Leah Freeman Would Be 25 Today

Leah Freeman would be 25 today. Her murderer still has not been brought to justice but her mother, Cory Courtright continues to press for justice.

Coquille, Ore., Oct. 27, 2009 – Cory Courtright continues her quest

for justice in the murder of her daughter, Leah Freeman, even as she

faces another painful anniversary on Thursday, Oct. 29 – the day that

would have been Leah’s 25th birthday. Freeman’s life was cut

tragically short when, at fifteen years old, she disappeared while

walking home in Coquille, Ore. the night of June 29, 2000. Her body

was discovered in Fairview, a wooded town eight miles outside of

Coquille, more than a month later on Aug. 3, 2000. After an autopsy

was performed, it was determined that Freeman died from homicidal

violence.

Nearly a decade after her death, the murder remains unsolved and

Courtright is making a plea to local law enforcement, “I am simply

asking Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier to dedicate a cold

case team to re-investigate Leah’s murder. I don’t feel like the

agencies handling the case have ever been in sync and with all of the

personnel changes at the Coquille Police Department I fear that

crucial details of the investigation could very well have fallen

through the cracks.”

Courtright says she was aware of an active investigation before her

daughter’s body was found, but has heard very little about other

developments in the case since that point in time. Legal documents

that were released to the public several years ago detail the initial

investigation. Search warrants were executed on Nicholas McGuffin,

Freeman’s boyfriend at the time of her death, and his friend Brent

Bartley, two of the last people known to have had contact with her

before she disappeared. Additionally, both McGuffin and Bartley

submitted to polygraph examinations and failed. McGuffin failed the

polygraph when asked key questions in regards to Freeman’s

disappearance and Bartley partially failed the polygraph when asked if

he had knowledge of what happened to her. A grand jury was scheduled

for August 2000, but called off following the discovery of Freeman’s

body. No suspects have been named in the case.

In June, Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier explained to local

media that while the case is considered “cold,” investigators remain

active following any and all tips they receive. In regards to the

search warrant affidavits for McGuffin and Bartley and other legal

documents released in regards to the case, Frasier told local media

that “the persons named have not been excluded as potential suspects.”

Those legal documents are available to download and view at

http://cts.vresp.com/c/?MichelleEllis/05809d1876/1d073d379d/0620389f23.

Courtright doesn’t feel like this is enough, “They to do more than

follow-up on tips, they need to have a dedicated team go back and look

through all of the files again, re-interview everyone involved and

re-examine all of the evidence.”

Anyone with information regarding Leah’s murder is encouraged to

contact the Coquille Police Department at (541) 396-2114, or Coos Stop

Crime at (541) 267-6666. Courtright’s family is offering a $5,000

reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

For more information please visit Justice for Leah on Facebook,

http://cts.vresp.com/c/?MichelleEllis/05809d1876/1d073d379d/3da1fc2b14,

or at

http://cts.vresp.com/c/?MichelleEllis/05809d1876/1d073d379d/e37bc71224.