Nick McGuffin will go on trial in May 2011 for the murder of Leah Freeman

I hear ya all.. this year seems to bring so much Hope, Joy and great plans for heart health and New Years resolutions, yet there is still something missing?

I am tired of being tired, I want change! I want to read the paper in the morning and read about a child winning an award for an accomplishment INSTEAD of reading about them being snatched up by some sicko;

I am tired of worring about dropping my kids off at school and hoping they do not get made fun of or threatened...

I just want Peace on this earth that we all call home.

I am just sick and tired of all the violence

It's just all so depressing :pale:

Mommy, we all hear you. It seemed a lot different when I was a child. We played out till dark. Getting snatched up by some perv was never a consideration of our parents that I knew of.

I cannot imagine being a parent in this day and age. It has to be extra worrisome. You're a wonderful Mommy, Mommy!!

This is Leah's year. I would not say that if I truly didn't believe it!!

Cory I don't know you well but I know you lost your beautiful daughter and you have waited ten long years to find who killed her.

My hopes and prayers are with you every single day.

What a nightmare this must have been for you.

Thank you Jeanne. How sweet of you. You're right - it's like a nightmare that I can't wake up from. All I can do is trust that the cold case team with all the detectives on her case now will work their hardest to get Leah her justice. I HAVE to keep the faith that that will one day happen. As the Chief and D.A. said in the last press release, time could actually be on our side now. Those who know are growing up now and having children of their own and are hopefully understanding the situation better - perhaps realizing that it could be one of their own one day. And also technology has changed alot in the last ten years.
I will not deny that I have my bad days but I try to remain hopeful.
Thank you so much for your prayers Jeanne. Much appreciated.

Hi all any news about the case??? andy x

wish something would leak out.

Cory I hate waiting. I can't begin to imagine what your going through. I am glad you have faith because I really believe this is Leah year. It is going on 10 yrs. Cold cases are being solved everyday thanks to new technology.

LOL LM!!! I hate waiting too!! I'm doing ok. And YES I do have faith!!!

I was hoping to see some movements forward in finding justice you Cory, but it looks like more waiting - still praying every day that we are closer to an arrest...

Hi everyone. More waiting...ugh...all in good time....it is so quiet. I pray that LE's on to something solid, and they're meticulously dotting every i and crossing every t. I like to think that Leah KNOWS when this day will be.

I agree with everyone. I keep checking here hoping to see some news. Have to assume LE is working dilligently and trying to not screw it up. I so hope this is IT though.

Cory - I can't even begin to imagine what this is and has all been like for you

All this waiting is gut wrenching for us. I guess I thought it would move faster than this when they said new evidence was found and the interviews would be starting. Things are kept so close to the vest so to speak in Coos County.

Cory wrote:I'm still having troubles pulling myself outta this funk I seem to be in. I'm sorry.... I didn't mean to depress everyone. Hopefully soon something will happen. I just keep praying for the day I am able to come on here and say an arrest has been made. I know LE is doing all they can for a resolution.....I guess that it's just that I'm not very damn patient. Who would be after 10 freakin' years though, right? I'm trying guys...that's all I can do for now. Again...sorry if I depressed everyone else.

Depressed everyone??? That would never happen in a million years, You and Leah are like my family now, I know I speak for others that care about you on Vh, FaceBOOK, and everywhere!!!!!.Along with all of the parents of murdered children of anyone ever had a need for a blue funk day it is you. The not knowing, the wondering.
When you get the good news that Nick has been arrested I am going to attempt a cartwheel, then go make train reservations for the trial. We love you and Leah, 2010 is going to be THE year that you finally get the truth.
I am in a funk too,no darn fun.

Cory, if you think it is time we started writing letters and emails again to anyone and everyone, let us know. You say you know LE is doing everything they can, so I wouldn't want to upset anything, but if the time comes when you think it is time to pressure the point again let us know. Just know we have your back, you are not alone in this quest for justice for sweet, beautiful Leah.

I second what laga said. Anything you need.

Just say the word, Thunderbird.

Aww.....Thanks you guys!!!! How sweet!!! I will DEFINITELY let you know when we need to put the pressure back on. For just a short while longer (couple weeks maybe) I would like to hang tight and try to continue to be patient. I just got a feeling...... and it is a VERY GOOD FEELING!!! Woo hoo!!!! Justice For Leah Nicole Freeman!!!!!!!!!!

Hey - BTW..... I REALLY like how on Leah's picture on the home page someone put "New evidence found. Victims Heartland patiently waiting for justice." Love it Love it Love it!!!!!!!!! You guys are sooooo awesome!!! (don't tell me that has been there for a long time....cause I just noticed it!!! :oops: )

I made it recently and put it on the home page as I am running short on patience's. I want the media to start asking questions and putting some pressure on the cold case team to tell us about any progress they are making. I wanted it to be subtle but to the point. We know there is new evidence because they said so. I praying so hard and really believe there will be an arrest this year.

lindamarie wrote:I made it recently and put it on the home page as I am running short on patience's. I want the media to start asking questions and putting some pressure on the cold case team to tell us about any progress they are making. I wanted it to be subtle but to the point. We know there is new evidence because they said so. I praying so hard and really believe there will be an arrest this year.

LOL! I sooooooo understand the shortness on patience LM!!! Weird isn't it how they put out that press release and then never came back and said anything else?? So irritating.
Thanks for putting that on there LM! Again....I LOVE IT! :high five:

Cory wrote,

Weird isn't it how they put out that press release and then never came back and said anything else?? So irritating

.

It irritates me, Cory, so I can only imagine how you feel, but hopefully your patience is rewarded soon. I hope they haven't underestimated your resolve to get the justice Leah so deserves and the resolve of all here at VH who are with you a million%. They best not be thinkin' that press release bought them another 10 years, 'cause they'll be in for a very rude awakening!!!

I know Laga! I DO know for a fact that they are working on the case. In fact I just talked to an officer yesterday. My thoughts and hopes are that they are just "getting their ducks in a row". I do know one thing for sure and that is that Victims Heartland will be ALL OVER their asses if in fact they think the PR just bought them another 10 years!!!!!!! Oh my! They don't want to go there now do they????!!! LOL!

No, Cory...they don't!!!

Keep the faith, woman!!!!!!!!! You are really amazing! stripper

Wrapitup wrote:No, Cory...they don't!!!

Keep the faith, woman!!!!!!!!! You are really amazing! stripper

I'm keepin' the faith Wrap!!! I still get frustrated but I will not lose the faith!!!! stripper stripper stripper

Just wanted to say I just went on to CNN website and saw a link that said missing shoe leads to teens body and when I clicked on it it was Leah's case. I hope things are as promising as they make it sound in the article!

by abck2006 Today at 10:37 am Just wanted to say I just went on to CNN website and saw a link that said missing shoe leads to teens body and when I clicked on it it was Leah's case. I hope things are as promising as they make it sound in the article!

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.
She was so happy ... She jumped and kissed me on the cheek and told me she loved me."
--Cory Courtright, slain teen's mother
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, Chief 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.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Hi all i do wonder if the interest about the tshirt, is all about hindsight by the police, maybe Leah wasn't wearing it when they found her, do we know???


Maybe ive missed something..

OMG!!!!! Andy!!! Where have you been????
I still don't know about the t-shirt - whether she was wearing it or not. I have always believed she was fully dressed. But I could be wrong about that.

Wow! I forgot about CNN calling last week and saying they were going to put her story on their site!!! Yikes! Thanks for posting that abck and BJ!

Hi Cory still here and still hoping, just thought i'd let the proffessional do their jobs ;)

If not were be on their backs

The all tshirt thing makes no sense unless THEY KNOW she wasn't found in that tshirt, because Leah was seen wearing it at her friends after she had left Brents granparents house :scratch:

I would like to post the CNN article in the public Leah thread if no one objects.

Thks Linda,,,

I cant remember, was the cop at the granparents house, after Leah had been found or before?

prayerbone wrote:Hi Cory still here and still hoping, just thought i'd let the proffessional do their jobs ;)

If not were be on their backs

The all tshirt thing makes no sense unless THEY KNOW she wasn't found in that tshirt, because Leah was seen wearing it at her friends after she had left Brents granparents house :scratch:

I don't think they would have went back looking for that shirt if she had it on when the found her.

Thats what im trying to remember, i'll look through the pdf, but i'm pretty certain the cop saw the tshirt at the granparents house b4 Leah had been found, and it only was of interest because she was wearing one..

Obviously if it was Leahs, that means she did go back to the granparents after visiting her friend..

Sorryyyyyy What i mean is i think they went back to find the tshirt before Leah was found, so at that stage it was of interest because she had been wearing one...

lindamarie wrote:I would like to post the CNN article in the public Leah thread if no one objects.

No objection here!!!

I guys.. :oops: I've been neglecting my favorite site and all of my friends for way too long now.. BAD me!!

I was full of joy when I logged into FB this morning to find Leah's Case on NG's website!! RIGHT ON!! dancing

prayerbone please let us know if you find out they went back looking for that shirt before or after Leah was found.

Cory wrote:

lindamarie wrote:I would like to post the CNN article in the public Leah thread if no one objects.

No objection here!!!

10,000 bucks is a good incentive for someone to come forward. If they are smart they will come forward before an arrest or they can kiss that 10,000 bucks goodbye. Seeing that article on CNN got me all kinds of excited.

I wish I would win the lottery!! EVERY cent of it would go to the reward!!!!

So at this stage their just going by the fact she was wearing that top, man if she wasn't found in that top this would of been one massive cock up not taking the top when they saw it :shock:
Pdf file
On June 29, 2000, after Leah's disappearance had been reported to the
Coquille Police, and after I had found out that Leah, McGuffin and Bartley had been to the Haga residence at the end of Fir Street/Dean Minard Road earlier on June 28, myself and Chief Reeves went to the Haga residence to see if she was there. No one was at the residence. However, we did note that on the deck area there appeared to be several beer cans and a white men's sleeveless T-shirt. At the time we had a description of the clothes that Leah was wearing at the time she disappeared, which included a white top. At the time we were at the Haga residence, I believed that she had been wearing a female white tank top. As the T-shirt I saw did not match with a female tank top, I did not seize the shirt. Later that day, after speaking with the Freeman family, I realized that she had been wearing a man's sleeveless T-shirt. At that time I realized that the shirt I saw at the Haga residence was of potential significance. I drove back to the Haga home to obtain the shirt. However, when I arrived back at the Haga house the deck area had been cleaned and the shirt and beer cans were gone

Questions and sorry if these have already been answered and I didn't notice.

Who are the Haga's?

WHEN did Nick and his family go to the police saying they wanted their name cleared?

Cory, regarding the white shirt. Was it a white t-shirt or one of those shirts they call "wife beaters?

Comment: If CNN has this article, something positive IMO is up. I don't really think Leah's case has garnered national attention like this EXCEPT when Jaime Austin was murdered and her mom was on NG. Nancy DID mention Leah's case a bit then. But not since to my knowledge.

And finally, I think this is simply fantastic that after ten years, Leah's case is FINALLY getting the attention and investigation she and Cory deserve.

I wonder if Mike Galanos will cover this on Prime News and/or JVM and NG?

Justice for Leah and Cory!! :cheers:

Hiya Andy Glad to see ya again!!

I have never thought that the shirt was in particular importance, but who knows ?

Who are the Haga's?

WHEN did Nick and his family go to the police saying they wanted their name cleared?

The Haga's are Nick's friends Grandparents, they were away on vacation(or as Andy would say, "on Holiday" ;) ) while Brent and Nick partied at their house.

It is NEWS to me that Nick has come forward wanting to clear his name!! :scratch:

So, this Haga person...a suspect or POI ever??

Haga's are Brent Bartley's(Best friend to Nick) Grandparents (who were out of town). Brent was with Nick at some point the night Leah went missing and both him and Nick failed their Polly's, so I guess he was a POI as some point and maybe still is, idk.

Brent at least knows what happened. Prayerbone makes an interesting point with the t-shirt. Probably a important part of the evidence that was lost. The CNN article said Nick's family has went to LE and wants to clear him. With the ten year anniversary coming up the case is going to get some media attention. What can we do at VH to promote some media hype? Send the petition out? Any thing we can do?

LOL!! That must be a typo!! I can't imaging "the boyfriend and his family" going to LE saying they wished to clear their son's name and wanted to cooperate and help in their investigation!!! What a freakin' joke! TEN YEARS LATER AND THEY WANT TO HELP???!!!!! A little late to save his ass now isn't it??

I couldn't believe it when I read that.

It's just a way for them to find out any info. Go get them before they get YOU.