination of the area and other personnel, including North Bend police explorers and Coquille Fire Department rescue workers, had searched the gravel road leading to and from the area.

The forested area is Bureau of Land Management property, said Ranger Ted Gage, who was helping Coos County Sheriff's deputies supervise the checkpoint on Lee Valley Road. The road connects with other roads that lead to Norway and Myrtle Point, Gage added.

Pex said the body had not been buried or otherwise concealed and had apparently been there "for awhile." However, he would not comment on any other details about the search or what investigators found.

"I can't really tell you much other than we did a standard search which we always do with a body found in the woods," he said.

The area where the body was found was marked off Friday by yellow barrier tape emblazoned with the words "Crime scene -- Do Not Cross," stretching between the tall trees surrounding the area.

Other signs of police activity included a strip of roadside grasses cut to allow access to the spot and white lines painted in the gravel on both sides of the scene as reference points for searchers.

The investigators who combed over the site Thursday and Friday were only part of a small corps of officers and detectives that are involved in the investigation.

Pex said that along with the crime-scene investigation, approximately 20 detectives from local and State Police agencies were being briefed Friday morning to help in the hunt for a suspect.

Jim Judd, whose home is only a short distance from the roadblock, said he had not noticed anything unusual happening on the road either on June 28 or afterward.

"I never heard anything. If I had known anything I would have called (police) instantly," he said Friday morning, as he smoked a cigar and drank a cup of coffee while standing in the roadway.

Although the area is regularly visited by campers and others, especially during the recent Fourth of July holiday, nobody apparently came across the body before Thursday, he said.

Reaves said Thursday night that with the discovery of the body, the Coos County Major Crime Investigation Team has been formally activated.

The team includes officers from Coos Bay, North Bend and Myrtle Point police departments, the Coos County Sheriff's Office, the OSP and South Coast Interagency Narcotics Team, the Coos County Medical Examiner's Office and the District Attorney's Office.

Police also are being aided in the investigation by FBI agents, Reaves said.

Leah's mother, Cory Courtright, was in seclusion at the family's Coquille home Friday and had no comment on the discovery, said Richard Courtright, Leah's uncle.

After the teen-ager disappeared, Myrtle Lane Motel manager Buster Conley used the Central Boulevard motel's large roadside signboard to post a description of Freeman and advertise the offer of a $10,000 reward for information leading to her return. Conley said he put the messages up at the request of Freeman's grandmother, Dorothy Courtright. The advertisements stayed up until Thursday.

But on Friday, that message was replaced with a quote from the Old Testament, Book of Job 1:22: "The Lord gives. The Lord takes. Blessed be the name of the Lord."

Conley said he was not a close friend of the Courtright family, but added "we're all friends in a small town. That's a comfort you can have here."

He said the discovery of the missing girl's body was sad, but that the family and community could finally gain some peace of mind knowing Freeman had been found.

"We can all go on with our lives now," Conley said. "We prayed for her to return, and now we can pray for whoever did this to be caught."

http://theworldlink.com/article_654d441b-c852-56db-88b3-cdf883c14543.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 12:38 pm

A sister mourns

Posted: Monday, August 7, 2000 12:00 am

COQUILLE -- The sun beats down on the patio, on the salt-and-pepper-colored outdoor carpeting where Bailey, Leah Freeman's 4-year-old cat, waits for her to come home.

Bailey rubs against Denise Freeman's leg. She reaches down to pet him.

From now on, Bailey will have to turn to 18-year-old Denise, Leah's older sister, when he wants to be cuddled.

Since her 15-year-old sister's disappearance June 28, Denise's summer days before starting her senior year at Coquille High School have been filled with exhausting newspaper and television interviews, working at Denny's Pizza and Hunter's Eatery and Creamery, and thinking about her relationship with her little sister.

"It totally infuriates me when I see sisters arguing now, and I just want to scream, 'Appreciate them while you have them!'" Denise said.

She said she never realized what a big part of her life Leah was until she was gone. Sometimes she thinks, "Usually I'm doing this with Leah" or "I should be picking up Leah."

At first glance, Denise, with her short, dark hair, bears little resemblance to the picture of the blond girl on posters that command attention in windows around Coquille. But the smiles are the same. Only now, Denise is smiling through the tears when she talks about living across the hall from Leah a month ago.

Although different sizes, the two shared clothes and shoes. Like most girls her age, Leah enjoyed buying clothes, putting on makeup, coloring her hair and doing her nails, said Denise, picking at the cuticle of her own ragged nails that have been chewed down to the skin.

Leah also liked to run, walk and be healthy, Denise said. She used to spot her sister around town jogging.

But Denise is frustrated that she doesn't remember seeing her sister the day she disappeared walking home from a friend's house. She said Leah's boyfriend, 18-year-old Nick McGuffin, stopped in at Denny's Pizza where Denise was working and asked if she had seen Leah.

"I didn't think anything of it because this is Coquille. Nothing happens here," Denise said.

"I used to think this town sucks because nothing happened here. Now I think it sucks because something did happen here."

Yet Denise, who wants to study nursing and had planned to leave home next summer for Humboldt State University, now thinks she will stay with her family and go to Southwestern Oregon Community College for a year.

Denise lives with her mother, Cory Courtright, and her grandparents, Alton and Dorothy Courtright. She has two half-sisters, two stepbrothers and one stepsister. Leah was her only "full-blooded" sister, she said.

"She's priceless, and that doesn't even begin to explain, …" Denise said in a choked voice.

"She's like her own little ray of light. She could brighten a whole room … as you can see, a whole town."

http://www.theworldlink.com/article_7ce5047f-b3fa-5c6f-8446-7215d88a8405.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 12:45 pm

Remembering Leah Freeman

Posted: Monday, August 7, 2000 12:00 am

Tana Smith, left, Ashley Olson, Holly Hajdu, Melissa Smith, Brian Harmon, Stacie Erlur, Austin Fisher and Melissa Brugnoli gather around a campfire Friday at Harmon's house. The group of Leah Freeman's friends looked through photo albums and remembered growing up with her. Fisher said "The last time we were all together, Leah was here and it was my birthday." World Photo by Madeline Steege

COQUILLE -- A big, green plastic bowl of dark pink watermelon wedges nestles in the center of the outdoor trampoline. Pink ribbons float in 15-year-old Holly Hajdu's red hair. Pink was Leah Freeman's favorite color.

Grouped cross-legged around the edge of the trampoline are 11 of Leah Freeman's closest friends. Austin Fisher, Brian Harmon, Melissa Smith, all 16; John Bower, Melissa Brugnoli, Holly Hajdu, Ashley Olson, Tana Smith, Nikki Watts, all 15; and 14-year-olds Stacy Erlur and Sharie Mitchell pay tribute to Leah with an informal feast of pop, chips, cookies and M&Ms; a scrapbook of newspaper clippings and photos; and a trove of memories.

"The last time we all got together like this, Leah was here," Austin said, shaking his shaggy blond head. "It was my birthday party."

Leah, who has been missing from her friends' lives since she disappeared walking home June 28, loved parties. Searchers found her body Aug. 4 near Fairview. She had been murdered.

Everyone agrees that if Leah was there, she would be eating all the snacks, burping, rolling around in her friends' laps and trying to make them laugh.

They say it just doesn't seem fair that Leah can't be there enjoying the fun. Nikki, who said she believes everything happens for a reason, just can't understand what possible reason God would have for letting tragedy befall Leah, her family and circle of friends. The tragedy has made them feel unsafe in their own quiet town.

"I used to go jogging every single night in the dark by myself … I can't do that now," said Sherie.

Other girls say since Leah's disappearance their parents have become more strict about what they do, where they go and when they leave the house. All of Leah's friends agree the town of Coquille will never be the same.

"Everywhere you go, you see a ribbon or see a picture, and you think about her all the time," said Holly.

But most of them also say the tragedy hasn't really sunk in.

"It just doesn't seem real to me," said Holly, who woke up the morning after hearing Leah's body was found and asked her mom if it was dream.

Other friends thought the news was just another one of the rumors circulating Coquille since Leah's disappearance.

"I want everyone to remember what a fun-loving person she was," said Nikki.

Although most of her friends say they broke down after hearing about the discovery of Leah's body, they also say the news brought closure to the long month of waiting. Sherie said she kept thinking Leah would be back for her friend's birthday or when school started.

But in September, her friends won't see Leah's backpack bouncing as she navigates Coquille High School's halls with her springy steps. They won't lend her their pens, which she would always keep. They won't hear her loud chatter, or see her handwriting scrawled across the entire back page of their yearbooks.

That's when reality will kick in.

The girls say they can't envision Leah missing from their volleyball and basketball teams. They can't imagine getting their drivers' permits without her or walking in the CHS commencement ceremonies without hearing Leah say, "What are you crying for, we're not in school anymore!"

Although Leah is gone, she left memories with her friends. They pass pictures of her back and forth and talk about possessions she misplaced at their homes. Austin said Leah left a sweatshirt at his house. He plans to keep it. Others acknowledge similar items left in their care.

"I think everyone has a little something that reminds them of Leah," Holly said.

http://theworldlink.com/article_38ef01cc-9b57-55b5-9fad-cd82fcb6b3ab.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 12:46 pm

Family plans service; police await more from autopsy

Posted: Monday, August 7, 2000 12:00 am

While authorities are keeping a tight lid on details surrounding the murder of Leah Freeman, plans are moving ahead to commemorate the memory of the 15-year-old girl.

A memorial service is scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday at Coquille High School, where Leah would have been a sophomore next month. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Amling-Schroeder Funeral Service of Coquille.

Also, a memorial scholarship fund is being set up to honor the girl's memory, said Cory Courtright, Leah's mother.

"It's something that is very positive for other kids for their education and I thought it was a wonderful idea," Courtright said Sunday.

Courtright said Sunday the outpouring of community support has been overwhelming.

"An extreme amount," she said. "I can't even express it."

Freeman's body was found Thursday afternoon at the foot of a steep embankment off Lee Valley Road, about a mile and a half from the road's junction with the Fairview Route leading from Coquille.

Oregon State Police Lt. Jim Pex, who is head of the Crime Lab in Coos Bay, said Friday that the body, which was not buried, appeared to have been at the location for some time. He refused to give further details.

The teen-ager had been missing since June 28. She vanished sometime after 9 p.m. while walking home from a friend's house on Elm Street near downtown Coquille to her home at 1173 Knott St.

Despite constant appeals for information and a $10,000 reward, few breaks in the investigation were reported.

The latest development occurred shortly before Freeman's body was found, when DNA tests confirmed that two white Nike tennis shoes, one found across from Coquille High School and the second found approximately 13 miles away on a road on Hudson Ridge on July 5, belonged to her.

In a press release issued Saturday, Senior Deputy District Attorney R. Paul Frasier said an autopsy performed in Roseburg Friday confirmed the body was Freeman's and initial findings showed she had been murdered.

However, Frasier said Freeman died of "homicidal violence," but refused to say more, adding it would harm the investigation.

Efforts to contact Frasier and Coquille Police Chief Michael Reaves on Sunday for more information were unsuccessful. A man who answered the phone at Frasier's home immediately hung up when a reporter identified himself.

Dr. James Olson, a forensic pathologist, conducted the autopsy late Friday afternoon at the Douglas County Morgue in Roseburg.

Frasier emphasized that no arrests have been made in the case and none are anticipated in the near future

http://theworldlink.com/article_9b7c7d47-4a5e-5dc9-93c0-929692bcafc2.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 12:47 pm

Police say rumors interfering with Freeman case

Posted: Thursday, August 24, 2000 12:00 am

This photo of Leah Freeman was taken the day she dissapeared. The clothes she is wearing is a white tank top. blue jeans and Niki Tennis shoes. Please note that her is blonde, not the red she was born with.

COQUILLE -- Rumors and misunderstandings are clouding the investigation into the death of Leah Freeman, Coquille Police Chief Michael Reaves said Wednesday.

Although police at present have no new information to release, Reaves said the investigation in the 15-year-old girl's death is proceeding.

However, Reaves said, rumors that are flying through the community "have caused us quite a bit of problems because we're having to spend investigative time following up stuff that circles back to just bad stuff that's being put out on the street, and it's costing us a lot of man-hours to do those things."

"In addition, a few authority figures in the community have advised potential witnesses not to answer questions to cooperate regarding Leah's death," Reaves said. "As a result, some leads in the case have been more difficult to fully develop. Despite these roadblocks, case investigators have moved forward in the investigation."

Reaves refused to identify who the "authority figures" are. "We know who they are, we just don't want to put that out because there are already enough problems out there as it is," he said.

Reaves said reports that the police are desperate, don't have any leads or are making no progress are also hindering matters "because we're having to answer a lot of complaints about that."

"We're working toward a conclusion," he said. "We do have leads on the investigation."

Freeman disappeared sometime after 9 p.m. on June 28 while walking from a friend's house in Coquille to her mother's house on Knott Street. The only evidence reported found were the teen-ager's white Nike tennis shoes, one found on July 4 on a street across from Coquille High School and the other found by a sheriff's deputy on July 5 at a location on Hudson Ridge, 13 miles northeast of Coquille.

But what had been a missing-person case became a homicide investigation the afternoon of Aug. 3, when Freeman's body was discovered by police officers searching a section of Lee Valley Road approximately one and a half miles from the road's intersection with the Fairview Road.

Since the discovery of the body, police have been tight-lipped about the investigation and have disclosed no details about how Freeman died other than to say the cause of death was "homicidal violence." Reaves declined to say Wednesday on what the next phase of the investigation may entail, saying that decision would be up to Senior Deputy District Attorney R. Paul Frasier of the Coos County District Attorney's Office.

Reaves said police are continuing to ask that anyone with information about the case contact the Coquille Police Department at 396-2114.

http://theworldlink.com/article_74f1d639-8e99-51ba-bd2b-0d0e1458fa02.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 12:48 pm

Still no arrest in Freeman investigation

Posted: Thursday, September 28, 2000 12:00 am

Balloons, stuffed animals and messages take up part of the fence to Coquille High School. Leah Freeman's mother, Cory Courtright spends hours each week replacing balloons and reading messages. World Photo by Lou Sennick

COQUILLE -- After months of following leads and double-checking information, the Coquille Police Department has not named a suspect in the murder of 15-year-old Leah Freeman.

The Coquille teen-ager disappeared three months ago today, on June 28, sometime after 9 p.m. while walking home along Central Avenue from a friend's house. Her body was found by police more than a month later about 10 miles from town in the Lee Valley Road area.

"In cases like this, we sometimes reach a slow-down point until we get more evidence," Coquille Police Chief Mike Reaves said. "Right now we have had to verify a lot of things."

The Coquille Police Department is leading the investigation into the murder case, along with assistance from the Coos County Major Crime Investigation Team and the Oregon State Police.

In late August, the Coquille Police chief issued a press release stating that an "authority figure" in the community was advising potential witnesses not to answer questions or cooperate in the investigation of Leah's murder. Reaves said the authority figure, whom he declined to identify, is no longer dispensing advice.

The officers involved in the investigation are continuing to work on the case and are also waiting for an autopsy report to be completed by the state pathologist.

"I was told that (report) could take months to get back," he said.

When asked if there were any suspects in the murder case, Reaves said, "None I want to talk about."

For Cory Courtright, Leah Freeman's mother, the past three months have been filled with grief over her loss and the frustration of not being able to find out who killed her daughter. That frustration is compounded by the feeling of being kept out of the informational loop by the police.

"We haven't heard from the Coquille Police Department in about a week," Courtright said. "I don't know, maybe they have run out of leads. I don't know what they are doing. I just know we haven't heard from them in quite a long time."

Courtright acknowledged that her daughter's case is going to take time, but it still doesn't make it easier for her family. She said she feels the investigation is slowing down "but this is not over and done with by a long shot."

"We're still waiting for the autopsy reports. A waiting game, that's very much what this is," she said, "one that is starting to drive my family insane."

Courtright's mother, Dorothy, said she hopes the police catch whoever committed this crime soon.

"Three months of waiting is a long time," Dorothy said. "It's devastating for our family, especially because this was such a horrendous crime. The memorial gave us partial closure, but until a person is apprehended, we will not be able to get full closure."

The persistent rumors about Leah's disappearance and death have plagued the town almost from the start. Cory said she has had to learn to push aside what people tell her for her own sanity.

"I don't believe anything until the police tell me something now," she said. "It's hard to do because you want to believe some of the things you hear, but you can't. So we are learning to just take things one day at a time."

Some days, Cory said, she feels like she is watching a movie instead of what has happened in her life. She always believed this sort of thing doesn't happen to people in real life.

Cory said she thought finding her daughter's body would bring her closure, but it didn't. Then the month of September arrived and opened fresh wounds. Leah would have been a sophomore this fall at Coquille High School.

"She's supposed to be there … . School started and that's where she is supposed to be," Cory said. "Now it is just frustrating and disturbing to know that the person who killed her is still freely walking the streets."

As a way to help the town and her friends remember her daughter, Cory and a few of her friends have created a memorial out of balloons, stuffed animals and even a mailbox where people can leave messages for Leah at the front entrance to Coquille High School.

"People have put a few letters in the box for her and it lets people say things they need to to her," she said.

Cory spends about six hours a week replacing balloons, reading messages and making sure the wall looks good. Most of the work is done late at night when she gets off work.

"It's not the best time to work on it, but it's the only chance I get," she said. "It is easier then too."

Cory said she is furious with the "authority figure" who was complicating the case by telling people not to come forward with information. It is hard knowing that someone out there knows what happened to her daughter and is just not talking to the police, she said.

"I can't believe that her life didn't mean anything, that no one has come forward, that Leah didn't mean any more than that," Cory said, wiping away tears. "She was a good, decent person. She deserves for someone to come forward and say something if they know anything."

"How can people live with themselves if they know something and are not saying anything," she said. "Where is their conscience?"

Leah Freeman's family is establishing a scholarship in her name.

"It will be a legacy in a way," Leah's mother Cory Courtright said. "It will be something positive to come from this."

Donations can be sent to the Coquille School District Office at 201 N. Gould St., Coquille, Ore. 97423.

http://theworldlink.com/article_3e2bf6a9-6aef-52ef-9541-bbd81eb04c14.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 12:49 pm

Family grateful to the community

Posted: Monday, October 9, 2000 12:00 am

Our heartfelt thanks go out to all the people, restaurants, stores, and churches for all their prayers and food during the time our Leah was missing and her body finally found. This was so deeply appreciated. A lot of time and effort went into this. Hopefully we didn't forget to thank anyone.

We wish to thank Joyce Ward, Linda Cornwell, Safeway in Coos Bay and North Bend, Colleen's, McKay's, Kings Table, Alder Smokehouse, Subway, Taylor Maid, Chinese Woody's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Canned Food Outlet, The Sizzler, Albertson's, Lighthouse grocery, North Bend Medical, Accounting Department and Medical Transcriptions; The World delivery, the Baldwins; Myrtle Lane Motel; and the Foursquare Church in Coquille for cooking our complete meals for three weeks.

The Family of Leah Freeman

Coquille

http://theworldlink.com/article_9bfafc45-95f4-52ea-af4c-7ce12427e295.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 12:50 pm

Still no answers in teen's death

Posted: Saturday, December 16, 2000 12:00 am

This candy cane heart is attached to a fence at Coquille High School that has become a shrine to 15-year-old Leah Freeman, who disappeared on June 28. The investigation into her murder continues. World Photo by Jess Newnham

COQUILLE -- On June 28, Leah Freeman, 15, disappeared from her family and friends.

Along with her vanished their notion that "things like murder" just don't happen in a small town like Coquille.

Nearly six months after the teen-ager's body was discovered by police in a forested area off Fairview Road, the community continues to mourn, law enforcement agencies keep investigating and the killer remains free.

"There's really no way to describe the feeling of your daughter being murdered and somebody getting away with it," Cory Courtright, said from her Coquille home Wednesday. "It's like I'm watching a horror movie … or dreaming and I just want to wake up or shut off the TV," she said.

But for Leah's mother, the horror doesn't end.

For Courtright, just being home is hard. A prom picture resting on the fireplace mantle; Leah's cat, Bailey, curled up on a living room chair; and an unused second-story bedroom are all reminders of the child she lost.

"She was such a good kid I can't understand why anyone would kill her," Courtright said, holding back tears.

Freeman was last seen sometime after 9 p.m. on June 28 walking from a friend's house on Elm Street in Coquille to her mother's house on Knott Street. She had been dropped off at the Elm Street address earlier in the day by her boyfriend, Nick McGuffin, who had planned to pick up Freeman around 9 p.m. However, Freeman left the house to walk home before he arrived.

Courtright said she became worried at about 3:30 a.m. when she woke up and found her daughter had not come home. After an unsuccessful search the following morning, Courtright notified the police.

The disappearance launched a search effort that lasted until Aug. 3, when Freeman's body was discovered.

Since the discovery, police have told the family only that the girl died of "homicidal violence."

The family said the lack of information from the police is upsetting.

"They haven't told us how she died. They say it will compromise their investigation," said Leah's stepmother, Denise Freeman. "They tell us not to listen to the rumors, but it's the only way we hear anything."

Leah's father, Dennis Freeman echoed his wife's frustrations.

"Some people are spreading such far-fetched rumors it bothers me a lot. It makes me mad that people are saying things … like she was at a drug party … . As far as we know, Leah never even smoked a cigarette," he said.

From the early stages of their investigation, Coquille Police have complained about the problems rumors have caused in the investigation and the anguish they cause the family.

Wednesday morning, Coquille Officer Dave Hall said the department continues to look for new clues and follows up on old ones that they hope could net an arrest some day and return a sense of security to the town.

"As I drive home, I still see young girls walking alone at night and it bothers me. It sends a chill down my spine," said Hall. "Parents might be more cautious."

Hall, who is the case's lead investigator, said he receives leads about Freeman's death on a weekly basis and he continues to communicate with outside agencies as the need arises.

"Last week, I spoke with the FBI about getting in touch with a person with possible information," he said, adding the person, whose name he would not release, was only being contacted for information and is not considered a suspect.

The officer said he was not sure if the growing length of time since the murder occurred is hindering the department's chances for a conviction. "This is the first case like this I have worked on," he said.

Hall estimated a minimum of 80 to 100 personnel hours a month are spent investigating Freeman's case.

In a phone interview on Thursday, Senior Deputy District Attorney R. Paul Frasier, who has worked closely with investigators on the case, said he could not comment on police activities surrounding the murder.

"All I can say is that the case is still open and active. I can't comment on any new directions the police may be taking," Frasier said.

For family members, however, "no comment" is not enough.

"I'm not saying (the police) don't want to solve the case but they could at least inform (Leah's) mother on a weekly basis," said Alton Courtright, Leah's grandfather. "We haven't heard anything in months."

Still, those who knew Leah, and many who didn't, remain hopeful her killer will be caught and justice will be served.

"Six months is a long time. After this much time has gone by, you just start to assume that it's going away … but I'll never lose hope," Courtright said. "One of my greatest fears is that something could happen to another girl. There is a murderer out there."

As the search for the killer goes on, there continues to be widespread support for Leah's still-grieving family.

"The community has been wonderful. They call and send mail. They let me know they still care. And the people I work with have been amazing. They held my job for me for seven weeks. That was hard for all of them -- they had to put in long, hard hours. I don't know how to say thank you," said Courtright.

Dennis Freeman said his family has received letters from people they have never met.

"This is a wonderful town. This is a real bad time of year with the holidays, but it seems like more people have responded lately -- maybe because of the holidays," he said.

In weeks to come, Courtright said she plans to take down the decorations that have been woven, like a memorial collage, into a fence along the Coquille High School property.

"I have kept the fence going because it helps me and I feel like Leah can see it. But after Christmas I will take it down … Leah's name will be the hardest part," Courtright said.

http://theworldlink.com/article_24e2155e-d25a-579c-8fd1-6d294a563222.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 12:51 pm

Victim's mother shares anger with council

Posted: Thursday, January 4, 2001 12:00 am

COQUILLE -- Quiet emotion flared into anger among audience members Wednesday night when Coquille City Council members had little to say following an emotional address by Cory Courtright, the mother of 15-year-old Leah Freeman, whose murder more than six months ago remains unsolved.

Courtright came before the council to discuss problems she and her family have been having with the Coquille Police Department including lack of information, cooperation and disrespect surrounding the case.

"When they told me on Aug. 3, that they had found her body I had no idea what the next six months would bring -- nothing but lies, anticipation and total frustration," Courtright said.

"The police have just left me sitting and waiting and wondering. I don't know my own daughter's cause of death. I have even been told by a police officer, on more than one occasion, that I just need to go get good and drunk," she said.

Freeman disappeared sometime after 9 p.m. on June 28 while walking from her friend's house on Elm Street in Coquille to her mother's house on Knott Street.

Courtright said she became worried at about 3:30 a.m. when she woke up and found her daughter had not come home. The following morning Courtright called the police -- initiating a search which lasted for 37 days.

On Aug. 3, Freeman's body was discovered in a forested area off Fairview Road. Since the discovery of the body, no arrests have been made and police have only said the girl died of "homicidal violence."

Courtright said, "Another thing I don't understand is why my daughter's murder case only deserves a part-time officer. They have even told me that they don't have the man-power. Then why does the Coquille Police Department have this case?"

Courtright said she came before the council to explain the treatment she has received from the police department.

"I am asking you, the City Council, to investigate the Coquille City Police Department and their handling of this case," she said.

While some City Council members, including Kathy Hagen, identified with Courtright's anguish, they said there was little they could do.

"I sympathize with all she and her family have been through," said Hagen.

However, Coquille Mayor Mike Swindall told Courtright there was little the city councilors could do for her as they have no jurisdiction over the police department.

"We don't have anything to do with the police. We just run the city. The chief of police is hired by the city manager. You can go talk to (the police) anytime you want -- but not right now," said Swindall.

Despite the allegations, Assistant District Attorney R. Paul Frasier said the police department continues to view Freeman's case as a top priority.

"At this point, we are doing everything we can. The investigation has not been dropped and we have officers from a variety of different agencies, including the North Bend Police and the Sheriff's Office, following up on leads," said Frasier.

"In terms of the cause of death, we will not publicly release that information at this time. In my experience, some things need to be kept confidential. Sorry, but that's how it's going to be," he said. "At the time of an arrest the cause of death will be disclosed to the family."

Coquille Police Chief Michael Reaves was present at the meeting but did not address the allegations -- a point which was upsetting to many in the crowd, including Janet Reab, who attended the meeting expecting answers.

"The police chief didn't even stand up. He didn't say anything. You would think he would have some better answers. This whole thing is a joke," said Reab.

Courtright also said she felt let down by the meeting.

"This was a total waste of time," said Courtright surrounded by friends and supporters in the crowded hall outside the City Council chambers. "The next step will be to bring this to the Justice Department. The police can get it set in their heads that they will be seeing this face for a long time," she said.

Other audience members were looking for a more direct and visible approach to express their anger. Several in the crowd discussed the possibility of picketing in front of the Coquille City Hall as well as calling America's Most Wanted.

This morning Swindall said, "It was a bad situation last night. I was probably a little short, but I had to stop it before people started bashing each other."

"I know Cory, and I understand the frustration she must be feeling. If I was in her position I would be doing the same thing. But the City Council really doesn't know anything about the case. They don't tell us anything either," he said.

http://theworldlink.com/article_a6a17bc2-ea36-5d57-94f1-6c3fa7091bbc.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 12:54 pm

June 28, 2001

A candlelight vigil is held on the first anniversary of Leah Freeman's death. Vigils were held annually until this year. World File Photo

http://theworldlink.com/image_58a06418-afa9-11df-a8c1-001cc4c03286.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 12:55 pm

Community still reacting to murder of teenager

Posted: Tuesday, July 3, 2001 12:00 am

Leah Freeman's mother, Cory Courtright, weeps as she listens to "Tears in Heaven" by Eric Clapton at a candlelight vigil for her daughter held Thursday night at Sanford Height Park in Coquille. World Photo by Madeline Steege

COQUILLE — It has been a year since Leah Freeman's body was found on the outskirts of this small town. The community, which was thrown into a tailspin for the first few months of the investigation, has settled down and life has apparently returned to normal.

Coquille was recently named one of the 10 most livable small towns in America by a national travel magazine, but rural ambiance notwithstanding, many Coquille residents say they don't feel safe living in a town with an unsolved murder.

Many residents say they're frustrated and angry at the lack of information and the seemingly slow pace of the law enforcement agencies involved in the case.

Coquille Mayor Mike Swindall said he is as frustrated as others in town, but he knows the Coquille Police are working on the case.

"This hasn't died," Swindall said. "People are still working on it. … But, I really don't know because they have never said anything to me."

While he feels his family is safe from harm, Swindall said, as a parent, it is a little disconcerting because he lives in the same neighborhood Leah did.

Initially, he and his wife became stricter with their teen-agers.

Swindall said his children are probably safer than many others because his father — his children's grandfather — was a state police captain.

"We taught them to be aware of certain things and situations," he said. "But we have lightened up a bit in the last few months."

Swindall said his home is often filled with his son's and daughter's friends, and it seems to him local interest in the case has waned.

"There is an awareness out there, but I get this sense that it's not a big thing to them anymore; that life goes on," he said. "It's a horrible thing to say, but it's true.

"But to me and the rest of the parents in town, this is still a big thing. We have a murderer running around," he added.

Lisa Adkins, manager of Hunter's Eatery & Creamery, said it is scary that a young girl was murdered in Coquille. The frustrating part of the situation is the police cannot catch the person, or people, responsible for it and that someone is out there, Adkins added.

"I have a 10-year-old and a 2-year-old, and they don't go anywhere by themselves," she said. "I used to let the 10-year-old walk to a friend's house alone, but not anymore."

Local teen-agers used to be very careful about not walking alone after dark, she said, but things have changed in the last few months.

"(The local kids) seem a lot more relaxed now," Adkins said. "I see teens walking by themselves all the time at night."

Coquille High School Principal Carl Wilson said that Leah's disappearance and murder will probably always be an issue with the local teen-agers and her close friends.

"I'm sure her friends still have feelings about her and still remember her," Wilson said. "Her close friends are also frustrated about not having any answers. They still remember her and still care. It's frustrating for them to not have answers when there is someone out there (who does)."

Wilson said he has talked to parents and other community members about being safe and not walking home alone at night. Many parents continue to be vigilant, he added, but he does see children and teen-agers walking alone.

"That does cause me some concern," he said. "I feel safe, but in the back of your mind, there is concern for the safety of the kids."

Faye Hopkins, who has lived in Coquille since 1951, said Leah's murder is frustrating for the whole community.

"I think the investigation is going too slow," she said. "Something needs to be done to speed it up. I'm sure (Leah's) folks are beside themselves. This is really frustrating and it makes me wonder if they are even working on it."

Hopkins said she used to feel safe working in her garden during the later evening hours.

"Now I don't do that," she said. "You just don't think something like (Leah's murder) is going to happen here."

http://theworldlink.com/article_984c8d71-8356-5364-aecb-ef093f6ed39c.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 12:56 pm

Missing kids, unsolved murders tear at police, too

Posted: Tuesday, July 3, 2001 12:00 am

A wooden cross and flowers mark the spot where the body of Coquille teen-ager Leah Freeman was found on June 28, 2000. Leah was reported missing a month earlier and her body was found at this remote spot along Lee Valley Road east of Coquille. A year later, no one has been arrested in connection with her murder. World Photo by Lou Sennick

As unnerving and painful as the murder of Leah Freeman is for so many in the close-knit community in which she was raised, the questions surrounding her death are by no means unique. A handful of unsolved disappearances and murders occupy the case files of Coos County investigators, haunting police, just as they haunt the public.

Myrtle Point's Jeremy Bright disappeared in August 1986, at the age of 14. Lynn Lee Donaldson, of Coos Bay, was found dead in January 1982. She was 17. Eighteen-year-old Joy Shields disappeared from Coos Bay in 1986. Frank Pettingill, 37, was found dead near his Sumner home on Labor Day weekend in 1991. Kerby Dessey was 28 when he disappeared from Coos Bay in January 1987. The body of Leah Freeman was found Aug. 3, five weeks after she disappeared while walking to her Coquille home.

And there are more -- Debbie Lillie, Ken Art Mah.

For each name there is a story, and for each story, a surfeit of unanswered questions.

In the case of Freeman, Pettingill, Donaldson, Lillie and Mah, family members and investigators know at least one thing: An innocent person died at the hands of a murderer. Each of those victims has been identified and laid to rest. Investigators have been able to yield some clues from their remains. But in the end, each case remains unsolved and a killer walks free.

Even more disconcerting are the unknowns surrounding the disappearances of Bright, Shields and Dessey. Each has been missing for years and each is presumed the victim of foul play, according to Capt. Eura Washburn, a 25-year veteran of the Coos Bay Police Department. While no trace has been found of those victims and no arrests made, everything police know about their lives has led to the conclusion that they, too, were murdered. People -- even teen-agers -- do not simply disappear, leaving behind valued possessions and baffled and broken-hearted families, Washburn said.

"It's very atypical for a kid to run away and just disappear," she said. "Time is also a factor. It's just highly unlikely they left on their own. Even though we've never found their bodies, … it's just too far-fetched to think they are not the victims of foul play."

But such a conclusion can do little to vanquish the frustration felt by families and communities who seek closure, but find only more questions. And the frustration does not stop at law enforcement's doorstep. Police feel it, too.

"We're part of the community, too. We want to see these solved," said Sgt. Craig Zanni of the Coos County Sheriff's Office.

Zanni said he can't help but pore over details of unsolved cases in his mind, struggling to find answers, new light, a break.

The mind-boggling task is not left to Zanni alone, nor any other solitary officer. Zanni is a member of the Coos County Major Crimes Team, an investigative body comprising officers from nearly every law enforcement agency in the county that responds to murders and other serious crimes.

Combining experience, brain-power and resources is the name of the game in a murder investigation, said Zanni. Information is shared as it comes in. New leads are followed, new questions are asked. Old evidence is re-evaluated through new eyes and new forensic techniques.

Assumptions? An investigative taboo.

Pride and ego? There's no place for such things in a murder investigation.

"We don't care about egos. We're there to solve a crime," said Zanni. "If you get info, you work it. If you can't, you turn it over. We try to make it a combined effort. There is a saying, 'A man who accepts no counsel is a fool.'"

Detectives meet often during the initial stages of an investigation, using all available resources to ferret out answers, said Zanni. As time passes and answers become harder to come by, investigators often must rely on chance leads, perhaps from another murder investigation. If new information does come in, or a new way of evaluating old evidence is developed, investigators will revisit their files to twist and turn unknowns into answers.

"We have solved some of these older cases," Zanni said, recounting a break in the murder investigation of a Gold Beach teen-ager that led to an arrest in 1991, some five years after the girl's death.

Does Zanni believe Leah's killer will be found, or, for that matter, the other murders and disappearances solved?

"If I didn't believe that, I wouldn't be doing this," he said.

Yet, despite an ardent belief that mystifying cases can be solved and killers brought to justice, officers such as Zanni and Washburn harbor few illusions about what uncertainty can do to the family of a slain or missing person, especially a child.

"It's very, very hard for families not knowing," said Washburn, explaining what her department and other law enforcement agencies are doing to keep family members abreast of developments. When a death investigation begins, even if police have not yet determined if a crime has been committed, officers are assigned to act as intermediaries between victims' families and police, she said.

However, when a murder or disappearance has gone unsolved for years, families often disengage from police, seeking updates not once or twice a month, but maybe only once or twice a year.

"You can't help but think about what it's like," said Zanni of parents who have little choice but to hang onto hopes that an answer will arrive someday. "You can't help but empathize with them. Every time the phone rings or the door knocks, they're expecting that child. … We don't let these go."

http://theworldlink.com/article_1fadc05b-7f0a-502b-85f6-9e790300f433.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 12:58 pm

Year in review January/February: New year begins where old year left off -- with crime

Posted: Monday, December 31, 2001 12:00 am

The new year began in Oregon with the news that state's crime rate had dipped -- but it was a different story on the South Coast.

Barely four days into the year, another chapter was added to an unfinished crime story, when the mother of a murdered Coquille girl appeared before the Coquille City Council to share her frustrations with the police investigation into her daughter's death.

Cory Courtright's 15-year-old daughter, Leah Freeman, disappeared June 28, 2000, while walking home from a friend's house on Elm Street in Coquille. Her body was found 37 days later, in a forested area off Fairview Road.

More than six months later, the case still unsolved, Courtright asked the council to "investigate the Coquille Police Department and their handling of this case."

Also speaking at the meeting was Coos County Assistant District Attorney R. Paul Frasier, who said the police department still considered the case a top priority.

At this point, we are doing everything we can," Frasier told the council. "The investigation has not been dropped and we have officers from a variety of different agencies, including the North Bend Police and the Sheriff's office, following up on leads."

However, 12 months later, the year ended as it began for the family and friends of Leah Freeman, with no answers and no resolution to the girl's murder.

A week later, a former Bandon Police officer was sentenced after pleading guilty to having sex with a 16-year-old member of the department's Explorer program.

Michael Lee Peters, 30, was sentenced by Circuit Judge Richard Barron to 90 days in jail and 36 months of probation. Peters was also ordered to register as a sex offender and to pay more than $2,000 in fines.

Crime continued to be in the focus throughout the month. On Jan. 20, top law enforcement officials with the South Coast Interagency Narcotics team said the organization had funds sufficient for only one more year of operations. The financial crunch followed a vote to limit how Oregon law enforcement agencies can use forfeiture-generated funds.

Shortly after the SCINT announcement, a group of city leaders gathered in Coos Bay to ask the community to get tough on the county's meth-abuse problem.

"After we have thoroughly discussed the problem from all aspects, hopefully we'll have people step forward and say, 'Not here. Not now. Not anymore!'" The World's Publisher Greg Stevens said at the meeting.

The month, which began with the continuing story of the murder of a young girl, ended the same way. On Jan. 30, police were searching for a missing 13-year-old Bandon girl. That search and later, the discovery of the body of Daniella Elder in a brushy area north of Bandon, would be the top story on the last day of January. The arrest and arraignment of a suspect in the little girl's murder would be the first news as January turned to February.

Bail was set at $2 million for Steven D. Robertson at his first court appearance on a single charge of the aggravated murder of Daniella Elder. Robertson, 30, appeared in Coos County Circuit Court, sitting quietly and wiping tears from his face. The Bandon man, a former boyfriend of the mother of the slain girl, was arrested after a Coos County Sheriff's deputy found Daniella's body a few hundred yards from where Robertson lived with his parents on Portland Road, two miles north of Bandon.

Meanwhile, as the Coquille community did when mourning the death of 15-year-old Leah Freeman, students in Bandon began constructing a fluttering memorial to their schoolmate, affixing banners, posters and cards to a fence at Harbor Lights Middle School.

The crime stories continued as the month progressed. On Feb. 3, a family friend discovered the bodies of a Myrtle Point woman and her mother. On Feb. 5, authorities in Reno, Nev., apprehended Willem VanRooyen, 68, who was arrested by police at the Reno airport on two charges of aggravated murder in the deaths of Ruth VanRooyen, 64 and her 94-year-old mother, Eunice Johnson.

VanRooyen was arraigned in Coos County Circuit Court on Feb. 7, the same day a grand jury indicted Steven Robertson on counts of murder, rape and kidnapping in connection with the death of Daniella Elder.

News of the two men was to coincide again on Feb. 10, when not-guilty pleas were entered for each in a packed courtroom at the Coos County Courthouse. Emotions ran high as groups of grieving relatives came to face the accused men.

As February drew to a close, the first of what were to be many meetings was held to discuss SCINT's funding problems and more than 150 residents, civic leaders and officials gathered at McAuley Hall at St. Catherine's Residence in North Bend to brainstorm ways to rid Coos County of the plague of methamphetamine abuse.

January highlights

-- The 'C' word: At a first-ever meeting between the North Bend and Coos Bay school boards, members began preliminary discussions about consolidating the two districts.

Budget shortfalls were plaguing both districts: North Bend, to the tune of $1.5 million and for Coos Bay, about $1.6 million. While no specific steps were taken at the meeting, both boards advised staff members to work together to explore consolidation and other remedies to funding problems.

-- In with the new: Dale Jessup, for five years the chief executive officer at Bay Area Hospital, stepped down. Dan Smith was the hospital board's unanimous choice to succeed Jessup.

-- Representatives take a bruising: A standing-room-only crowd packed a meeting room at the Coos Bay Public Library to share their concerns and frustrations with Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., and Democrat Sen. Ron Wyden. Emotions were at high-octane levels as audience members quizzed the senators on a range of topics, from abortion rights to regulations for fishing and timber harvesting.

"Feelings run high on the South Coast," Wyden said following the meeting. "What I heard from people is that, 'we don't agree with you on everything, but we agree with you on a lot of things.'"

-- On the move: Students and teachers moved into Marshfield High School's new math and science building. Pirate Hall was built using $7 million of the Coos Bay School District's $9.9 million bond approved by voters in 1998.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for everyone," said MHS Principal Arnie Roblan, about the move into the new building.

-- Leader chosen: The South Coast Development Council announced the hiring of Melinda Anderson of Bend as the council's first president.

-- Honors abound: Volunteers, athletes and other outstanding citizens were honored at the Community Awards Banquet sponsored by the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce. Top honors went to Trevor Woods, Prefontaine Athletic Award; Shirley Liberante, Chamber Member of the Year; Clair Jones, Citizen of the Year; Mel Campbell, Chamber Volunteer of the Year; and Skate Wave owners Cathy and Dale Bishop, who received the Bay Area Business of the Year Award.

February highlights

-- Year No. 2 for an uninvited guest: February 2001 marked the second anniversary of the arrival of the New Carissa, the wood chip ship that was grounded Feb. 4, 1999, in shallow water off the North Spit.

"It's been a long, long two years and I wouldn't want to do it all again anytime soon," salvage expert Bill Milwee said, of efforts to remove the wreck.

As the two-year anniversary of the grounding arrived, lawyers for the owner, manager and insurers of the doomed freighter filed suit against the federal government, alleging the New Carissa's grounding occurred due to the negligence of employees of the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Ocean Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The companies' losses caused by the grounding may be as much as $96 million, said Brian Bell, spokesman for the ship's owner and insurers.

-- Last days of a landmark: The Port of Bandon proceeds with steps to demolish the old Moore Mill Truck Shop. The cavernous wooden structure had withstood the wild and furious winds for more than 87 years, but officials decided the time had come to dismantle the aging building.

-- School budget woes: Residents of Coos Bay continued to monitor school board discussions of possible school closures. A crowd filled council chambers at Coos Bay City Hall Feb. 13 to learn more about the district's plans to close one or more elementary schools.

Two weeks later, on Feb. 27, Coos Bay School District Superintendent Giles Parker announced he was recommending the closure of both Milner Crest and Bunker Hill elementary schools to help the district mitigate an expected budgetary shortfall of between $1.6 million and $2 million.

-- There she is: Before a packed house at the Marshfield High School auditorium, Southwestern Oregon Community College student Leslie Lee Summers was named Miss Coos County 2001.

http://theworldlink.com/article_8eccadb5-665a-502f-88cb-5351706642be.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 12:59 pm

Murder suspect says he lived in North Bend

Posted: Wednesday, August 28, 2002 12:00 am

Oregon City murder suspect Ward Weaver's revelation that he lived in North Bend took back even longtime local police officers in the area, who said they never had any dealings with the now-39-year-old man and that he left no mark on the area's police system.

And while murder connections may be investigated elsewhere, no local police department has any cases it would tie back to Weaver at this time.

North Bend Police Chief Steve Scibelli said the FBI had not contacted his department as of Tuesday afternoon to see if Weaver was known to them during the time he reportedly lived in North Bend.

Scibelli added that the city doesn't have an open missing persons case that resembles Oregon City's involving Weaver and the missing Oregon City teen-age girls 12-year-old Ashley Pond and 13-year-old Miranda Gaddis. The teen-age girls' bodies were found during the weekend on the property rented by Weaver.

Similarly in Coos Bay, Weaver had no contact with police.

"We don't have anything here in Coos Bay but that's not to say we don't have anything in the county," said Coos Bay Capt. Eura Washburn.

Coos County's most ominous open case is the murder of 15-year-old Leah Freeman, whose body was found Aug. 3, 2000, five weeks after she disappeared while walking to her Coquille home.

Yet, Weaver was apparently living in Oregon City at that time.

"We have nothing," said Lt. Larry Leader, of the Sheriff's Office. "The only active case we have would have occurred after he left the area."

Beth Anne Steele, spokeswoman for the FBI in Portland, said agents continue to scour for any information throughout the country.

"The investigators have from the very beginning looked at cases within the state as well as all over the country for connections between Ashley and Miranda and any other possible case," she said. "The investigation continues on many levels, including that respect."

But Steele added the FBI doesn't have any clues tying the two girls' murders with other unsolved cases.

"At this time, there's no indication that Ashley and Miranda's cases are connected to any other cases anywhere else," she said.

http://theworldlink.com/article_4f75c611-3f5d-5532-85f5-55c18902d8f1.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 1:00 pm

District Attorney says case is still a priority

Posted: Saturday, June 26, 2004 12:00 am

The Coos County District Attorney's Office has opened and closed hundreds of cases since the June 28, 2000, disappearance of 15-year-old Leah Freeman, but for Chief Deputy District Attorney R. Paul Frasier, it's the one unresolved case that remains the most painful.

Despite the fact the murder investigation has stalled and progress has become painfully slow, Frasier said he still thinks of the case on a daily basis.

"At my house, in my den … I have, hanging up on the wall, aerial maps where the body was found," he said. "I look at it every night. I try to think of something that might break the case."

But that something has eluded investigators and the District Attorney's Office for four years and Frasier admits it becomes increasingly difficult to make an arrest and prosecute a case once so many years have passed.

"At this point, we're kind of at the mercy of somebody who will call in, who will come across something," he said.

Freeman's murder is one of three open homicides in the county. Both of the other cases, that of missing Myrtle Point teenager Jeremy Bright and the homicide of Eastside resident Frank Pettengill, are more than 10 years old.

Frasier said Freeman's murder changed the investigation landscape for police and the District Attorney's Office. There's been only one other case similar to Freeman's since 2000 in which a girl was found murdered near Bandon. Frasier said all agencies stand up and take more notice when reports of missing juveniles come in.

"Normally, until the police figure out it's not a runaway, we don't try to get involved in those things," he said. "Now, we're a little more concerned."

And Frasier said the District Attorney's Office remains interested in any information that comes up regarding the Freeman case. While leads and information once seemed overwhelming, tips now have slowed to an inconsistent trickle. When possible leads arise, Frasier said investigators are pulled back into the case to check the information.

"We're willing to break away from whatever we're doing, to give the case as much attention as it needs," he said. "If the public knows anything, it might be the key that breaks the thing open."

Frasier said he's not giving up on the case and maintains that eventually, even the most innocuous or minute detail about the investigation could become the missing link that pinpoints who killed Leah Freeman.

"Obviously, as a case gets older and older, the more difficult it is to solve it and or successfully prosecute it," Frasier said. "But I never give up hope. There's always a chance."

http://theworldlink.com/news/local/article_76be5475-4d21-5449-9a0b-e14da41c1b02.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 1:00 pm

Leah Freeman timeline

Posted: Saturday, June 26, 2004 12:00 am

June 28, 2000 - Leah Freeman is last seen on Coquille's Central Avenue where her boyfriend, Nick McGuffin, was supposed to pick her up.

June 29, 2000 - Police survey a home on Fir Street where Freeman was said to be at a party the night before. Police consider Freeman a runaway.

July 3, 2000 - First blood-splotched shoe is found in a cemetery across the street from Coquille High School.

July 5, 2000 - Second shoe is found 13 miles northwest of town in Hudson Ridge.

Aug. 3, 2000 - Leah Freeman's body is found in the forest nine miles east of Coquille. Police say her death was the result of "homicidal violence."

Aug. 10, 2000 - A memorial service is held for Freeman at Coquille High School.

Aug. 22, 2000 - Coquille Police Chief Mike Reaves reports "authority figures" in the community advised potential witnesses in the case not to come forward.

Jan. 2, 2001 - Cory Courtright, Leah Freeman's mother, goes before the Coquille City Council to discuss problems with the Coquille Police Department. Reaves said he would not release any further information until an arrest was made.

June 28, 2001 - The "Justice For Leah" group erects a bench at Sanford Heights Park in Leah Freeman's honor.

http://theworldlink.com/news/local/article_8dc5c8bf-b096-55d6-88d5-4801775e886c.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 1:02 pm

Four years later - Mother still grieves without answers in daugther's murder

Posted: Saturday, June 26, 2004 12:00 am

COQUILLE - When Cory Courtright walks down the street, citizens of Coquille see an average, middle-aged woman. But more than that, an unspoken thought comes immediately to many people's minds: "That's Leah Freeman's mom."

The quiet community hasn't been the same since Courtright's 15-year-old daughter was murdered. The case remains unsolved nearly four years later.

Leah's body was found in a forest about nine miles east of Coquille in August 2000, the result of what police said was "homicidal violence." But the investigation into her death is largely inactive.

"I often think of moving away, but I can't," Courtright said. "There's unfinished business here."

Courtright contends the Coquille Police Department botched the investigation when officers failed to collect evidence from a party scene on the morning of June 29, 2000. Courtright said her daughter had been at the Fir Street home the night prior, when she disappeared.

Police were there. They said they saw beer cans and a white sleeveless T-shirt on the house's deck that morning. The T-shirt matched the description of what Leah was wearing that night, but since it was a man's shirt, police did not seize it. According to court documents, when police returned an hour later after they realized those articles could be of potential significance, the mess had been cleaned and the T-shirt was gone.

Courtright still is angry police labeled her daughter as a possible runaway for close to a week until blood-splotched shoes were found and later shown by DNA tests to be Leah's. Kathy Wilcox, then an Oregon State Police forensic examiner, said in reports that the blood splatter was indicative of a high-impact wound.

One of the shoes was found July 3, 2000, in a cemetery across the street from Coquille High School. A day later, its mate turned up 13 miles northwest of town at Hudson Ridge.

It was to be 37 days before a search by police and citizens turned up Leah's body. Investigators determined it was clear she did not run away, but to this day no information has been released about how she died because the case still is open.

But that's only a technicality, according to Courtright, who believes police are powerless, leaving her fearful that Leah's killer still walks free through the quiet neighborhoods and shop-lined streets of Coquille.

"I will never take any information to any police agency again," Courtright said. "I am sick of the attitude they give and I am sick of being ignored."

Courtright said she believes police already have identified a suspect, but cannot prosecute because of too many missed opportunities to gather evidence. She also believes fear surrounding the case has prevented people with first-hand information from coming forward. From the investigation's outset, it was apparent police were struggling when Coquille Police Chief Mike Reaves said "authority figures, " as he referred to them, in the area were advising potential witnesses not to talk to police.

Dennis Freeman, Leah's father, said he too believes police made wrong assumptions at the time of his daughter's disappearance.

"They made a lot of assumptions for one reason or another. Cory was trying to tell them (Leah) had no reason not to come home and she would never spend the night away without permission," Freeman said, adding he doesn't believe the town's police has adequate resources to deal with a murder case.

"Even if they find who did it, I don't think that would change the loss that we've had," he added.

Without closure and consumed by intense anger, Courtright has taken matters into her own hands, spearheading the creation of a Web site containing all available public information about the case, a Web log for comments and an anonymous e-mail address for tips.

James Murphy, a shoestring relative of Courtright, and John Miles, both of Eugene, are building the site and expect to have it up and running soon on the Web at http://www.leahfreeman.com.

"It's something that needs to be done," Murphy said, "so there's no more rumor mill, so everyone has the public information."

Meanwhile, despite years of pain and confusion, Courtright is trying to focus on good memories of her daughter's short, happy life. She was a bright and bubbly petite girl, braces on her teeth and without a care in the world, waiting for her life to begin, her father said.

"Leah was definitely fun, loving, athletic, beautiful, sweet. I suppose anything good you could say about a person, you could say about her," Courtright said.

And she has not been forgotten.

Courtright recently gave away the fourth $500 scholarship in Leah's name to a Coquille High School student. Monday night, a candlelight vigil will be held in Coquille at Sanford Heights Park where Leah liked to play basketball. A plaque will be placed on a bench and dedicated to the much-loved teenager's memory.

Courtright said the community has been extremely supportive through the family's ordeal.

"Leah's no longer my child. She's Coquille's kid," Courtright said. "And I don't mind sharing her."

Courtright has taken to collecting angel figurines which she places near framed photographs of Leah taken when she was a freshman in high school, the last year of her life. Mementos line the walls of Courtright's bedroom, neatly placed around her daughter's cremated remains.

"I have my own angel now," she said.

In unresolved grief, Courtright's only comfort comes in Leah's last words to her.

"She was so short, you know, so she jumped up and pecked me on the cheek and said 'I love you Mommy' and I said 'I love you, too.' I'm glad it ended like that."

http://theworldlink.com/news/local/article_9de3cccd-f882-5472-bfeb-7d083df57f33.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 1:03 pm

On anniversary, community gathers to mourn

Posted: Tuesday, June 29, 2004 12:00 am

Cory Courtright is comforted by two children Monday evening after a plaque was added to a bench dedicated to her daughter, Leah Freeman, who was murdered four years ago. Courtright spoke briefly to about 40 people who gathered at Sanford Heights Park in Coquille to light candles and be with her family on the anniversary.World Photo by Lou Sennick

COQUILLE - The clouds rolled gently across the sky over the city Monday evening, casting soft shadows over the sad faces of those who came to honor the memory of Leah Freeman, a teenager who was murdered four years ago.

Cory Courtright, Leah's mother, began the somber and informal ceremony at Sanford Heights Park by thanking members of the community she said have helped her through the worst time of her life.

More than 40 people came to the park to listen, watch and light candles, while Courtright dedicated a plaque that will act as Leah's headstone, she said, in a place that holds good memories.

"The 15 years we did have with Leah were happy years," she said.

Courtright also offered a prayer for Brooke Wilberger, a 19-year-old who went missing from Corvallis in May, and the young woman's family who are struggling with something she knows too well.

Courtright said she appreciated the simple gestures most while dealing with her own tragedy. She said Leah's friends were a source of comfort in an otherwise hopeless situation.

"They made my first Mother's Day without her bearable," Courtright said.

Some in the crowd were wearing T-shirts depicting Leah's image and a phrase: "We demand justice for Leah." A Web site was launched Monday, outlining all public documents available for the case and a plea to those with firsthand information about the murder: "Do the right thing."

And so, while they still wait for answers from an investigation that is currently stagnant, Courtright and Dennis Freeman, Leah's father, said they appreciate support from members of the community.

Likewise, Leah's family has not forgotten the community.

"I'm here for them," said Cody Hughlett, a recent Coquille High School graduate who received a $500 scholarship in Leah's name and who will attend the University of Oregon in the fall.

"She touched a lot of lives," Freeman said. "That's the thing about a small town, you know. You know your neighbors' kids as well as your own."

On Monday, people stayed until dusk, sharing their memories of the bright and enthusiastic young girl they once knew, in the park where she loved to play basketball.

"They're able to offer more than I'm able to comprehend," Freeman said. "I've never really been an open person, so it's overwhelming. Coquille is full of great people."

http://theworldlink.com/news/local/article_019c4fd6-ecd4-5421-a3bc-ed5181e627b0.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 1:08 pm

No justice for Leah

Posted: Thursday, June 28, 2007 12:00 am

The Fourth of July is less than a week away, but Cory Courtright would much rather be thinking about a different holiday: Christmas. Specifically Christmas 1999, the last time she celebrated the holiday with her daughter, Leah Freeman.

She really liked Christmas,” Courtright recalled. Every year, we would try and make it real nice, with lights and everything. That year, she put things up with (her cousin) Melissa and they did it all wrong! They had them going every which way.

I had to redo the whole thing and Leah just laughed about it for weeks.”

A smile cracked Courtright's lips and her eyes softened as she recalled this moment from what must seem like a different life: a life without the doubts, without the frustration.

A life with Leah.

Seven years ago today, Leah Freeman disappeared. She was last seen walking up Central Boulevard past McKay's Market - looking upset, by at least one account. A little more than a month later, her body was found about nine miles east of Coquille. Citing insufficient evidence, police have yet to make an arrest in the case.

There are still no answers,” Courtright said. It has been seven years and I do not know how she died. Isn't her birthright as an American to have some justice here?”

Initially, Courtright was told her daughter's death was caused by "homicidal violence.” She thought more information would be forthcoming when she received a death certificate, but disappointment was all she got.

I thought when I got the death certificate it would tell me exactly what happened,” she said. I was shaking when I got it, but in the space for cause of death, it said ‘pending investigation.'”

Finding the person or people responsible for her daughter's death has never seemed within reach to Courtright.

Since Day One, when they told me she was dead, I thought to myself, ‘This is going to be one of those cases that just doesn't get solved.' And that is not OK.”

Much of Courtright's anger is directed toward the Coquille Police Department, which has handled the investigation.

There is not much professionalism being displayed in this case and I don't think there ever has been,” she said. They have messed the case up and that's how we have got here.”

But while sympathetic of Courtright's plight, Coquille Police Chief Michael Reaves is adamant that his department has done and continues to do everything it can to find Leah's killer.

I understand Cory's frustration and it's unfortunate. We have done the best we can do,” he said. Our investigations have been done in a professional and complete manner, including the handling and packaging of evidence. There just wasn't much more we could do with what we had.”

Both Reaves and Coos County's Chief Deputy District Attorney R. Paul Frasier have been involved in the investigation of Freeman's disappearance since 2000. At first, a steady stream of information was forthcoming from area residents, but never enough to issue an arrest warrant.

We have yet to develop evidence sufficient to identify the person who caused her death,” Frasier said.

Frasier said the last tip regarding Leah's death was collected two or three months ago, but nothing came of it.

Although the case receives less attention than it once did, Frasier has not given up hope that it will be solved.

Do we have someone working on this every day? No, we don't. But I never give up hope on these types of cases,” he said. I have this feeling that several people in this community - I don't know specifically who - know exactly what happened. They could lead us to physical evidence or an eyewitness.”

Reaves shares Frasier's optimism and said his department plans to bring in another cold case investigative team soon. Two have worked on the case in the past.

Frasier said the anniversary of Leah's disappearance serves as a good opportunity to ask residents to come forward with information about the case.

In the past, the anniversary also meant candlelight vigils or a plaque dedication at Sanford Heights Park, where Leah liked to play basketball. But this year, nothing has yet been planned.

We have run out of ideas,” Courtright said. Every year, I do something but to be honest, I'm getting really tired. It makes me tired.”

Leah's father, Dennis Freeman, who now lives in Umpqua, avoids thinking about the anniversary as much as possible.

It's a really depressing day for me,” he said. There is no end to it. Never have closure. (Her death) drug us down so low. During and after a ceremony, it's probably the worst day all year.”

What especially bothers Courtright is the fact that both her parents spent the last four years of their lives hoping Leah's killer would face justice. But they died in 2004 without ever knowing what had happened to their grandchild.

That's all my dad wanted. He wanted someone to pay for what was done to her,” she said. He tried so hard to stay alive. It breaks my heart. And I haven't been able to mourn their deaths because this obstacle is in the way.”

Two things have heartened her spirits in recent weeks. The first was the creation of the Concerned Citizens of Coquille, a group that has called for an investigation of the Coquille Police Department. It has formed a Web log with postings offering various complaints against the police. A frequent gripe is the lack of resolution in the Freeman case.

I'm very thankful that I have other citizens that are also having problems with the police department,” Courtright said, noting she plans to attend the Coquille City Council meeting on Monday to air her frustration.

Courtright also has found solace in a present she received this past December from her boyfriend, Jim Murphy. It is a blanket with a photograph of Leah imposed onto the fabric. The picture was taken from their last Christmas together.

She was just sitting in a chair and I took her picture,” Courtright said, wrapping herself in the blanket, the closest thing she can get to a hug from Leah. It's the best picture I have of her.”

The conversation moves on to other matters and her smile wavers. She leans forward, her hair swinging out from behind her head, partially obscuring her face. Tears begin to flow and her voice catches as she fights to keep her composure.

She's no longer thinking about Christmas.

http://theworldlink.com/news/local/article_007c25dd-9cab-5582-809c-71759a210b1a.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 1:09 pm

A mother's letter to her murdered daughter

Posted: Thursday, June 28, 2007 12:00 am

(Now seven years since the disappearance of my daughter Leah Freeman, I still have no answers as to exactly who killed her, or how or why. So many unanswered questions. As her mother, I have always fantasized how great it would be to be able to reach her just one more time. To leave no doubt how much I truly love her.)

Dear Leah,

Wow! What a crazy seven years! Still no justice for you, and I am so sorry for that. But Angel, I do have some positive good things to tell you. Like it's amazing how many people reached out to me when you were missing. So many did searches for you, prayers beyond imagination, flowers, food, gifts; vigils were held. A bench was dedicated in your name. There was a scholarship in your name for seven years; a very nice two-page spread in the yearbook, which was also dedicated to you. There was actually a LeahFreeman.com until recently. Your memorial was beautiful. Lots and lots of people.

Your sister is doing well. She has a husband, Victor, who adores her and is very good to her. Her son, Alton, (5) who just the other day had on his & Justice for Leah” shirt, said, & This is your daughter Granny. She died. I sorry, but I love her.” Her daughter, Leigha (almost 2), has the basset hound eyes, feels the silky on a blanket, and sucks her thumb. (Just like someone else I know!) They are adorable little kids and I wish you could be here to be their & Aunt Leah.”

Denise and I are closer than ever. She has truly been my rock. And she is an excellent mother. I am so proud of her. You couldn't obviously be here for her wedding - but she refused to even think about anyone else being her maid of honor. No one could ever fill those shoes! So there was an empty chair with a pink rose on it for you, who should very much have been there. She misses you like crazy, too!

Your grandparents all have passed away since you. Old age was a big part in their deaths, but I believe all of them also had broken hearts from the loss of you.

While you are truly missed by many, I'm sure no one misses you like I do. So many nights I would sit upstairs at Grandma and Grandpa's house in the bedroom window, staring out at the road hoping and praying you would come walking down Knott Street. (I think it was years before I quit hoping for that to happen - called denial! I still don't want to believe that you are gone.)

Christmas is always hard for me. I go to decorate the house (outside lights) and every time, I remember your last Christmas, when you and Melissa hung the outside lights - nice! I had to redo the whole thing! I laugh about it now, and hold that memory so close to my heart.

The hardest day of the year (except your birthday) is almost here: June 28. I know that it's best for me to try not to reflect much on that day, but it's one I just can't help. It's very painful - like someone is ripping my heart right out of my chest.

I wonder what you would have grown up to be? A PE teacher? Hairdresser? Or maybe even a mother? You had so much going for you. Whatever direction you might have chosen, I know you would have been successful at it.

I believe that those involved in your murder have gone on with their lives and are maybe even having children of their own. That makes me sad for you, because you certainly never got the chance.

Oh Sweet Leah, what I wouldn't do to be able to go back seven years. You would never get out of my sight. Instead, I have your pictures everywhere, your urn is (always) in my room, and always angels in about every corner of the house to remind me always of you.

I miss you my precious baby. I love you. I love you. I love you. Please, please, please KNOW THAT!

Love you forever,

Mom

http://theworldlink.com/news/local/article_d94a8aa5-13fd-54d8-a96b-eb75d77ff561.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 1:16 pm

Coquille needs to focus on future

Posted: Wednesday, June 11, 2008 12:00 am

We expect our police to be ever-present. We expect them to be courteous. And vigilant. Occasionally heroic.

Fallible? Never.

But expectations of perfection are not realistic in any police department. From one-cop shops on up to metropolitan forces, they all make mistakes.

Those of us who live in rural areas and small communities need to understand the special limitations that come with a tiny police team. In Coquille, as the city works through its search for a new police chief, residents need to be patient. They need to trust the city to do a good job replacing Mike Reaves, who is retiring.

The city has an obligation to do a thorough, careful job. It’s reasonable to expect the city to seek a chief who has experience building strong community relationships.

There’s a faction in the community unhappy with the department’s handling of the Leah Freeman murder case, which remains unsolved after eight years. Some of those same people are unhappy with some officers’ demeanor in more recent cases.

The smaller the town, the higher people seem to set their expectations for the people in the blue suits. By the time you get all the way down the road to Coquille, the demands for a responsive police department can be rigid.

Small-town forces are undeniably fallible. Though their officers are competent professionals, they can’t be expected to be forensics experts or specialists in homicide investigation. There’s often not enough money or manpower to allow for specialized training. Cases that can be commonplace in big cities can be rare in towns like Coquille, Bandon or even Coos Bay.

So, yes, police sometimes will make mistakes. They need to be held accountable, but they don’t deserve to be vilified.

The new chief will need an ear for listening and the skills to analyze the department’s weaknesses and opportunities. The people of Coquille need to be willing to step back and let the city do its job.

Coquille has a challenge ahead of it. The hiring committee needs to remain aware of the complaints about the police department’s past, but its focus should remain on finding a leader to move the police department forward.

http://theworldlink.com/news/opinion/editorial/article_2b183a6c-dc5b-566b-9d13-b74f98470794.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 1:16 pm

Coquille remembers slain teenager

Posted: Monday, June 30, 2008 12:00 am

Eight years after slain teenager Leah Freeman's death, Coquille community members still rally to celebrate her life. Approximately 30 family and community members and police officers showed up to celebrate Leah’s life at a candlelight vigil Saturday - the anniversary of the night she went missing.

The occasion served to remind supporters that the homicide case remains open.

Leah's mother, Cory Courtright, held a candle at the vigil.

“Leah was a good person and she didn’t deserve what happened to her,” Courtright said.

Coquille police Sgt. Patrick Smith discusssed the case with the crowd. He said the investigation is ongoing.

"We're here to show support for Cory Courtright and that we are intent to see this case close," Smith said.

Smith also said that there has been a significant update in the case, but apparently not enough to prompt an arrest. He was unwilling to discuss details.

"There will be a day and a time where somebody comes forward with the information we need," he added.

At one point, The Rev. Karl Schray embraced Courtright during the vigil. Schray, who was a pastor in Coquille during Leah's childhood, came to show support for the family.

"I don't want to ever forget her," said Schray. "It's a crime that this case is as cold as cold can get."

http://theworldlink.com/news/local/article_a4f8fe0d-4545-554d-bcc7-0349670f952d.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 1:20 pm

Freeman murder not solved, but not forgotten
By Tim Novotny

Story Published: Jul 2, 2009 at 6:48 PM PDT

COQUILLE, ORE - It has been nine years since a young, teen-age, girl was murdered in Coquille. But, in that time, neither her family nor the investigators involved have wavered in their belief that justice will one day be served.

This June 28th passed in Coquille as too many of those dates have in recent years, with a candlelight vigil to remember the day that 15 year old Leah Freeman disappeared, only to be found murdered several weeks later.

Cory Courtright, Freeman's mother, says it is another part of their effort to keep Leah's story from fading. "I just grab any chance I can to keep her name out in the public where I feel it belongs."

While the case is considered "Cold," Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier and investigators involved in the case say it is still very much active.

"Granted, we don't have someone working on it eight hours a day," says Frasier, "but as soon as something comes in, we're on it."

And, while they have never named any suspects in the case, they have tried to exclude people from consideration when they could. Which is something they have not done when it comes to some young men named in public court documents that were no longer sealed back in 2001.

Frasier says when a tip comes in they look into it and go through the investigative process, " and if it excludes someone, you know, obviously, we know that's not the way to go. All I can say about the documents released a couple years ago is the persons named there have not been excluded as potential suspects."

While that doesn't mean they are any closer to a resolution in the case, two things have happened in the last year to at least offer some promise for the future.

One was the sudden developments in another high profile cold case in Oregon, the case of Stephanie Condon. The sudden developments in that ten year old case have shown how fast things can change.

But, for investigators, the other change is even more important. It is the addition of a new set of eyes to take a closer, and fresher, look at the case.

Coquille Police Chief Mark Dannels says one of the big obstacles that he has faced since coming on board was to actually put the case in chronological order, where it is manageable. "One of the advantages is the fact now they've got some new eyes, a fresh look looking into it, new technology out there for the collection of evidence that we're gonna look at and see if there's some approaches there we can take."

Dannels says they have an obligation, he as Chief and his Department, to see if they can solve this case.

But what it all still seems to boil down to is that, to this point, justice has been denied to a young girl and the family she left behind, for nine years. Nine years where some folks, it is still firmly believed, out of either misplaced loyalty or fear, have helped to deny that justice.

"We challenge anybody, and I encourage anybody that has any new leads or information to contact the Coquille Police Department," says Dannels, "if they want to speak to me personally I welcome that."

For Freeman's mother and her family, Leah's murder just needs to be solved, "it needs to end...Leah deserves that."

To find out more about the case you can visit the website leahfreeman.com. Family and friends are also planning a second candlelight vigil this year for August 3rd, to commemorate the day in 2000 when Leah's body was found.

http://www.kval.com/news/local/49772942.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 1:21 pm

It's time to solve Leah's murder

Posted: Thursday, October 29, 2009 12:00 am

Nearly a decade ago, my daughter’s life was cut tragically short when she was murdered at 15 years old in Coquille.

My daughter is Leah Freeman and today, Oct. 29, she would have turned 25. As I endure this painful anniversary I am again reminded of everything that was taken away from Leah and everything that could have been. Since I can’t do anything about that, I do what I can — fight for her justice.

This is why I am making a public plea to Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier and Coquille Police Chief Mark Dannels to dedicate a cold case team to re-investigate Leah’s murder. Leah’s murder remains unsolved and as far as I am aware local law enforcement has done little in recent years to effectively investigate her case. There has been a lot of turmoil and personnel changes at the Coquille Police Department in recent years, and partly due to that I don’t think her case has been properly handled.

The only concrete information I have in regards to Leah’s murder investigation is from legal documents released several years ago discussing initial phases of the investigation; these documents can be found at http://www.leahfreeman.com/documents.htm. I am not aware of anything else that has gone on in the case since that point in time.

Coquille Police Chief Mark Dannels needs to do more than follow up on tips that periodically come in regarding the case. Paul Frasier needs to assign a dedicated team to go back and look through all of the files again, re-interview everyone involved and re-examine all of the evidence. Until this happens Leah’s murderer is still free. I miss my daughter horribly and want to see justice done, but I also don’t want her murderer roaming free and posing a threat to our community.

My family is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. If you have information regarding my daughter’s murder, please contact the Coquille Police Department at 396-2114 or Coos Stop Crime at 267-6666.

http://theworldlink.com/news/opinion/mailbag/article_7760ca51-d535-54fc-810a-bfe28ce45482.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 1:25 pm

Justice for Leah: Cold case heats up

By KCBY.com staff
Story Published: Jan 25, 2010 at 5:51 PM PDT

COQUILLE, Ore. -- Over a month after 15-year-old Leah Freeman disappeared from Coquille in June 2000, her body was found off a nearby dirt road.

The investigation into her death went cold long ago. Now, almost 10 years later, the investigation is heating up again: as of Sunday, the Freeman murder case was active again.

Coquille Police Chief Mark Dannels and Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier made the announcement Monday. The two have been putting in a lot of hours on the road doing some extensive work on the decade-old homicide investigation.

"The case has been revitalized from all aspects, all the way from the evidence, all the way from the leads, all the way from the files," Dannels said. "New technology has been applied, new leads have been added that weren't there initially to bring this case to a point where we're comfortable today that we can take this case, hopefully, into some resolution."

Freeman was last seen alive on June 28, 2000. Ever since her body was discovered, a little over a month later, investigators have only disclosed that she died as a result of homicidal violence.

For the past 10 years, her mother, Cory Courtright, has been working hard to keep her daughter's death in the public eye, but even she was surprised by the sudden re-opening of the case.

"I was just shocked," said Cory Courtright, Freeman's mother. "I had no idea this was coming and I was surprised and very excited. Very excited."

"A lot of cold cases, people look at it as time can be a negative thing," Dannels said. "Time can also be a very positive thing because of many reasons we won't go into today, but it's helping us."

Police will be taking tipline calls 24 hours a day at (541) 396-2114.

http://www.kval.com/news/local/82645927.html

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Freeman murder: Investigators start new interviews

Posted: Monday, January 25, 2010 12:00 am

COQUILLE — Cory Courtright knew when the police car pulled into her driveway Sunday something was up. It will be 10 years ago this June that her daughter, Leah Freeman, disappeared.

Today, Coos County District Attorney R. Paul Frasier publicly announced why he and Coquille's police chief visited Courtright. They’re creating a special cold case team to focus on solving her daughter’s murder.

“I’ve been demanding a cold case for months, maybe years now and was just kind of shrugged off about it,” Courtright said.

Now she knows why.

Frasier and Coquille Police Chief Mark Dannels held a press conference in Coquille, announcing there are new leads in the case. The DA still refuses to say how Leah died, but the cold case team has begun doing new interviews.

The 15-year-old disappeared June 28, 2000. Thirty-seven days later, investigators found her body in the brush off Fairview Road.

“My confidence certainly has been boosted immensely,” said Courtright, 53, following the press conference.

The DA said investigators hit the case hard for a year, but wound down in 2001.

“We started running out of things we could do,” Frasier said.

With a new Coquille police chief, about 15 months ago Frasier began rethinking how to approach the investigation. Now, about 25 officers and support staff will focus on the investigation. The team will include members from the Coquille, Coos Bay, North Bend and Bandon police departments, along with Oregon State Police, Coos County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon Department of Justice representatives.

http://theworldlink.com/news/local/article_044a1b9b-3466-5a89-b47a-3e70e5b2260c.html

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Investigators think time may be right for justice in Freeman case
By Tim Novotny KCBY News

Story Published: Jan 26, 2010 at 7:28 PM PDT

COQUILLE, ORE - The news seemed to have broken out of the blue, as investigators called their first press conference in the Leah Freeman investigation in about nine years. But it was actually many months in the making.

Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier and Coquille Police Chief Mark Dannels came together to announce that the investigation into the 2000 murder of the 15-year old Coquille girl was indeed gaining momentum.

They were not going to go into any great detail as to why this was able to happen now, but the discussion at the press conference seemed to suggest three main reasons.

First, it all started with about a year and a half of hard work by investigators, headed-up by Chief Dannels, organizing years of information into a more manageable system.

Once they were able to achieve that, they could then start looking into the changes in technology that could help them find evidence that was not available to them back in 2000. Again, they would not go into detail on what kind of technology, or lab work, they were looking into but did seem excited by the possibilities.

Finally, they say time has helped as people who were reluctant to talk to investigators eight or nine years ago are now willing to sit down and meet with law enforcement.

The one thing that has remained the same is the desire of all involved to bring justice Leah and her family, its just that now there is a newfound confidence that justice could come sooner rather than later.

Anyone with information, new or old, on the Leah Freeman case is urged to call Coquille Police at 541-396-2114.

A $10,000 reward has been established for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the death of 15 year old Leah Freeman.

http://www.kval.com/news/local/82753412.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 1:26 pm

Hunting a killer
Coquille reopens Freeman case

Posted: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 12:00 am

COQUILLE — Ten years have passed since investigators found Leah Freeman's body discarded in the woods east of Coquille. They never caught her killer.

Now, they're hoping their luck will change.

Investigators in a newly activated cold case team knocked on doors Sunday in hope of cracking the case that eluded others in 2000.

"Basically we've treated the case as if it occurred yesterday," said Coos County District Attorney R. Paul Frasier. "It's like we've started from scratch."

At a press conference held Monday at Coquille City Hall, Frasier and Coquille Police Chief Mark Dannels announced they've reopened the 15-year-old's murder case.

"(We) will not rest until this team is confident that we have brought justice to Leah," Dannels told a group of reporters and Freeman's family members.

They broke the news to Leah's mother, Cory Courtright, on Sunday during an unexpected visit to her home.

The 53-year-old said she had no idea the investigation had been resurrected.

"I've been demanding a cold case for months, maybe for years, now, and was just of shrugged off," Courtright said. "Now, I know why."

She'd almost given up hope.

"You can't help it, when you don't know anything," she said. "I was beginning to think that Leah had been forgotten. That obviously wasn't the case."

The DA refused to discuss Leah's cause of death or suspects in the case. Her death certificate describes it only as "homicidal violence," he said.

Frasier said he wanted to reopen the case shortly after Dannels took his position at the head of the police department. They began working together to form an investigative team in fall 2008.

The district attorney had worked on the original case while serving as the special narcotics prosecutor for the South Coast Interagency Narcotics Team. He'd been tapped, he said, because investigators saw him as a guru on search and seizure law and needed his expertise while searching for Leah's body following her disappearance on June 28, 2000.

The teen was last seen after 9 that night, walking on Central Avenue where her boyfriend, Nick McGuffin, was supposed to pick her up. The next day, Courtright said she became worried at about 3:30 a.m., when she realized her daughter wasn't home. After searching for the teen that morning she called police.

That day, officers went to a home on Fir Street where they believe Freeman attended a party the night before, but they considered her a runaway.

Then on July 3, someone found her blood-splotched shoe in a cemetery across the street from Coquille High School. Her other shoe was discovered 13 miles northwest of town in Hudson Ridge.

Following a 30-plus day hunt, searchers found Leah's body on Aug. 3 in a wooded area on Lee Valley Road near Fairview, about 10 miles from town.

Frasier said the Coquille Police Department believed Leah to be a runaway for about three days before they called the FBI for assistance. Soon after they called in the county's major crime team. He personally put hundreds of hours into the case, but efforts died down in early 2001.

"We started running out of things we could do," he said.

This time around, he and Dannels believe a thorough re-examination of the case — including 4,400 pages of documents — paired with new technology, new leads and the potential witnesses will be more likely to speak after a decade, could give them the edge they need to finally put Leah's killer in shackles.

Since they began revitalizing the case, Dannels and Frasier said they've clocked hundreds of hours and driven about 5,000 miles together to conduct interviews and talk to experts.

Frasier said he's confident that most, if not all, the people connected to the case have remained in Coos County.

The cold case team is made up of investigators involved with the original investigation or who possess an expertise to assist in the case's reorganization. They include about 25 officers from Coquille, Coos Bay, Bandon and North Bend police departments, along with the Coos County Sheriff's Office, Oregon State Police, and the Department of Justice.

Larry Leader, a retired sheriff's lieutenant who worked on the original case, said he believes investigators have a good shot.

"I think initially, it wasn't organized well enough," Leader said.

He also contends original investigators wasted precious hours because they believed Leah was a runaway.

Now a criminal justice instructor at Southwestern Oregon Community College, specializing in interviews, Leader said he's reviewed old interviews and will help with new ones. Having looked over old documents, he said he's already identified leads.

http://theworldlink.com/news/local/article_06515210-7b7b-5ab0-a889-130b512561b5.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 1:28 pm

Reward for a mother's persistence

Posted: Thursday, January 28, 2010 12:00 am

Years of agitation finally brought renewed hope for Cory Courtright this week.

Courtright has tirelessly badgered the district attorney and Coquille community to remember her slain daughter, Leah Freeman. Some people have criticized her for efforts that sometimes have bordered on fanaticism. But honestly, can any parent be condemned for doggedness in such circumstances? We all could do better by saluting her, along with the district attorney and Coquille's police chief, for making sure Freeman's slaying doesn't go unsolved for lack of substantial evidence or a thorough investigation.

Paul Frasier is a talented prosecutor, who knows from painful experience that shoddy police work early in a case can leave a family forever despairing. Deborah Lillie was bludgeoned to death in her Coquille home in 1994, and her mother pushed authorities to pursue the case. The DA's office, however, was unable to prove guilt. As deputy DA in 2003, Frasier prosecuted the case for more than a week, only to watch it dissolve in 16 hours. Jurors anguished over thin evidence and finally acquitted the defendant.

Police also made mistakes in the early days of investigating Leah Freeman's disappearance. Discounting Courtright's fears, they wasted valuable time believing the 15-year-old was just a runaway. They delayed searches, leaving her killer time to erase evidence.

The investigation will be more difficult this time around. Coquille has a stronger police department now, and a better backup team of investigators, but they will need the community's help. People have information that could be useful, and they should divulge it.

No family should have to wait years to see a murder suspect arraigned, much less spend a lifetime lamenting law enforcement mistakes that let a killer remain free.

http://theworldlink.com/news/opinion/editorial/article_4dad98f8-5749-51b2-abbf-9fb6bce7bf93.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 1:28 pm

Still in limbo
Ten years after child’s death, Coquille mother can’t move on

Posted: Saturday, February 27, 2010 12:00 am

COQUILLE — Parents of murdered victims all have one thing in common: They need answers.

“They want to know how they died. They want to know the details. I think what they want to know is, ‘did they suffer?’” said Maureen Knudsen, director of the Coos County Victim Assistance Program.

Cory Courtright still has a lot of questions about her daughter’s death in 2000. The mother of Leah Freeman, a Coquille 15-year-old whose body was found six weeks after she disappeared, Courtright has never learned exactly how her child died.

To this day, police haven’t charged Leah’s killer.

“That’s what gets me — the not knowing,” Courtright said. “This was my child. I think any mother would want those answers.”

Police closed the case in early 2001 after exhausting leads.

“Whenever I’m sick or sad or whatever, I always want my mom; and I wonder if that is what she wanted in her final hours,” Courtright said.

But Courtright couldn’t move on. She started going to Coquille City Council meetings, first asking and then demanding investigators reopen the case. For 10 frustrating years, Courtright said, her life has been put on hold while she has waited to finally understand what happened to her youngest child.

“Someone has walked free for 10 years knowing they killed her and they’ve gotten away with it for this long,” she said. “Someone put the brakes on my life 10 years ago.”

Last month, a group of investigators reopened the cold case.

Courtright said that if the case is finally resolved and her questions answered, she’ll be able to move on with her life. Her sister, Carrie Ann Shields, said Courtright’s main focus in life is Leah.

She and Courtright said they are hoping that will soon change.

“I just think her killer behind bars would put my mind at ease,” Courtright said. “Maybe I’ll be able to spend more time with my grandkids and my daughter I have left. … I won’t know until this is all behind me.”

http://theworldlink.com/news/local/article_43ee1b7b-e361-5086-b45b-62fec4e72194.html

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Cold case: Teen was snatched from street, killed

March 30, 2010

New York (CNN) -- Leah Freeman, a 15-year-old high school sophomore, vanished from the street near her home in Coquille, Oregon, leaving one tennis shoe behind on the sidewalk.

Police believe she was snatched by someone while walking home from her best friend's house as it was beginning to get dark on June 28, 2000. Leah lived with her grandparents, her mother and her older sister, Denise.

More than a month later, her body was found on the outskirts of Fairview, a neighboring village in Oregon.

"The last time I saw my daughter was that afternoon," said Leah's mother, Cory Courtright. "She was so happy. She and her boyfriend were washing the windshield of his car and horsing around with the wet sponge. It was 4 p.m. and she jumped and kissed me on the cheek and told me she loved me before [she] took off."

Courtright said Leah's boyfriend dropped her off at the home of her best friend, Sherrie Mitchell, and was to pick her up at 9 p.m.

She said she later learned from the Mitchells and from police that the two friends had a spat because Sherrie's mother wouldn't let her go jogging with Leah after dark. Leah overheard the argument between her friend and her mother, and then the two girls argued. Leah angrily left the Mitchell home before her boyfriend arrived to pick her up.

At about 10:15 p.m., the boyfriend called Courtright from the Mitchells' house to ask whether Leah had arrived home.

Friends of Leah's boyfriend later told police and her family that he had been partying at Johnson Mill Pond before he arrived to pick up Leah. According to the police and Courtright, "partying at the pond" meant smoking marijuana.

Leah and her boyfriend often argued about his occasional use of marijuana. It was a bone of contention between them, says Courtright.

Courtright reported Leah missing to police the next morning.

Police found Leah's boyfriend and his best friend at a relative's home in the neighborhood, where they had been with Leah the day she vanished.

According to Coquille Police Chief Mark Dannels, the front porch was littered with empty beer cans. Police also noticed a white men's tank top, which investigators initially assumed belonged to one of the boys.

Later, police learned that Leah had been wearing a white men's tank top when she vanished. When police returned to the house, the tank top was gone and the place was cleaned up.

Police executed search warrants on the boyfriend's family's home and vehicles. They discovered that the trunk of the car he drove had been recently gutted. His father told police there had been a fuel leak so the trunk liner, the spare tire, jack and tire iron had to be removed, Dannels said.

Police also learned from neighbors that the family held a bonfire in their yard the day after Leah disappeared.

The mate to Leah's lost shoe was found along a dirt road in Fairview nearly a week after she disappeared. Forensic testing showed blood spatter on the bottom of the shoe. The sample matched Leah's blood and experts determined a pattern consistent with medium- to high-velocity blood spatter, which can happen when an object -- a bullet or a car, for example -- hits a person while traveling at high speed.

Leah Freeman's body was found on August 8 in the woods along the dirt road where her shoe was found.

"We are holding back information on the exact cause of death to protect our investigation," Dannels said. He also would not comment on whether Leah's body was fully clothed or whether she had been sexually assaulted.

Police have not publicly named any suspects. However, Dannels said Leah's boyfriend and friends are a focus of their investigation

"Recently, the boyfriend and his family came to us saying they wished to clear their son's name and wanted to cooperate and help in our investigation," Dannels said. CNN's calls to the boyfriend and his attorney were not returned.

In January, a cold case team of more than 20 members from several jurisdictions was appointed to reinvestigate the case.

Asked why the case is being re-investigated after 10 years, Dannels told CNN that witnesses are more mature now and are coming forward to help provide more information. And, he said, newer forensic technological advances allow police to re-evaluate the evidence gathered 10 years ago.

"We feel strongly that we will have an arrest in this case," Dannels says.

A $10,000 reward is being offered to anyone who has any information leading to the arrest of those responsible for Leah Freeman's death. The tip line for the Coquille Police Department is 541-396-2114.

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/03/29/grace.coldcase.freeman/index.html

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Police hope lab results will solve teen's decade-old murder

By Kristina Nelson KCBY News
Story Published: Mar 31, 2010 at 5:49 PM PDT

COQUILLE, Ore. - Lab results expected by the end of April could help solve the decade-old murder of 15-year-old Leah Freeman, law enforcement officials said.

Coquille Police Chief Mark Dannels on Wednesday said evidence discovered during the current investigation into the murder was sent to crime labs in the Midwest and in Oregon. Results are expected back by the end of April.

Freeman was last seen alive on June 28, 2000. Her body was discovered a little over a month later.

The case was publicly re-opened in January of this year.

The family of Nick McGuffin, Leah's boyfriend at the time and a long time person of interest in the case, had come forward late last year to help investigators and to clear his name, Dannels said.

Even though the family initially came forward voluntarily, Dannels noted things haven't gone smoothly since.

"Our job at Coquille Police Department is to prove who did this, whether that be a boyfriend or somebody else. When we opened the case to the public in January, three days after, we received a letter from the boyfriend's attorney that he had lawyered up, we have not talked to him," said Dannels. "They have not been cooperative with law enforcement. They made a decision which is their right, and it doesn't change our focus, doesn't change what we need to do, and that is to prove, bring our resolution to the person that killed Leah Freeman."

McGuffin is being represented by Eugene attorney Bob Mcrea.

KCBY News spoke with Mcrea by phone Wednesday. He said he advised his client not to speak with the media at this time.

http://www.kval.com/news/local/89648827.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 1:29 pm

Freeman press conference Friday

Posted: Monday, June 21, 2010 11:00 am

COQUILLE - Law enforcement authorities have scheduled a press conference regarding the Leah Freeman murder investigation.

The Coquille 15-year-old disappeared 10 years ago. Her body was found six weeks later, but no arrests ever were made in the case.

Authorities gave no hints about the nature of Friday's announcement.

The press conference will be held at 9 a.m. Friday in the Coquille City Hall council chambers. The public is welcome

http://theworldlink.com/news/local/article_8b82141c-7d5e-11df-9e15-001cc4c002e0.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 1:30 pm

Ten years of evidence in Freeman case set to go to Grand Jury

By Tim Novotny KCBY News
Story Published: Jun 25, 2010 at 12:03 PM PDT

COQUILLE, Ore. - Ten years ago this Monday, 15-year-old Leah Freeman vanished from the Coquille area.

Her body turned up a month later.

Cause of death: homicidal violence.

Her killer has never been brought to justice.

The public is invited to attend a candlelight vigil on Monday, June 28, at the Coquille High School. The vigil begins at 8:45 p.m.

Leah's mother Cory Courtright will be mourning yet another year without justice for her daughter. Although, she said, this year there is a renewed feeling of hope.

Coquille police and the Coos County district attorney re-opened the Leah Freeman case in January.

With a decade's worth of evidence lined up in thick binders behind them, Coquille Police Chief Mark Dannels and Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier held a press conference in Coquille on Friday, June 25.

The news: Frasier would take the case to a grand jury and ask for an indictment.

"If they feel an indictment against someone should be returned, they'll do that," he said. "If they don't, they'll let me know that, too. If they want other stuff done, we'll do it. But at this point, I think, the grand jury is where we need to go in the case."

Frasier warned that the grand jury process can be a lengthy one, particularly with the amount of evidence in this case.

Frasier expects to call 100 witnesses to testify before the grand jury.

It is not yet known when the process will even start, perhaps July, but once it does it may take two or three months to complete. The proceedings are not open to the public.

http://www.kval.com/news/local/97176109.html

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2000 homicide may be solved

Posted: Friday, June 25, 2010 11:03 am

COQUILLE -- Less than three days from the 10-year anniversary of her disappearance, authorities say Leah Freeman's homicide is on its way to a grand jury.

'I'm confident we've identified a suspect in this case," said Coquille Police Chief Mark Dannels.

Coos County District Attorney R. Paul Frasier said whether the case holds water will be up to a grand jury. He said he plans to ask presiding Judge Richard Barron to appoint a grand jury specifically for the case.

Frasier hopes to meet with the jurors once or twice a week to review the facts of 15-year-old Leah's death. He expects the hearings to take two to three months, with more than 100 witnesses.

'We're not going to arrest anybody until the grand jury tells us," Frasier said.

Authorities, who called a Friday press conference to announce their plans, did not name the suspect.

Cory Courtright, Leah's mother, said she is optimistic that someone will pay for her daughter's death.

'I'm just going to keep my fingers crossed and pray that everything turns out the way it should," Courtright said in an interview with The World. 'Do I think they'll solve this case? Yeah, I do ... I hope so, anyway."

Leah disappeared on June 28, 2000. She was last seen at 9 that night, walking on Central Avenue where her boyfriend, Nick McGuffin, was scheduled to pick her up. By 3:30 the next morning, Courtright noticed Leah hadn't returned home.

When Courtright reported her daughter missing, the Coquille Police Department initially treated the case as a runaway incident. That changed on July 3, when someone found the girl's bloody shoe in a cemetery near Coquille High School.

Her killer was never found, and the case lost momentum by early 2001.

'Ten years is a long time for a family to have to endure this kind of pain with no answers. But we still have to go on," Courtright said. 'She deserves justice and she deserves to be remembered and honored on days like the day she disappeared."

To this day, investigators refuse to reveal how Leah died. Her death certificate lists her cause of death in general terms: homicidal violence. Frasier and Dannels said details have been kept confidential to help weed out false tips.

Since Dannels and Frasier announced they had reopened the case exactly six months ago, the investigation has involved a team of 35 law officers, representing nearly every police department in Coos County, including Oregon State Police, the Coos County Sheriff's Office and the Department of Justice.

The team has re-examined more than 100 pieces of evidence and countless hours of investigation, a press release said. The Coquille Police Department alone has spent more than $42,000 on overtime and $7,000 for travel and other costs.

The DA said he's been up nights with about 5,500 pages of documents.

'We haven't been sitting on our hands, that's for sure," Frasier said.

Officers have visited Washington, Arizona, Utah, Colorado and London's New Scotland Yard since the investigation began in 2000.

During the most recent round of investigation, Frasier and Dannels presented the case in January to the Vidocq Society, a crime-solving organization based in Philadelphia. According to its website, Vidocq members 'evaluate, investigate, refocus, revivify and solve the unsolved deaths officially brought to them."

While the group didn't solve the case, the society members gave local investigators some ideas on how to re-approach it, Frasier said.

With the society's help, and with witnesses who have been more willing to cooperate as adults than they were as teens, Dannels said he's confident his team has nearly completed its work.

'We're at the finale of it," Dannels said. 'The grand jury is the next step here."

http://theworldlink.com/news/local/article_785620bf-584a-5ea5-b71a-dc666dca0d47.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 1:31 pm

Police have suspect in 2000 Ore. teen slaying

Posted: Friday, June 25, 2010 5:30 pm

A decade after she vanished, police say they have a suspect in the disappearance and death of a 15-year-old girl on the Oregon coast.

"I'm confident we've identified a suspect in this case," Coquille Police Chief Mark Dannels told a news conference Friday at City Hall.

Leah Freeman disappeared June 28, 2000, just before her boyfriend was scheduled to pick her up. The case was treated as a possible runaway until the girl's bloody shoe was found a few days later in a cemetery near Coquille High School.

Her other blood-spattered shoe was found on a dirt road far out of town before her body was discovered about a month later down a steep embankment off a curving country road.

Coos County District Attorney R. Paul Frasier said Friday he plans to ask Presiding Judge Richard Barron to appoint a grand jury specifically for the case.

Frasier hopes to meet with the jurors once or twice a week to review the facts during hearings expected to take two to three months, with more than 100 witnesses.

He declined to identify the suspect or give more details.

'We're not going to arrest anybody until the grand jury tells us," Frasier said.

Cory Courtright, Leah's mother, said she hopes someone will finally pay for her daughter's death.

"I'm just going to keep my fingers crossed and pray that everything turns out the way it should," Courtright told The World newspaper in Coos Bay. "Do I think they'll solve this case? Yeah, I do. I hope so, anyway."

Since Dannels and Frasier announced they had reopened the case six months ago, the investigation has involved a team of 35 law officers, representing nearly every police department in Coos County, including the Oregon State Police, the Coos County sheriff's office and the Department of Justice.

The team has re-examined more than 100 pieces of evidence and countless hours of investigation, a statement said. The Coquille Police Department alone has spent more than $42,000 on overtime and $7,000 for travel and other costs.

Frasier said he's been up nights with about 5,500 pages of documents.

"We haven't been sitting on our hands, that's for sure," Frasier said.

Officers have visited Washington, Arizona, Utah, Colorado and London's New Scotland Yard since the investigation began in 2000.

During the most recent round of investigation, Frasier and Dannels presented the case in January to the Vidocq Society, a crime-solving organization based in Philadelphia. According to its website, Vidocq members "evaluate, investigate, refocus, revivify and solve the unsolved deaths officially brought to them."

While the group didn't solve the case, the society members gave local investigators some ideas on how to re-approach it, Frasier said.

Investigators have refused to reveal how Leah died. Her death certificate lists her cause of death in general terms: homicidal violence. Frasier and Dannels said details have been kept confidential to help weed out false tips.

Her mother hopes it will all finally come to an end.

"Ten years is a long time for a family to have to endure this kind of pain with no answers. But we still have to go on," Courtright said. "She deserves justice and she deserves to be remembered and honored on days like the day she disappeared."

http://theworldlink.com/news/national/article_14ea1fe5-298c-52ed-b043-0c39e7d712da.html

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Teen girl's slaying unsolved 10 years later

By Tim Novotny KCBY News and KCBY.com staff
Story Published: Jun 25, 2010 at 12:35 PM PDT

COQUILLE, Ore. - Ten years ago this Monday, 15-year-old Leah Freeman vanished from the Coquille area.

Her body turned up a month later.

Cause of death: homicidal violence.

Her killer has never been brought to justice.

The public is invited to attend a candlelight vigil on Monday, June 28, at the Coquille High School. The vigil begins at 8:45 p.m.

Leah's mother Cory Courtright will be mourning yet another year without justice for her daughter. Although, she said, this year there is a renewed feeling of hope.

Coquille police and the Coos County district attorney re-opened the Leah Freeman case in January.

With a decade's worth of evidence lined up in thick binders behind them, Coquille Police Chief Mark Dannels and Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier held a press conference in Coquille on Friday, June 25.

The news: Frasier would take the case to a grand jury and ask for an indictment.

"If they feel an indictment against someone should be returned, they'll do that," he said. "If they don't, they'll let me know that, too. If they want other stuff done, we'll do it. But at this point, I think, the grand jury is where we need to go in the case."

Frasier warned that the grand jury process can be a lengthy one, particularly with the amount of evidence in this case.

Frasier expects to call 100 witnesses to testify before the grand jury.

It is not yet known when the process will even start, perhaps July, but once it does it may take two or three months to complete. The proceedings are not open to the public.

http://www.kval.com/news/local/97178559.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 1:34 pm

The last vigil?
Renewed hope surrounds 10th annual gathering

Posted: Tuesday, June 29, 2010 11:00 am

COQUILLE -- By this time next year, Cory Courtright finally may lay down the mantle of her 10-year quest for justice, and put her daughter's spirit to rest.

It's Courtright's most cherished hope.

On the 10th anniversary of Leah Freeman's disappearance, the 54-year-old Courtright wept as she led what she hopes will be the final candlelight vigil before Leah's case is solved.

'I am a 10-year-survivor of a parent's worst nightmare," Courtright said. 'Who, in life, ever anticipates they would spend the latter years of their life searching for justice for one of their kids?"

A group of about 60 people came to the vigil, held in the parking lot of Coquille High School, where Leah attended ninth grade. Under a thick cover of clouds, people sniffled and stood solemnly as Courtright shared memories of her vivacious child and thanked them for a decade of support. To her right stood a table laden with bouquets and three photos of Leah. To her left, a clump of pink balloons swayed in the night air.

'If only I could go back in time," she said. 'I want that one more kiss on the cheek. That one last goodbye. That one last 'I love you.'"

Leah disappeared June 28, 2000. She was last seen at about 9 p.m., walking on Central Avenue where her boyfriend, Nick McGuffin, was supposed to pick her up. The next day, Courtright told police her child hadn't come home. Investigators believed Leah had run away, until someone found one of her blood-splattered shoes in a cemetery across from the school. The case went cold by early 2001.

Last week, Coquille Police Chief Mark Dannels announced that investigators have a suspect, and District Attorney R. Paul Frasier plans to present evidence and about 100 witnesses to a grand jury in coming months.

Dannels, who attended Monday's vigil, said he had already resurrected the case when he came to the memorial last year, although Courtright didn't know it at the time.

'Hopefully, next year's vigil will have a lot of answers to you," Dannels said. 'No matter what happens, we won't give up."

Bending down behind the table, Courtright released two metallic balloons into the air. The first, for Leah, she did alone. For the second, she invited her friend Cindy Gisholt -- the mother of murder victim Jayme Austin -- to help her. Gisholt called Austin's two daughters forward, and the girls and women embraced as the balloon tumbled upward. At that moment, the cluster of pink balloons, intended to represent all murder victims, pulled loose from a bench and flew off.

'Bless your heart, Cory," one woman said.

Although it wasn't quite dark, nearly everyone in the gathering lit a candle for Leah. Some shared memories, while others went to console Courtright.

Gisholt praised her friend for her perseverance. The two women have known each other since they were teens. Now they share the experience of losing a child to homicide.

'You have somebody guiding you because I would not have lasted 10 years," Gisholt said. 'You're a very strong woman, and I'm proud to know you."

Leah's cousin, Melissa Beebe, who wore a T-shirt bearing an image of Leah's face, also praised Courtright for her strength.

'God bless you. This is all going to get better," Beebe said.

Neighbor Peggy Mitchell, whose daughter had been a close friend of Leah's, said they hadn't attended the annual vigils in recent years.

'We came to this one because it feels like we're coming to some conclusion here," Mitchell said. 'There's hope."

Her 24-year-old daughter, Cherie, agreed.

'Maybe it won't be looking for justice for Leah, it will be Leah having justice," Cherie Mitchell said.

No matter the outcome of the case, Courtright said she is grateful to investigators who reopened her daughter's case.

'My only wish is that you all could have known her. I guarantee you, if you did or do, it would make all your efforts worthwhile," she said.

She saved her final words for her child:

'I love you sweet angel, Leah. I always will. You, my loving daughter are not and will not be forgotten. Rest in peace my child, I will see you again someday."

http://theworldlink.com/news/local/article_6462f86b-abe6-558b-be5c-ac757deab098.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 1:44 pm

Cold case: Teen was snatched from street, killed

March 30, 2010

New York (CNN) -- Leah Freeman, a 15-year-old high school sophomore, vanished from the street near her home in Coquille, Oregon, leaving one tennis shoe behind on the sidewalk.

Police believe she was snatched by someone while walking home from her best friend's house as it was beginning to get dark on June 28, 2000. Leah lived with her grandparents, her mother and her older sister, Denise.

More than a month later, her body was found on the outskirts of Fairview, a neighboring village in Oregon.

"The last time I saw my daughter was that afternoon," said Leah's mother, Cory Courtright. "She was so happy. She and her boyfriend were washing the windshield of his car and horsing around with the wet sponge. It was 4 p.m. and she jumped and kissed me on the cheek and told me she loved me before [she] took off."

Courtright said Leah's boyfriend dropped her off at the home of her best friend, Sherrie Mitchell, and was to pick her up at 9 p.m.

She said she later learned from the Mitchells and from police that the two friends had a spat because Sherrie's mother wouldn't let her go jogging with Leah after dark. Leah overheard the argument between her friend and her mother, and then the two girls argued. Leah angrily left the Mitchell home before her boyfriend arrived to pick her up.

At about 10:15 p.m., the boyfriend called Courtright from the Mitchells' house to ask whether Leah had arrived home.

Friends of Leah's boyfriend later told police and her family that he had been partying at Johnson Mill Pond before he arrived to pick up Leah. According to the police and Courtright, "partying at the pond" meant smoking marijuana.

Leah and her boyfriend often argued about his occasional use of marijuana. It was a bone of contention between them, says Courtright.

Courtright reported Leah missing to police the next morning.

Police found Leah's boyfriend and his best friend at a relative's home in the neighborhood, where they had been with Leah the day she vanished.

According to Coquille Police Chief Mark Dannels, the front porch was littered with empty beer cans. Police also noticed a white men's tank top, which investigators initially assumed belonged to one of the boys.

Later, police learned that Leah had been wearing a white men's tank top when she vanished. When police returned to the house, the tank top was gone and the place was cleaned up.

Police executed search warrants on the boyfriend's family's home and vehicles. They discovered that the trunk of the car he drove had been recently gutted. His father told police there had been a fuel leak so the trunk liner, the spare tire, jack and tire iron had to be removed, Dannels said.

Police also learned from neighbors that the family held a bonfire in their yard the day after Leah disappeared.

The mate to Leah's lost shoe was found along a dirt road in Fairview nearly a week after she disappeared. Forensic testing showed blood spatter on the bottom of the shoe. The sample matched Leah's blood and experts determined a pattern consistent with medium- to high-velocity blood spatter, which can happen when an object -- a bullet or a car, for example -- hits a person while traveling at high speed.

Leah Freeman's body was found on August 8 in the woods along the dirt road where her shoe was found.

"We are holding back information on the exact cause of death to protect our investigation," Dannels said. He also would not comment on whether Leah's body was fully clothed or whether she had been sexually assaulted.

Police have not publicly named any suspects. However, Dannels said Leah's boyfriend and friends are a focus of their investigation

"Recently, the boyfriend and his family came to us saying they wished to clear their son's name and wanted to cooperate and help in our investigation," Dannels said. CNN's calls to the boyfriend and his attorney were not returned.

In January, a cold case team of more than 20 members from several jurisdictions was appointed to reinvestigate the case.

Asked why the case is being re-investigated after 10 years, Dannels told CNN that witnesses are more mature now and are coming forward to help provide more information. And, he said, newer forensic technological advances allow police to re-evaluate the evidence gathered 10 years ago.

"We feel strongly that we will have an arrest in this case," Dannels says.

A $10,000 reward is being offered to anyone who has any information leading to the arrest of those responsible for Leah Freeman's death. The tip line for the Coquille Police Department is 541-396-2114.

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/03/29/grace.coldcase.freeman/index.html

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Suspect identified in teen’s 2000 killing; grand jury to hear case

By Jack Moran
The Register-Guard
Appeared in print: Saturday, June 26, 2010, page A1

COQUILLE — A decade after a Coquille teen-ager vanished, police have identified a suspect in her death, Police Chief Mark Dannels said Friday.

Now, Coos County prosecutors will present their case to a grand jury, which will decide whether the suspect — whom Dannels did not name publicly — will be charged with killing 15-year-old Leah Freeman in June 2000.

Leah’s mother, Cory Courtright of Coquille, said Friday that the lack of answers since her daughter died has been hard for her. “It’s been 10 years, and I still don’t know my daughter’s cause of death,” she said.

But, Courtright said, she also understands why investigators haven’t shared with her much of the evidence they’ve uncovered in the case. Now, she said, “I have very high hopes” that someone will face criminal charges in the homicide.

“To have a killer walk free, I can’t stand it,” Courtright said.

District Attorney Paul Frasier said the grand jury process could take months. He may call as many as 100 witnesses to testify, and about 5,500 pages of investigative reports have been compiled in the case, he said.

Coos County authorities an-nounced in January that they had appointed a “cold case” squad to investigate Leah’s death.

The team of 35 investigators from several law enforcement agencies has re-examined dozens of pieces of evidence.

During the past year, the Coquille Police Department alone has spent more than $42,000 on overtime and $7,000 for travel and other costs to investigate the case.

“In 2008, I made a commitment to this case and to Leah’s mom … to bring closure to her daughter’s death and bring justice to the person (or persons) responsible for this horrific act,” Dannels said.

Leah went missing on June 28, 2000, after she reportedly left a friend’s house. Police found her body five weeks later in a forested area about 10 miles east of Coquille, about 10 to 15 feet down an embankment.

An autopsy showed that Leah died of “homicidal violence,” but authorities have never provided anything more specific about how the girl was killed.

Since reopening the investigation, police have been using modern investigative techniques and tapping crime experts to pursue old leads and process evidence, Dannels said.

Courtright said she has been impressed with the cold case squad’s effort following a period in which she said the investigation appeared to have gone dormant.

“Even if nothing else happens, I can’t say (investigators) haven’t tried,” Courtright said.

http://special.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/updates/24953614-55/coquille-case-leah-suspect-dannels.csp

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Vigil held for teen slain 10 years ago
Coquille police say they now have a suspect in the death of 15-year-old Leah Freeman

The Associated Press
Appeared in print: Wednesday, June 30, 2010, page B3

COQUILLE — On the 10th anniversary of her daughter’s disappearance, Cory Courtright led what she hopes will be the final candlelight vigil before the case is solved.

“I am a 10-year survivor of a parent’s worst nightmare,” Courtright said. “Who, in life, ever anticipates they would spend the latter years of their life searching for justice for one of their kids?”

Roughly 60 people attended Monday night’s vigil, held in the parking lot of Coquille High School, where 15-year-old Leah Freeman had attended ninth grade. Under a thick cover of clouds, people sniffled and stood solemnly as Courtright shared memories of her child and thanked them for a decade of support.

To her right was a table with bouquets and three photos of Leah. To her left, a clump of pink balloons swayed in the night air. “If only I could go back in time,” she said. “I want that one more kiss on the cheek. That one last goodbye. That one last ‘I love you.’”

Leah vanished June 28, 2000, after leaving a friend’s house. Her body was found 37 days later.

The case went cold until last week, when Coquille Police Chief Mark Dannels announced that investigators have a suspect. District Attorney R. Paul Frasier planned to present evidence and about 100 witnesses to a grand jury in the coming months.

Dannels, who attended the vigil, said he had resurrected the case when he came to the memorial last year, although Courtright didn’t know it at the time.

“Hopefully, next year’s vigil will have a lot of answers to you,” Dannels said. “No matter what happens, we won’t give up.”

Courtright thanked investigators for not giving up: “My only wish is that you all could have known her.”

Bending down behind the table, Courtright released two balloons into the air. The first, for Leah, she did alone.

For the second, she invited her friend Cindy Gisholt — the mother of murder victim Jayme Austin — to help.

Gisholt called Austin’s two daughters forward, and the girls and women embraced as the balloon tumbled upward. At that moment, the cluster of pink balloons, intended to represent all murder victims, pulled loose from a bench and flew off.

“Bless your heart, Cory,” one woman said.

http://special.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/cityregion/24969808-41/courtright-leah-vigil-coquille-attended.csp

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 1:47 pm

Boyfriend charged with murder in decade-old case

By KCBY.com staff
Story Published: Aug 23, 2010 at 3:15 PM PDT

COOS BAY, Ore. - The boyfriend of a girl found dead a decade ago has been charged with her murder.

Nick McGuffin, 28, was charged with the murder of 15-year-old Leah Freeman. McGuffin was her boyfriend at the time she disappeared.

A grand jury hearing evidence in the case indicted McGuffin on a charge of murder.

He was taken into custody Monday afternoon at 2:15 p.m. and is being held on $2 million bail.

The Coos County District Attorney and the Coquille Police Department plan a 7 p.m. press conference Monday night on the arrest.

Freeman vanished from the Coquille area on June 28, 2000.

Her body turned up a month later. Cause of death: homicidal violence.

Coquille police and the Coos County district attorney re-opened the Leah Freeman case in January.

With a decade's worth of evidence lined up in thick binders behind them, Coquille Police Chief Mark Dannels and Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier held a press conference in Coquille on Friday, June 25.

The news: Frasier would take the case to a grand jury and ask for an indictment.

"If they feel an indictment against someone should be returned, they'll do that," he said. "If they don't, they'll let me know that, too. If they want other stuff done, we'll do it. But at this point, I think, the grand jury is where we need to go in the case."

Frasier warned that the grand jury process can be a lengthy one, particularly with the amount of evidence in this case.

Frasier expected to call 100 witnesses to testify before the grand jury. He expected the process would take two to three months to complete.

http://www.kval.com/news/local/101336449.html

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10 years later, a murder arrest

By Winston Ross
The Register-Guard
Appeared in print: Tuesday, Aug 24, 2010

COQUILLE — On July 28, 2000, Coquille Police executed a search warrant at the home of Nicholas James McGuffin, the 18-year-old boyfriend of Leah Freeman, a 15-year-old who had gone missing a month before.

They took mouth swabs, hair samples, rolls of 35mm film, a stained white sock, a woman’s sweatshirt, two baseball bats, and an assortment of miscellaneous drug paraphernalia, according to the affidavit.

The cops had searched McGuffin’s 1967 Mustang three weeks earlier, seizing a piece of duct tape and two rolls of film. What police didn’t find: no liner, no spare tire, no jack and no tire iron in the trunk of the car.

McGuffin’s father, Bruce McGuffin, explained that the items had been removed from the trunk “as the car was in need of repair,” according to an affidavit for the search warrant filed with the Coos County courts.

Over the next 10 years, McGuffin’s son graduated from culinary school at Southwestern Oregon Community College, got a job as an executive chef at The Mill Casino and fathered a child with a longtime girlfriend.

The girl’s mother spent that time fighting for justice. On Monday, Cory Courtwright got the news she’s been begging for for a decade: an arrest, in the 2000 murder of her daughter. McGuffin, whom Courtwright had long suspected, was indicted by a Coos County grand jury.

No plea entered yet

He has been convicted of nothing; he hasn’t even had the opportunity to enter a plea. But Courtwright was ecstatic at the news, nontheless.

“Hallelujah,” she said after learning of the arrest. “I waited 10 years for this, and I’m speechless. I’m shocked.”

Courtwright has never abandoned the search for her daughter’s killer, holding candlelight vigils, writing letters to the editor, posting documents unsealed once the case went cold on her Website, titled “Justice for Leah.”

She has often criticized police for letting the ball drop on the case. But the town’s new chief, Mark Dannels, took a new look at Freeman’s disappearance when he took the job two years ago, and now there are results.

McGuffin, now 28, was taken into custody without incident and jailed on a $2 million bond Monday, on suspicion of the murder of Freeman, who disappeared on June 28, 2000, after leaving a friend’s house. McGuffin, who has no prior felony convictions in Oregon but was convicted of misdemeanor criminal trespass in 2003, has an arraignment scheduled for 1 p.m. today in Coquille.

Police found Leah’s body five weeks after her disappearance, in a forested area about 10 miles east of Coquille, 10 to 15 feet down an embankment. Autopsy results showed that she died of “homicidal violence,” but authorities were never more specific than that.

Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier said at a press conference Monday night that the arrest came after a grand jury met on seven separate occasions to hear the testimony of 113 witnesses, more than Frasier had ever called before in any proceeding.

He didn’t provide details about what led to the homicide charge, except to say that several citizens had come forward with new information in the last few weeks and that a cold case squad, announced earlier this year, had re-examined several pieces of evidence from 2000.

Story concerned chief

McGuffin, whose Eugene attorney, Bob McCrea, could not be reached for comment Monday night, was a suspect back then, too.

In a search warrant affidavit filed in July 2000 by Coquille Police, and available now online, officer Dave Hall wrote that Leah had been with McGuffin at the Courtwright home on the night of her disappearance, and that they left together.

McGuffin said as much in an interview with police, Hall wrote, adding that they went to pick up a friend, Brent Bartley. They then went to McGuffin’s house to get some videos, he said, and then to Bartley’s grandparents’ house, to watch them. McGuffin said he dropped Leah off at a friend’s house and hadn’t seen her since. The friend’s mother said Leah left that house at 9 p.m. on foot.

McGuffin later told Police Chief Michael Reaves he went to pick up Leah at the friend’s house and upon learning she wasn’t there any longer, drove around town trying to find her. He said he didn’t find her.

The chief was concerned about McGuffin’s account, he said.

“The first was McGuffin’s claim that he drove up and down Central looking for Leah and his claim that he did not see her, when in fact several persons saw her walking on Central at the same time he claimed to be looking for her,” according to the affidavit. “The second was the fact that in all the time that McGuffin claimed he was looking for Leah ... that he never physically went to Leah’s house to see if she was home, even though he had to have been close by on several occasions.”

Teacher had concerns

Police later interviewed a teacher at Coquille High School, Sharon Nelson, who reported that she observed “that there appeared to be physical abuse in the relationship” between Freeman and McGuffin, and that the boy “did have a flash temper.”

On July 5, McGuffin was interviewed a second time by police, and offered to take a polygraph. McGuffin was asked three pertinent questions: whether he physically did something that resulted in Leah’s death, whether he had any direct involvement in her disappearance, and whether he’d talked to Leah since 9 p.m. on the date she went missing.

To all three questions, McGuffin answered “No.” In all three answers, it was the opinion of Oregon State Police Detective Mark Ranger, who administered the exam, “McGuffin was not being truthful.”

When told he’d flunked the lie detector, McGuffin’s demeanor went from cooperative and non-confrontational to “angry.”

Mutual friend questioned

Hall wrote that he believed Freeman “has been the victim of some sort of violence at the hand of Nicholas James McGuffin and that he then transported Leah Freeman in his vehicle to an unknown location.”

Bartley also took a polygraph test, and passed the questions regarding whether he was directly involved in Freeman’s death, but “found to be deceptive on the questions regarding whether anyone told him they were responsible for Leah’s disappearance and whether he was concealing critical information regarding Leah’s disappearance.”

Frasier offered Bartley immunity in exchange for information about Freeman’s whereabouts, cautioning that there’d be no deal for any direct involvement he had in her disappearance.

From there, the case went cold. Until Monday.

http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/updates/25213833-55/guard-register-startstoryhere-writername.csp

Leah Freeman and her boyfriend Nicholas McGuffin attended the Coquille High School prom in May 2000. She disappeared the following month. He was arrested Monday and charged with her murder.

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by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 4:08 pm

Man accused in decade-old slaying: 'I'm not a flight risk'

By KVAL News and KVAL.com
Story Published: Aug 24, 2010 at 4:42 PM PDT

COQUILLE, Ore. - Ten years after Leah Freeman's body was found, the man many suspected all along appeared in court accused of her murder.

Nick McGuffin cried as he asked the judge to reduce his bail.

"I'm not a flight risk," the 28 year old said. "I'm a family man and I work hard."

He did not enter a plea at his first court appearance.

McGuffin is accused of murdering Leah Freeman, his girlfriend at the time, in June 2000. He was 18, she was 15 at the time.

His attorney asked the judge to reduce his client's bail, presently set at $2 million. A hearing on his bail request is scheduled for Sept. 2.

'I'd rather have her be a runaway than have her be abducted'

Leah Freeman vanished June 28, 2000. She was last seen walking home from a friend's house in Coquille.

See photos of Leah Freeman

Nick McGuffin told investigators he went to go pick her up but never found her.

Police called her a runaway.

Her family feared the 15 year old had been abducted.

Her sister, Denise Freeman, said at the time, "I'd do anything to have her back. I should have been watching her as her big sister."

McGuffin, then 18, gave an interview to KVAL News 8 days after Leah's disappearance.

He said he was in agony that she was missing.

"I just want her back," he said at the time. "She's the best thing that's ever happened to me."

He showed a reporter pictures and video from the prom they had just attended.

"I'd rather have her be a runaway than have her be abducted because then I'd know she's was OK," McGuffin told KVAL News in 2000.

'I think they got the right guy. I do'

Just days after that interview, Leah's blood splattered shoe was found.

About 5 weeks after she went missing, someone found her decomposed body down an embankment, thrown from an isolated road nine miles out of town.

Court records show investigators searched McGuffin's home and car. They gave him a polygraph test, which court documents show he failed.

Prosecutors even offered immunity to his friend, Brent Bartley, if he testified before the grand jury.

But McGuffin was never named as a suspect. The case went cold - until last year.

That's when a new police chief, Mark Dannels, reopened the case under family and community pressure.

A team of investigators interviewed hundreds of witnesses.

Over a series of month they presented all the evidence to the grand jury. On Monday, the grand jury indicted McGuffin for Freeman's murder.

Former Sheriff Captian Bruce McCain said the new investigation must have yielded new, stronger evidence.

"He was not indicted or arrested on the basis of failing two or three polygraph questions 10 years ago," McCain said. "There's obviously going to be something much more substantial."

For Leah's mother, Cory Courtright, after 10 years of pain, frustration and suspicion she is relieved justice is finally at hand.

"It was like finally, finally, finally, finally happened," she said. "Because I think they got the right guy. I do."

http://www.kval.com/news/101430109.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 4:09 pm

Freeman's mom: 'I'll do what I have to do to get her justice'

By Brie Thiele KCBY News
Story Published: Aug 24, 2010 at 10:31 AM PDT

COQUILLE, Ore. - Calling it a rewarding day, investigators gathered on Monday night to announce an arrest had been made in the 10-year-old murder of a Coquille teen.

Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier and Coquille Police Chief Mark Dannels were backed by some of the numerous law enforcement officers who have played a role in the investigation into the death of 15-year-old Leah Freeman in 2000.

An investigation that spanned many states, and even stretched to England, led to a grand jury indictment on murder charges against Nick McGuffin, 28, who was Freeman's boyfriend at the time of her death.

To protect their case, investigators would not go into a lot of detail on Monday - but one thing they did make clear was how much this meant.

"This case has always meant a lot to me in terms of getting it resolved," Frasier said. "So obviously today I'm, how shall we say this, I'm a little bit relieved I guess that we have the indictment, but I also realize it's just the first step in the process and we have a lot of hard work ahead of us."

"It's a great feeling in the fact that we got to this level of the criminal justice system, now we strive for the trial," said Chief Dannels. "So it's a rewarding day in that aspect for law enforcement and for the families. I know we spoke with them today to bring some kind of closure to this investigation for 10 years."

Dannels said McGuffin was quote "indifferent" and "proclaimed his innocence" at the time of his arrest at his home in Green Acres.

But Freeman's mother, Cory Courtright, said they got the right guy.

"I think I've done what any mother in this situation would do," said Courtright. "I love her, I miss her and I'll do what I have to do to get her justice. We'll see it through."

Investigators were quick to point out however that this arrest is just the first step in a long judicial process, a process that will continue with McGuffin's arraignment on Tuesday.

For now, he remains in custody with security set at $2 million.

http://www.kval.com/news/local/101395769.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 4:12 pm

Change of venue motion likely in Freeman case

By Tim Novotny KCBY News
Story Published: Aug 24, 2010 at 6:35 PM PDT

COQUILLE, ORE - Emotions were hard to suppress inside a Coos County Courtroom as Nick McGuffin is arraigned on a Grand Jury charge of murder, in the death of his girlfriend 10 years ago.

A day after being arrested for the murder of Leah Freeman, an emotionally distraught McGuffin, backed by his family and friends, wept often as his attorney entered a Not Guilty plea on his behalf.

He also asked Judge Michael Gillespie to consider his release from jail, where he is being held on a $2,000,000 security. "I'm not a flight risk, I'm a family man. I work hard," said McGuffin.

While they could ask the Judge to release him on his own recognizance, Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier believes they are probably just going to try and get a reduction in the security.

The bigger question remains whether or not the trial will even be held in Coos County.

Frasier says there has been a motion for a change of venue in most, if not all, of his murder cases and believes this one will be no different. "I'd be surprised if there wasn't one in this case because this case has had more publicity than the average, run-of-the-mill, case."

But, for now, the next step in this legal process is a hearing on the request for a security reduction, which is set for September 2nd.

http://www.kcby.com/news/local/101436704.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 4:15 pm

Leah Freeman Cold Case: High School Sweetheart Nicholas McGuffin Arrested 10 Years After Her Death

August 24, 2010 4:07 PM

COQUILLE, Ore. (CBS/KVAL) On Aug. 3, 2000, Leah Freeman's body was found at the bottom of a steep embankment on the outskirts of her Oregon town.

PICTURES: Leah Freeman Cold Case Heats Up

Now, more than ten years later, Nicholas McGuffin, her boyfriend at the time of the murder, has been arrested - a breakthrough in the case that has tortured Leah's family and stumped investigators.

According to police reports and the website Leah's mother created to keep the investigation into her daughter's death alive, McGuffin dropped Leah off at the house of a friend, Sherri Mitchell, at around 7 p.m. on June 28, 2000. He said that he planned to pick her up at 9 p.m. But according to Mitchell, she and Leah had a fight and Leah and decided to walk home alone.

McGuffin told police that after he didn't find her at Mitchell's house he drove around the small town of Coquille, Ore., in southern Oregon, looking for her but eventually assumed she got home okay and went home.

But Leah never did make it home, and an intense search and investigation began. Search warrants for McGuffin's parents' house and car, as well as his car, were executed but nothing was found. Police also issued a search warrant for McGuffin's friend, Brent Bartley's car and parents' house.

Both men were given polygraphs in July 2000, and McGuffin failed when asked if he was involved in Leah's disappearance, according to The Oregonian.

Bartley also failed when asked if he had knowledge about what happened to Leah and if someone had told him that they were involved, according to a letter sent to Bartley's attorney by the DA offering immunity in exchange for his full cooperation - an offer that Bartley did not take, according to the paper.

Leah's body was found Aug. 3, but instead of giving the investigation the boost such a discovery usually does, the investigation seemed to fizzle, and a grand jury that was scheduled was postponed indefinitely.

Then, nearly eight months ago, Coquille police announced that they had created a cold case team to reinvestigate Leah's disappearance and subsequent murder. Coos County District Attorney R. Paul Frasier said at the time that the team of about 20 investigators would be starting from square one, treating the case as though it happened yesterday.

"New technology has been applied, new leads have been added that weren't there initially," Coquille Police Chief Mark Dannels said at a press conference back in January. The fresh look soon paid off and by June investigators announced that they had a suspect. They said they would be presenting their evidence to a grand jury and planned to call at least 100 witnesses.

On Monday Frasier announced that the grand jury indicted the man that Leah's family has felt was responsible all along - McGuffin, her high school sweetheart.

While Frasier said the arrest brought him relief after pursuing the case for over ten years, he acknowledged this is only the beginning. "[This is] just the first step in the process, and we have a lot of hard work ahead of us," he said at the press conference.

But Leah's mother says she is confident that investigators have the right man.

"It was like it finally, finally, finally happened," Cory Courtright told CBS affiliate KOIN. "I think they got the right guy, I do."

McGuffin is currently being held on a $2 million bond.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20014545-504083.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 4:17 pm

Man arraigned in 15-year-old's 2000 homicide

Posted: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 7:47 pm

COQUILLE - He sat at the defendant's table.

She among her friends and family.

Yet Nick McGuffin and Cory Courtright shared one thing in common at the 28-year-old's Tuesday arraignment - their tears.

He cried before the hearing. He cried when Judge Michael Gillespie read the murder indictment and he cried when he left the courtroom.

Courtright, upon setting her eyes on McGuffin, sobbed, shielded her face with her hands and then stared disgustedly at the man she believes killed her 15-year-old daughter in 2000.

"It's your turn buddy. I've cried for 10-plus years," Courtright said of McGuffin after the hearing. "‘I hope you cry for the rest of your life.' That's what I'd say to him."

Gillespie arraigned McGuffin on a grand jury indictment charging one count of murder in connection with Leah Freeman's homicide. He also set his bail at $2 million.

Eugene defense attorney Shaun McCrea entered a not-guilty plea for her defendant, who could face a mandatory life imprisonment sentence with a 25-year minimum. The judge also set a Sept. 2 bail reduction and release hearing, which will be followed by a status hearing at 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 11.

Read more in Wednesday's edition of The World Newspaper.

http://theworldlink.com/article_551eea0e-aff3-11df-877a-001cc4c002e0.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 4:19 pm

Relief, caution in community

Posted: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 11:00 am

Wayne Nelson, left, the owner of Roxy Barbershop in Coquille, discusses the decade-old Leah Freeman case with customer Steve Laird, shortly before the girl’s former boyfriend was arrested near Greenacres. “I think it’s about time that they’ve got it solved,” Nelson said.

As news filtered onto the streets of Coquille on Monday, people expressed sympathy for Leah Freeman's family.

They also spoke of a feeling of relief.

And they warned against rushing to judgment.

Even before news broke about the arrest of Nicholas McGuffin, Roxy Barbershop owner Wayne Nelson said he thought it was about time the case got solved.

"It sure needs to be solved for the benefit of everybody.

"There's a murderer running around someplace, obviously."

Nelson said that the unsolved murder had made the community uneasy.

‘People never forgot'

"People around here never forgot about it.

"Unsolved murders bother every good citizen."

Down the block, Woof and Warp owner Eleanor Napier said a lot of people still think about the case because the murder of a teenager hits close to home.

"This is just the kind of thing where you can put yourself in that place."

Lois Bray of Coquille learned of the arrest as she headed for Safeway.

"The family will be able to put a closure to her death," she said.

"The poor family, what they've gone through," said Judy Smith of Myrtle Point as she left a restaurant.

"It took so long."

Don't rush to judge

Her husband, Leon Smith, said that as a former police officer, he had followed the case with interest.

"You wonder all these years what the individual was doing."

But in a quiet corner of the bar at Mr. Zacks, Mike Warren of Coquille and his friends warned against jumping to conclusions.

"We can all assume and think, but how do you know?" Warren said.

One of Warren's companions drew parallels to the case of a friend who was arrested on rape charges that were dropped three days later.

"It was on the front page of The World that he was arrested," he said.

"It ruined his reputation."

http://theworldlink.com/news/local/article_76d8504a-afa8-11df-bd12-001cc4c03286.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 4:20 pm

Acquaintances call McGuffin strange, smart, self-assured
McGuffin was honor culinary student

Posted: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 11:00 am

Nicholas McGuffin was a secretive person, a co-worker said Monday, one who did not engage in serious conversation with fellow employees.

The co-worker at The Mill Casino-Hotel in North Bend, where McGuffin worked as a banquet chef, also said McGuffin always wore sunglasses.

"You just get a bad vibe from him," she said. She declined to give her name.

McGuffin worked at The Mill until his arrest Monday for the 10-year-old homicide of his former girlfriend Leah Freeman.

An earlier employer described McGuffin as cocky.

McGuffin worked as a cook at Captain's Choice restaurant in North Bend about 31⁄2 years ago, owner Greg Prinz said.

"If you talk to him, he's the cook of the world. He was pretty sure of himself."

Had a daughter

Prinz described McGuffin as a likable young man, but Prinz was unsure if he had many friends.

"If he had a buddy, I figure I'd know about it. All he talked about was Maegan and his daughter."

The World reported in 2007 that McGuffin and Maegan Edgerton were parents of a daughter, Violet Marie McGuffin, at Bay Area Hospital on Oct. 11, 2007.

Denise Edgerton, Maegan's mother, declined to speak to The World Monday night.

Prinz said he was surprised to hear that McGuffin was involved in the Freeman case.

"He would still be an employee of mine if The Mill didn't offer him more money."

Honor student

Prinz said that McGuffin was a culinary student at Southwestern Oregon Community College.

According to The World archives, he excelled there.

He received a 4.0 grade-point average in May 2007 and between 3.5 and 3.9 in both June and December 2007.

Criminal history

McGuffin was convicted of criminal trespassing in 2002 and 2003. He also convicted of possession of less than an ounce of marijuana in 2001 but the charge was dismissed after he completed an educational program, a Coos County Circuit Court spokeswoman said.

Reporter Andy Rossback can be reached at arossback@theworldlink.com, or 541-269-1222, ext. 249.

http://theworldlink.com/news/local/article_cb77913e-afa7-11df-a9de-001cc4c03286.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 4:21 pm

Boyfriend indicted in 2000 killing of Leah Freeman
An arrest at last

Posted: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 11:00 am

Moments before his arrest on Monday afternoon, Nicholas J. McGuffin pulled his 2005 Dodge Stratus to the side of Highway 42 and waved at officers who had been following him to his Greenacres-area home.

Coquille Police Chief Mark Dannels said McGuffin's reaction indicated his indifference and arrogance toward the death of Leah Freeman 10 years ago.

At 2:16 p.m., authorities from multiple police agencies arrested McGuffin on a murder indictment stemming from the teen's homicide. A Coos County grand jury had indicted him earlier that afternoon.

"He claimed his innocence to us," Dannels said.

The chief added that, although the suspect seemed unconcerned at the time of his arrest, McGuffin was "emotionally upset" while being booked at the Coos County jail. He is being held on $2 million bail.

Wants local trial

Dannels and Coos County District Attorney R. Paul Frasier spoke at a press conference Monday night to thank the partnering city, state and federal agencies that participated in the investigation and arrest. They revealed little new information about the case.

Frasier said he hopes, by withholding details about the cause of 15-year-old Leah's 2000 death, he will be able to try McGuffin in Coos County Circuit Court. Too much publicity could complicate the task of seating an impartial jury.

"I would really like to keep this trial in Coos County," he said.

McGuffin was set to appear in Judge Michael Gillespie's courtroom for an arraignment hearing at 1 p.m. today. If convicted, he could face a mandatory life imprisonment sentence with a 25-year minimum.

No more arrests

Although Frasier urged anyone with information on the case to contact the Coquille Police Department, he said no further arrests are expected.

"In this case, Nick was always the one we felt was involved," Frasier said.

Dannels said McGuffin hired Eugene lawyer Bob McCrea shortly after investigators reopened the case, and the defendant's parents had approached Dannels in October 2009 in hope of clearing McGuffin's name.

The indictment and subsequent arrest come after two years of re-investigating the case, which went cold in 2001.

Dannels said he and Frasier began meeting to reopen it on the eighth anniversary of Leah's disappearance, shortly after Dannels took over the police department from former Chief Mike Reaves.

The district attorney and Dannels announced the creation of a special cold case task force in January of this year.

Re-examined evidence

Through the course of the investigation, the team re-examined old evidence, compared files and visited Washington, Arizona, Utah, Colorado and other areas to conduct interviews and gain advice from crime-solving organizations such as the Vidocq Society in Philadelphia.

Frasier and Dannels presented the case to that group in January. Frasier said investigators also began to receive tips in January, re-interviewed old sources, and tested some evidence that hadn't been tested in 2000.

Frasier wouldn't say what that had been.

"This wasn't a Coquille police investigation; it was a multi-agency investigation that brought closure to this case," Dannels said.

"Every step we've taken in this case has been by the book."

113 witnesses

In June, Dannels announced he had a suspect, and Frasier said he would meet with a grand jury in coming months to obtain an indictment.

For the eight grand jury hearings, held from July 14 through Monday, Frasier called 113 witnesses in person or via video-conference and presented the reports of seven other witnesses.

He said he never has called so many witnesses for any proceeding. He wanted the grand jury to see every angle of the case, he said, even theories that had been debunked by police or not. Frasier said he wanted jurors to make their decision based on the totality of the information.

"A lot of hard work has been done to get this case where it stands today," Frasier told a crowd of family members, friends and reporters Monday night.

"This case has always meant a lot to me in terms of getting it resolved."

Dannels said he's pleased with the result of their work.

"Now we strive for trial," he said.

The disappearance

According to The World's archives, searchers found Leah's body near Fairview Road following a 37-day search.

She had disappeared after 9 p.m. June 28, 2000, when she was seen walking home from a friend's house. Her boyfriend, McGuffin, had dropped her off at the friend's house and planned to pick her up around 9 o'clock. But she began walking to her mother's house before he arrived.

By 3:30 a.m., her mother, Cory Courtright, realized Leah hadn't returned home. She reported her daughter missing, but the Coquille Police Department initially treated the case as a runaway incident.

The tone of the investigation changed after Leah's bloody shoes were found in a cemetery and along a dirt road.

Since that time, investigators have said only that she died of homicidal violence. They have revealed nothing else about her death.

A lack of effort?

People in the audience at the press conference asked Frasier whether a lack of effort by the Coquille Police Department 10 years ago prevented an earlier resolution of the case.

Several said "Bingo! Bingo!" as Frasier tried to answer. He said he was involved in the case when it began and never saw police officers slacking off.

"You know, I really can't say," he said.

Courtright, 54, said McGuffin and her daughter had dated for about eight months before the girl disappeared in June of that year. Her body was discovered about a month later down a steep embankment off the country road.

Mother's suspicions

Although Courtright said she's in shock about the arrest, she's had her suspicions about McGuffin.

"I've thought that for quite a few years now ... that Nick was the one that did this," Courtright said.

After the press conference, she said she feels somewhat relieved.

"I know this is only the beginning, but it's the step I've been waiting for 10-plus years now," Courtright said.

Polygraph examination

Documents related to the case have been posted on Courtright's website about her daughter, including an affidavit filed eight days after Leah's disappearance. In the affidavit, Coquille police officer Dave Hall said the suspect had not been truthful when he was given a polygraph investigation.

McGuffin was asked these questions and answered no to each:

• Did you physically do something that resulted in Leah's death?

• Did you have any direct involvement in Leah's disappearance?

• Have you talked to Leah since last Wednesday night after 9 p.m.?

When polygraph examiner Mark Ranger of the Oregon State Police told McGuffin of the test results, the suspect's demeanor changed from cooperative to angry and he terminated the interview.

According to Hall, McGuffin also said he and a friend had searched the streets for Leah into the early morning hours but said he had not spotted her.

Other witnesses, however, said they had seen the teenager walking on Central Avenue at the time McGuffin and a friend were searching.

http://theworldlink.com/news/local/article_f97a37cc-afa6-11df-afc2-001cc4c03286.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 4:24 pm

Justice for Leah?

Posted: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 10:00 am

The Leah Freeman homicide case has not yet come to an end. But maybe it has come to the beginning of the end.

Monday’s arrest of the victim’s high school boyfriend, coming just after the 10-year anniversary of her death, is a testament to the diligence of local authorities and to the perseverance of Leah’s mother.

Cory Courtright has waged a decade-long campaign to keep official attention focused on her daughter’s case. She and her supporters held vigils and made speeches. They wrote letters. They made sure no one could forget the unfinished business of bringing Leah’s killer to justice.

Over the years, some people may have grown tired of hearing about Leah. Some may have wished Courtright could accept the futility of her quest. Surely, after so much time, the trail was hopelessly cold.

But a mother’s grief is not so easily silenced. Courtright did not relent.

Nor was she alone. While Courtright worked to keep Leah’s memory fresh in the public consciousness, the investigation quietly gathered momentum. Although burdened with plenty of fresher crimes to solve, police and prosecutors made time to pursue Leah’s killer as well.

Coquille Police Chief Mark Dannels and Coos County District Attorney R. Paul Frasier formally reopened the case in January.

The indictment and arrest of Nicholas James McGuffin does not conclude the matter. Far from it. Frasier has tested his case in the comparative solitude of a grand jury chamber. Now comes the more formidable task of proving the defendant’s guilt in open court.

McGuffin will have his due process, and the verdict is by no means certain.

Still, to have come even this far is a notable accomplishment. Simply making an arrest after all these years is a victory for law enforcement and a vindication for Courtright.

More importantly, it may mean justice at last for Leah.

http://theworldlink.com/news/opinion/editorial/article_0de202e0-afa1-11df-b6a6-001cc4c03286.html[/i]

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 4:27 pm

Emotional arraignment

By Winston Ross
The Register-Guard
Appeared in print: Wednesday, Aug 25, 2010

COQUILLE — Ten years of tension found an outlet in a Coos County courtroom on Tuesday, as a red-eyed, sniffling Nicholas James McGuffin faced a judge for the first time since investigators zeroed in on him as a suspect in the disappearance and murder of 15-year-old Leah Freeman in 2000. Shackled, McGuffin was already crying as sheriff’s deputies led him into Coos County Circuit Judge Michael Gillespie’s courtroom for arraignment. He asked for help as he sat down and winced as his knees bent. Then he bowed his head and wept softly, straining to wipe the tears from his face with his cuffed hands. He shook, uncontrollably, as his attorney whispered into his ear.

McGuffin wasn’t the only one trying to keep it together. Outside the courtroom, Freeman’s mother, Cory Courtright, stood at the front of a line of people waiting to enter until the 28-year-old accused of murdering her daughter had been seated. When she spotted him, she started to shake too, and to sob.

“I was staring at the man that’s believed to be my daughter’s killer,” Courtright said later. “I couldn’t hardly look at him. I nearly fainted.”

Behind her was McGuffin’s mother, Kathleen, who is convinced her son had nothing to do with Freeman’s death.

“Cry all you want,” McGuffin told Courtright. “My son is innocent.”

“Don’t talk to me,” Courtright shot back. “Don’t ever talk to me again.”

Nick McGuffin pleaded not guilty on Tuesday, in front of a row of stone- and red-faced observers the judge ordered to leave in separate groups after the proceeding had concluded. At the end of the arraignment hearing, when Gillespie asked McGuffin if he had any questions, he thanked the judge for setting a Sept. 2 hearing date to consider reducing the $2 million bail.

“I’m not a flight risk,” McGuffin said. “I’m a family man.”

Just what kind of a man he is has been the subject of some debate for 10 years, as the disappearance of Freeman hovered over this small town like a fog that never abates.

For Courtright, it’s been a decadelong battle for justice, from the moment authorities found her daughter’s body in a forested area 10 miles east of Coquille, down an embankment. At first, she said in an interview with The Register-Guard after Tuesday’s arraignment, she didn’t suspect Leah’s boyfriend, Nick.

“I thought he was an all right kind of guy,” Courtright said.

She was concerned about the couple’s age difference, though, and at one point forbade her daughter from seeing him. Eventually, hearing reports that the two were sneaking around behind her back and sexually active, she said she realized her top priority should be to try to keep her daughter from getting pregnant. She made an appointment with the county health department, for her daughter to get on birth control.

Leah never made it to that appointment.

When the girl went missing, Courtright was more intent on finding her than thinking about who might be responsible, she said. But after Leah’s body was discovered, Courtright’s relationship with Nick McGuffin took a strange turn, she said.

After failing a polygraph test to determine whether he was involved in Leah’s disappearance, McGuffin showed up at Courtright’s house, with his parents, she said. He immediately went into the backyard and started vomiting. His father, Bruce McGuffin, tried to comfort the grieving mother, explaining that his son was upset because he’d just taken the lie detector test.

“(Bruce) was hugging me, and I pushed back, and said ‘Wait. What were the results?’ ” Courtright said. “He said ‘Oh, he passed with flying colors.’ ”

Bruce McGuffin was then and is now certain his boy is innocent, he said in an interview with The Register-Guard.

“I would have been the first one who would have turned him in if I knew he did it,” McGuffin said.

Leah and Nick were deeply in love and planned to get married, Bruce McGuffin said. She helped his son get off drugs, and basically lived with the McGuffin family for the last three months of her life, McGuffin added.

“She was a princess. She was like our own kid,” he said. “You don’t go killing your own kids.”

Still, Nick and Leah’s friends and her family members were determined to keep them apart, Bruce McGuffin said. After she disappeared, any attempts the family made to assist in the investigation ultimately “got turned around on us,” the father said. “It’s really sad.”

As the killing has hung over Freeman’s family, so it has for the McGuffin’s, Bruce McGuffin said.

“The last ten years have been hell for (Nick),” McGuffin said. “People follow him around, filming everything he does. Anybody he meets, the police go to the family and let them know he’s a person of interest in a murder trial. He’s had a rough life. We have too. You can’t go into a store without somebody yelling out, ‘Your son is a murderer.’ ”

Nick failed the lie detector test because, “He felt he was responsible, because he wasn’t there to pick her up when he was supposed to be,” Bruce McGuffin said. “He’s felt guilty about that the whole time.”

Courtright said she believes McGuffin felt guilty for a different reason. She’s been battling to keep the investigation alive since the day her daughter’s body turned up.

At first, police assumed Freeman had run away, said former Coos County Sheriff Mike Cook. For the first week, the police didn’t really do much to try to find Leah.

“Of course, the first 48 hours of a case like this are the most important,” Cook said. “So much immediacy was lost in the investigation. Even back then, it would have been hard to recover some of that evidence that would have been crucial and important to the case.”

By the time the police started to take it more seriously, the problem was one of manpower and forensic skill, Cook said.

“A small-town law enforcement agency like the Coquille Police Department back then, they didn’t really have the expertise to work a case of this caliber,” Cook said.

Courtright kept haranguing then-police chief Michael Reaves, who wound up resigning from the department after protests at City Hall from people unhappy with the police department for, among other things, its handling of the Freeman case. Reaves could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Courtright didn’t give up, though, and neither did her supporters in the community.

“There was a lot of outrage,” said Mary Geddry, a resident who has been following the case since she moved to the area in 2003.

Reaves’ replacement, Mark Dannels, heard from citizen after citizen upon his arrival in Coquille that they wanted something done about the Leah Freeman case. Dannels promised Courtright justice.

Nick McGuffin will be prosecuted by District Attorney Paul Frasier, who was the Major Crimes Team’s point man from the DA’s office back in 2000 on this case, and has been frustrated since then that there wasn’t enough solid evidence to make an arrest. Frasier’s own daughter went to school with Leah, he said. Their pictures are next to one another in the school yearbook.

Frasier said the police were focused on finding Leah in the beginning, not catching her killer. “We had no idea whether she was dead or alive,” he said.

Once her body turned up, he said, many physical clues were lost during the five weeks of decomposition and the investigators working on the case just didn’t get enough evidence for an indictment. Asked if he has any regrets about how the case was handled in 2000, Frasier paused, and sighed. “You can play the ‘what if’ game all you want,” he said. “I don’t think a day went by when I didn’t think ‘What can we do on this case?’ But we’re at where we’re at now because of what we’ve done in the last two years. We’re moving on.”

This story has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: Aug. 26, 2010

A story and picture caption published on Wednesday, Aug. 25 misspelled Cory Courtright’s last name.

http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/updates/25217016-46/guard-register-startstoryhere-writername.csp

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 4:29 pm

A mother draws on daughter's spirit to keep up fight for justice

By Tim Novotny KCBY
News Story Published: Aug 25, 2010 at 6:55 PM PDT

COQUILLE, ORE - After 10 years of keeping the hunt for her daughter's killer alive, the mother of a Coquille teen killed in the summer of 2000 has been on an emotional roller-coaster since an arrest was announced on August 23rd.

That night, there were smiles and tears after word arrived that a Grand Jury had indicted Leah Freeman's boyfriend at the time, Nicholas McGuffin, on a charge of murder.

He has consistently proclaimed his innocence, and Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier admits that there is still a long legal road ahead, but for Cory Courtright it was still a welcome sign that her hard work had paid-off.

"I often wonder," says Courtright, "you know, would what I do, all the vigils and fighting for her justice, you know, what would she think? And I think...I think this is what she would want me to do."

At McGuffin's court arraignment the mood was much more somber, as Courtright came face to face with the man police believe killed her daughter and she started to brace herself for the emotional days yet to come.

She says though, that she finds strength in family and friends, and in the memory of her "spunky" little girl. "She was just so cute to watch all the time. With her sports, she would get out there and do her sports and the crowd would just laugh at her. You know, she loved to make people laugh, she loved to laugh herself but I think it made her even happier to make other people laugh."

So, for her daughter, she keeps pressing on until someone is brought to justice for Leah's murder.

As for McGuffin, he did plead Not Guilty and while his family declined to speak on camera with KCBY they did say they believe him to be innocent of the crime.

http://www.kcby.com/news/local/101525523.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 4:30 pm

Leah Freeman Update: Nicholas McGuffin Pleads Not Guilty, Says "I'm Not a Flight Risk"

August 25, 2010 3:49 PM

COQUILLE, Ore. (CBS/KVAL) There were tears on both sides as Nicholas McGuffin, the man charged in the decade-old murder of his former girlfriend Leah Freeman, was led into court Tuesday for his arraignment with tears streaming down his cheeks. Behind him, Leah's mother sat shaking and sobbing as McGuffin pleaded not guilty to her daughter's murder.

"I was staring at the man that's believed to be my daughter's killer," Cory Courtright told The Register-Guard. "I [could] hardly look at him. I nearly fainted."

McGuffin bowed his head and wiped away those tears while his attorney entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf. When the judge ordered a hearing on bail for Sept. 2, McGuffin thanked him, saying "I'm not a flight risk, I'm a family man, and I work hard," reports CBS affiliate KVAL.

Tensions were high in the small courtroom, and as Courtright sobbed McGuffin's mother, seated right behind Courtright, maintained her son's innocence which, according to the paper, sparked a bitter exchange between the two.

"Cry all you want," Kathleen McGuffin told Courtwright. "My son is innocent."

"Don't talk to me," Courtwright shot back. "Don't ever talk to me again."

After the hearing, the judge ordered the two families and their respective supporters to leave the courtroom separately, but the two families weren't always at odds with each other, according to the Register-Guard.

Courtright said that at first she didn't suspect Nick McGuffin of hurting her daughter, despite her reservations about their age difference. "I thought he was an all right kind of guy," she told the paper following the arraignment.

But that changed after Leah's body was found and now, ten years later, her daughter's high school sweetheart sits in jail on $2 million bond.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20014697-504083.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 4:31 pm

Leah Freeman Cold Case: Families Collide After Suspect Pleads Not Guilty to Murder

August 25, 2010 6:19 PM

COQUILLE, Ore. (CBS) When Nick McGuffin pleaded not guilty Tuesday to the 2000 murder of Leah Freeman, his high school sweetheart, it stirred up anger from both of the families involved the case.

Cory Courtright said she was overcome when, after fighting for ten years to get justice for her daughter, she finally got to watch the man accused of her murder enter the courtroom in chains.

"I was staring at the man that's believed to be my daughter's killer," Cory Courtright told The Register-Guard. "I [could] hardly look at him. I nearly fainted."

Nick McGuffin's family was also in the courtroom Tuesday, but what they saw was an innocent man that they feel has been targeted and persecuted since the day Leah went missing. Kathleen McGuffin even confronted a sobbing Courtright in court saying "cry all you want, my son is innocent," according to the paper.

Bruce McGuffin, the father of Nicholas, says their lives were turned upside down by Leah's disappearance and says that it tore his son apart. He says he believes that his son is innocent, according to the paper.

"I would have been the first one who would have turned him in if I knew he did it," Bruce McGuffin told the Register-Guard.

"The last ten years have been hell for [Nick]," Bruce McGuffin said.

Nick McGuffin is currently being held on $2 million bond, a hearing for a bond reduction has been scheduled for Sept. 2.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20014714-504083.html

by FystyAngel Tue Oct 12, 2010 4:32 pm

McGuffin pleads not guilty to teen girl’s murder
Tears flow at arraignment

Posted: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 11:00 am

Nicholas J. McGuffin wipes tears from his eyes Tuesday at his arraignment by Coos County Circuit Court Judge Michael Gillespie. McGuffin was arrested Monday near his Greenacres home and was charged with murdering Leah Freeman. McGuffin was Freeman’s boyfriend for eight months before she went missing in June 2000. World Photo by Benjamin Brayfield

Cory Courtright, center, reacts after seeing Nicholas J. McGuffin, foreground, in court before his arraignment. Beside her is her sister-in-law, Rosemary Courtright. McGuffin faces a murder charge in the death of Leah Freeman, Courtright’s 15-year-old daughter, who was found dead 10 years ago. Authorities knew McGuffin was a prime suspect in the cold case, but lacked enough evidence to arrest him until now, Coos County District Attorney R. Paul Frasier said. World Photo by Bejamin Brayfield

COQUILLE - He sat at the defendant's table.

She among her friends and family.

Yet Nick McGuffin and Cory Courtright shared one thing at the 28-year-old's Tuesday arraignment - their tears.

He cried before the hearing. He cried when Judge Michael Gillespie read the murder indictment, and he cried when he left the courtroom.

Courtright, upon entering the room, set her teary eyes on McGuffin, sobbed and shielded her face with her hands.

For the remainder of the hearing she stared disgustedly at the man she believes killed her 15-year-old daughter a decade ago.

‘It's your turn'

"It's your turn buddy. I've cried for 10-plus years," Courtright said of McGuffin after the hearing.

"‘I hope you cry for the rest of your life.' That's what I'd say to him."

Gillespie arraigned McGuffin on a grand jury indictment charging one count of murder in connection with Leah Freeman's homicide on or around June 28, 2000. He was 18.

The judge also set McGuffin's bail at $2 million.

Eugene defense attorney Shaun McCrea entered a not-guilty plea for her defendant, who could face a mandatory life imprisonment sentence with a 25-year minimum.

The judge also set a Sept. 2 bail reduction or release hearing, followed by a status hearing at 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 11 in family court.

‘I'm not a flight risk'

Red-faced and gaunt in an orange Coos County jail jumpsuit, McGuffin sniffled as the judge asked if he had any questions.

"Just thank you for trying to get the ... for letting us try to get the bail reduced," McGuffin told Gillespie.

"I'm not a flight risk and I'm just a family man and I work hard."

Following the hearing, Gillespie directed Court-right's family and McGuffin's supporters to leave separately and in different directions to avoid a confrontation.

Coos County District Attorney R. Paul Frasier said the two families have exhibited some hostility.

"In this case, obviously it's been going on a long time," Frasier said.

"So the emotions are probably higher than the average run-of-the-mill case we have in the courthouse."

The DA said it's no surprise the McGuffin family believes he's innocent.

Impartial jury

Although McGuffin hopes to be released while he awaits trial, Frasier said he can't recall a single case in his 26 years in prosecution in which a judge released a homicide suspect on his own recognizance.

He also said a motion for a change of venue from the defense would be expected in such a case. However, he has withheld information - including Leah's cause of death - to improve prospects of gathering an impartial and fair jury.

"The more I talk about the facts - the more people learn - it becomes harder to pick a fair and impartial jury," Frasier said.

"The test is not ‘Have you heard about this case?' The test is, ‘Has what you heard ... given you an opinion on what the outcome of the case should be and you're not going to change your mind no matter what happens in the courtroom?'"

Frasier went on to say that there are rumors McGuffin had accomplices. However, no evidence supports that. He added that the statute of limitations for someone who has aided in the commission or concealment of a crime is only three years.

"But if somebody thinks they have the goods on somebody, I'd certainly like to hear about it."

Grand jury delays

Frasier said the arrest didn't occur earlier because, in Oregon, a case involving a suspect in custody must go before a grand jury within five days to receive an indictment. Without one, the suspect must be released.

Frasier said it would have been difficult to present his 113 witnesses in such a short time span.

Also, the grand jury could have returned the indictment as early as Aug. 11 when Frasier finished presenting witnesses, but members decided to put off deliberation to another date because it was too late in the day.

Jurors' schedules didn't agree until Monday, when Frasier returned from a week-long visit to the National Advocacy Center in South Carolina, where he served on the faculty for a trial advocacy class for new prosecutors.

He had committed to the class in January.

10-year frustration

The Leah Freeman case is by far the oldest case Frasier has prosecuted. He's been involved in it since the beginning.

About a week after Leah disappeared, law enforcement activated the major crimes team, and Frasier - then a chief deputy DA - was asked to join.

A grand jury was convened to determine Leah's whereabouts before her body was discovered near Fairview 37 days after her disappearance.

Another gathered to review the case and McGuffin's involvement, but it issued no indictments.

"Everybody was in agreement; we just didn't have enough evidence," Frasier said.

"I've had lots of cases in my career - whether it be a theft case or whatever - where I'm pretty sure I know who did it but I just can't prove it.

"That's always frustrating. But it was frustrating especially in this case."

Reporter Jessica Musicar can be reached at 541-269-1222, ext. 240; or at jmusicar@theworldlink.com.

http://theworldlink.com/news/local/article_a4259e26-b071-11df-b4aa-001cc4c03286.html

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