Leah Freeman's Mother Continues Quest for Justice in Murder Nine-Years Ago

Leah Nicole Freeman was a bright, beautiful 15 year-old living with her loving family in Coquille, Oregon.

On June 28, 2000 Leah disappeared. The community searched and searched for five long weeks. On August 3, 2000 Leah’s slain little body was found approximately nine miles from home. She had been murdered. The only information Leah’s family has been given to date regarding her tragic death is that it was the result of “homicidal violence.” They have not been given a detailed cause of death. The cause of death, as listed on Leah's death certificate, is “pending investigation.” To this day her murder remains unsolved.

Her Website:
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For those of you who have not heard about this case, I urge you to look at the posts in the "In Loving Memory" Section of this site. There is a lot of information that has been posted on this case there.

Tomorrow marks the 9 year anniversary of the death of this poor innocent child. She was taken from this world prematurely and by a senseless act. To make matters worse she has not received the Justice both herself and her family deserve.

Many may or may not know that Leah's Mother is a member of this site, her name is Cory Courtright and goes by Cory on here. Some have already welcomed her with HUGE open arms and am truly thankful for that!

I've wrote this before in my first Leah thread, and wanted to add it to this thread too, so those that haven't read the first thread, know why I am so drawn to this case:

[quote] This one hits pretty close to home. I moved to Coquille with my mother and brother around June of 2001, when this case was still so fresh in peoples minds. The community of Coquille was devastated and still mourn the loss of this precious girl to this day. Every time I go back to visit my mom, who still lives there, I still see posters with her pretty face on them and the words "Justice for Leah". It makes me sad to think that her family has not received the justice they have been looking for. I hope and pray that one day this family will get the answer they have long awaited for! [quote]

Something needs to be done to bring this case back in the spotlight and put pressure back on LE to get this case solved!!

Cory has made many attempts to contact to get her story out there, but she is just one person! She needs Help, and I know she can find that help here... From all of us. I am going to quote Fysty she made an excellent point

"One person is just that, 50 people is getting to "mob" status but the internet can be a wonderful thing."

.

My mother (also a member here by the name treaves) put together a WONDERFUL media kit and has already sent it to AMW who initially responded with a phone message, but never followed through with there promised phone call. That doesn't matter though, because with the help of all of you guys on this website, we can bug them enough that they do follow through with there promise and give Cory the much needed air time she deserves!

I have collected mailing addresses to a few Media News Outlets and ask you guys to please help my mailing the wonderful media kit that my mom prepared to each of these addresses. The Media kit is in Word format, so I am not able attach it to this e-mail (or am I Fysty and t2??), however myself or Fysty would be more then happy to e-mail it to you if you provide us with an e-mail address. Here are the addresses I have collected thus far:

America's Most Wanted
PO Box Crime TV
Washington DC 20016

Dateline NBC.
30 Rockefeller Plaza. Room 510.
New York, NY 10112

Oprah
Harpo Productions
PO Box 909715
Chicago, IL 60607

Unsolved Mysteries
P.O. Box 11449
Burbank, CA 91510

These are just a few to start with and I would love for anyone to post more suggestions if you have any!!

Please just take 10 minutes out of your day to help this family out and to bring Justice for Leah Freeman!!!

Aimi

From Guest To Wrapitup, Yesterday at 17:11

JUSTICE FOR LEAH CANDLELIGHT VIGIL IN COQUILLE
SUNDAY, JUNE 28 AT 8:30 P.M.

Community to Hold Candlelight Vigil on Nine-Year Anniversary of
Leah Freeman’s Disappearance

WHAT: Justice for Leah Candlelight Vigil

WHERE: Sanford Heights Park
Leah Freeman’s Memorial Bench
1098 North Myrtle Place
Coquille, OR 97423

WHEN: Sunday, June 28, 2009 at 8:30 p.m.

WHY: This marks the nine-year anniversary of the disappearance and subsequent murder of Leah Freeman. The murder investigation is still open and we need to find the person(s) responsible to be brought to justice!

The South Oregon Coast community is invited to attend a candlelight vigil in memory of Leah Freeman, a 15-year
old Coquille girl who was murdered in 2000. Beginning at 8:30 p.m., Leah’s mother, Cory Courtright, will lead the
crowd in a Justice for Leah candlelight vigil in front of Leah’s memorial bench at the Sanford Heights Park.

The purpose of the candlelight vigil is to celebrate Leah’s short life and grab the public’s attention on the nine-year anniversary of her disappearance and subsequent murder to make everyone aware that the investigation into Leah’s murder is still open, and we are still looking for her murderer(s). We understand that there are many unsolved murders in Oregon and even more across the country. We are remembering them and their families on this special occasion, as well. Anyone who has lost a loved one to violence is urged to attend the event and bring a photo or flyer to share. Let us stand together in solidarity.

Family and friends will peacefully deliver a powerful message to the Coquille Police Department that Leah deserves justice. Leah has not been forgotten by her family and friends and she should not be forgotten by the community where she lived. We'd like to see the Coquille Police take meaningful action. Please show your support by joining Leah's family and friends. Help us seek JUSTICE FOR LEAH!

If you have any information regarding Leah’s murder, contact the Coquille Police Department at (541) 396-2114. For more information please visit, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Thank you Wrap for posting this!

Not a problem, just wish I knew who sent it to me in a PM. Whoever it was obviously cares a great deal!!



Cory, you are in my deepest thoughts and prayers today and always!!

Major Hugs!!

Kathie

Wrap, was it sent to you in a PM from a Guest then?? :?:

Hey I think it was that reporter I was telling you about mommyof3kids! Not positive but pretty sure.

That would be great if it was

Hold on....I'll go check!

Wonderful!!! Thankyou for posting all of this!! I'm hoping that SOMEONE will get this out in front in the media. It just has to get some kind of attention from someone. What is heart breaking is that there are so many of these cases that these shows say it "doesn't meet their criteria". WHAT THE EF??? What does it take to meet their "criteria?" A beautiful young girl is no longer with us and her killer still walks the streets. What more could they want????

In any case...lets do that mass mailing this week people!!!

Sure looks like it to me!!! Such a sweet lady!!!

By the way mommyof3kids.....,,LOVE YOUR AVATAR TODAY!!! :cheers:

Cory - My heart goes out to you over the loss of beautiful Leah, 9 years ago today. I'm so sorry you do not have the answers you need.

I looked up email addresses for the shows mentioned in addition to a few more, for those who would could send emails, preferably to all the shows with a cut & paste.


America's Most Wanted
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Unsolved Mysteries (Only email I could find was for tips)
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

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

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

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

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

Greata Van Susteren "On the Record"
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Jane Velez Mitchell
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OMG! How beautiful is that?! I am absolutely bawling my head off! Thank you sooooooo much!

Just so you all know Victims Heartland is in my speech for tonight. No way on earth I could do this vigil without mentioning this awesome site and all the wonderful people here. You have all helped me so much in the past week or so. You are an awesome group of people and I am blessed to have you all. God Bless each and every one of you!

Cool Holly! Thank you! I think you actually have a few contacts there that I haven't tried! Great job!

Awesome Tribute!!!

I have no clue who sent me that link but happy they did!!

My heart goes out to you Cory. I have a feeling someone soon will grab and run Leah's unsolved case!!

Hang in there, and God Bless YOU!!

Wrapitup wrote:Awesome Tribute!!!

I have no clue who sent me that link but happy they did!!

My heart goes out to you Cory. I have a feeling someone soon will grab and run Leah's unsolved case!!

Hang in there, and God Bless YOU!!

Thank you Wrap! I know.....awesome tribute huh???!!!! Beautiful!
Are you talking about the pm you got? If so, it definitely was the reporter I have been in contact with just recently.
I will hang in there, and I sure hope you are right that someone will grab and run Leah's unsolved case!!

Cory wrote:

Wrapitup wrote:Awesome Tribute!!!

I have no clue who sent me that link but happy they did!!

My heart goes out to you Cory. I have a feeling someone soon will grab and run Leah's unsolved case!!

Hang in there, and God Bless YOU!!

Thank you Wrap! I know.....awesome tribute huh???!!!! Beautiful!
Are you talking about the pm you got? If so, it definitely was the reporter I have been in contact with just recently.
I will hang in there, and I sure hope you are right that someone will grab and run Leah's unsolved case!!

Can you please tell me who the reporter is with?? This is awesome that a reporter would lurk and post a PM to me reference the vigil!!!!!!!!!!!!

Blessings to sweet Leah's soul, with hope and love that there will be justice for her and for you, Cory and your family. The heartbreak that you have endured is surely incomprehensible.

I hope that the vigil is a comforting and meaningful experience with your community coming together to remember Leah.

I will send emails to all contacts this week and send love and hugs to you Cory.



xoxo
Heike

Cory Today at 1:23 pm


t2smith wrote:

OMG! How beautiful is that?! I am absolutely bawling my head off! Thank you t2smith, sooooooo much!

Just so you all know Victims Heartland is in my speech for tonight. No way on earth I could do this vigil without mentioning this awesome site and all the wonderful people here. You have all helped me so much in the past week or so. You are an awesome group of people and I am blessed to have you all. God Bless each and every one of you!

I just watched it for the first time and couldn't stop the tears! Thank you t2!! It was a great song choice too!!

And Holly for adding those links ;)

I don't know how I missed that last night...truly beautiful! Great Job ladies and bless you Cory.

Heike wrote:Blessings to sweet Leah's soul, with hope and love that there will be justice for her and for you, Cory and your family. The heartbreak that you have endured is surely incomprehensible.

I hope that the vigil is a comforting and meaningful experience with your community coming together to remember Leah.

I will send emails to all contacts this week and send love and hugs to you Cory.



xoxo
Heike

How nice of you Heike! You are right. The heartbreak is so far beyond words. It is not something I have been able to explain for 9 years now. Thanks for your best wishes and sending the emails out!

Hi Cory,

We must believe that something positive will come of the communications to various shows...I am assuming that you did not hear back from AMW? :-(

I was thinking today that it might be more compelling for those that choose what are the best stories for their show, to have a video clip of you (& sis) sharing your feelings and longing for the murderer to be brought to justice, along with the tribute to Leah?

I hope that your family finds pleasure together on this holiday weekend.

Love and hugs,
xoxo
Heike

Hey Heike! I think that is an awesome idea! We need something to catch the eyes!

Thanks for your wishes for this holiday weekend. Truthfully, even the 4th of July is tough for me. It's a reminder of her shoe they found. If memory serves me correctly, the second shoe was found on July 3rd. One of her shoes was found here in town and the other was (hmm....this is a guess) about 5 miles from where they found her body. So the shoes were like 15 miles apart. I'm pretty much a stay at home kinda girl, so I don't really even participate in the 4th of July. I make sure to get fireworks for the Grandkids but other than that....I just sit and wait for justice to walk up to my front door.
Am I sounding like a whiner???!!! OMG! I don't wish to ruin anyone elses holiday...... I really do hope you all have a happy and safe 4th.

Your feelings are understandable, Cory, and expressing them here is always safe.

I have not read about the shoes...that is very strange, and must just add to the feeling of being haunted by all of the unanswered questions. So sorry. xoxo

I hope the grandkids lift your heart as only children can sometimes.
Sending you warm hugs.

xoxo
Heike

Thanks Heike. Yep. I am very fortunate really. I do have a wonderful Daughter still (Leah's older sister Denise) and 3 BEAUTIFUL Grandkids. Between Denise and the Grandkids I have much to smile about. The Grandkids are only 7, almost 4 (and her name is Leigha!!) and 9 months old so they don't really understand. Someday they will.

Hugs right back atcha!

Cory wrote:Hey Heike! I think that is an awesome idea! We need something to catch the eyes!

Thanks for your wishes for this holiday weekend. Truthfully, even the 4th of July is tough for me. It's a reminder of her shoe they found. If memory serves me correctly, the second shoe was found on July 3rd. One of her shoes was found here in town and the other was (hmm....this is a guess) about 5 miles from where they found her body. So the shoes were like 15 miles apart. I'm pretty much a stay at home kinda girl, so I don't really even participate in the 4th of July. I make sure to get fireworks for the Grandkids but other than that....I just sit and wait for justice to walk up to my front door.
Am I sounding like a whiner???!!! OMG! I don't wish to ruin anyone elses holiday...... I really do hope you all have a happy and safe 4th.

Dear Cory,

The last thing you sound like is a "whiner." And IMO, you have every right to have your moments, minutes, hours, days to get it out of your system!!!!!!!!!!!

I really like Heike's idea!! Let me or Fysty know if there is anything we can do to help you!!!

Happy you have your grandchildren!!! Aren't they just the best??

Prayers and wonderful thoughts sent your way today and everyday,

Kathie

Ahhh Wrap - how sweet of you!

I like Heike's idea too! You and Fysty will be the first to know when I need help.....(notice I said "when" not "if"!!) You and Fysty are awesome and I just love you all here for your support and help.

Yes........my Grandchildren ARE the best!! Each has their own unique personalities and are absolutely beautiful in their own ways. Don't ever let them hear ya refer to me as "Grandma" cause I am "Granny" all the way!! So cute!

Thank you for the wonderful thoughts and prayers. And same to you!

Cory you’re in my thoughts and prayers as well. The memorial tribute posted on this thread was so moving.

Thank you lindamarie. I thought the tribute was awesome too!
Been wanting to tell you I love your avatar!

As the ninth-anniversary of 15-year-old Coquille, Ore. resident Leah Freeman’s murder rapidly approaches, her mother Cory Courtright’s quest for justice continues. Freeman disappeared while walking home in Coquille 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 August 3, 2000. After an autopsy was performed, it was determined that Freeman died from homicidal violence. Nine years later, the case is considered “cold” and remains unsolved.

But there is nothing “cold” about the case as far as Courtright is concerned, “I will seek justice in the murder of my daughter until my dying day. I want the person or people responsible for her death to pay for their crime and to be behind bars where they cannot endanger anyone else.”

Courtright’s knowledge of her daughter’s murder is minimal. She knows where Freeman’s body was found and the generic explanation of her death, but the actual cause of death has yet to be released because as police explained to her, it may hinder the investigation. “Not knowing the exact cause of my daughter’s death is excruciating to me,” Courtirght continues, “I have no idea what Leah went through the last few hours she was living and I still have restless nights wondering what really happened.”

Freeman’s boyfriend, Nicholas McGuffin, and his friend, Brent Bartley, were two of the last people known to have contact with her before she disappeared. Search warrants were executed on property belonging to both McGuffin and Bartley’s families and on McGuffin’s person. 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.

Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier recently 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 [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Courtright is frustrated that the case appears to be at a standstill. “I really believe a cold case investigator needs to be brought on-board to take another look at this case from a fresh perspective. I think local authorities made many mistakes from day one of the investigation and there is a critical need for everyone involved to be re-interviewed and for the evidence to be re-examined.”

Courtright is not alone in seeking justice for Leah. In 2008 the Coquille Valley Crime Stoppers was founded. The organization is a not-for-profit group of private citizens that was developed to assist law enforcement in solving existing and “cold” case crimes which are or have been committed in or around Coquille. Since its inception, the group’s primary focus has been on the Freeman case and the unsolved case of Jeremy Bright, a 14-year-old boy who disappeared in 1986 in Myrtle Point, Ore.

On Monday, August 3 Courtright will do what she has done for the past nine years. She will drive to Lee Valley Road outside of Fairview and sit on the desolate roadside where her daughter’s murdered body was discovered. “Leah had so much potential, she had her entire life ahead of her and it was stolen. She deserves justice, her murderer needs to pay for their crime so she can rest in peace.”

If you have any information regarding Leah’s murder, contact the Coquille Police Department at (541) 396-2114. For more information please visit, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Victim of nine year-old murder remembered at Vigil

COQUILLE, Ore. -Still seeking justice for the unsolved murder of Leah Freeman, Monday August 3, marked the ninth anniversary of the day law officials found her body, about a month after she had gone missing.

And for the first time, her friends and family decided to gather at the site for an emotional candlelight Vigil in her memory.

Fifteen years-old at the time she went missing, the search went on roughly five weeks before the discovery on the outskirts of Coquille, along Lee Valley Road.

Freeman's mother, Cory Courtright says she used to come out all the time and plant flowers but after some vandalism to her wooden cross on site, it's been awhile since she's made it back out here.

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Portland station????? Or is it Eugene?

Also, the Coquille Valley Sentinel has a real nice article in todays paper....but I don't know how to get it on here!! Sorry!

The ninth-anniversary of 15-year-old Coquille, Ore. resident Leah Freeman’s murder has come and gone, her mother Cory Courtright’s quest for justice continues. Freeman disappeared while walking home in Coquille 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 August 3, 2000.


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Thank you Linda!!! :D

Hmm, I guess I didn't think the Sentinel had a website, well at list they didn't have one when my mom worked there, or maybe they did, but anyhoo, thanks LM for the post and it's a great article too!

JUSTICE for Leah

ANSWERS for Cory

Whos that talking in the utube a member here ?? Shes GREAT !!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is great! ya know we should ALL email ms Nancy Grace and pester her to get this word out! can I? or would that be stepping on toes?

Just thinking of Leah this morning.

CritterFan1 wrote:Just thinking of Leah this morning.

Thank You Critter.....It's ALWAYS nice to hear that someone is thinking about Leah. :thanks: :littleangel:

Justice for Leah.
Answers for Cory.

Cory, you are such a strong woman. There WILL BE justice in leah and your family. I just know it. I am so proud of you. Keep up the good work . There will be justice in the end.

acuiriz, Very glad to see you here!!!

I really do believe this is Leah's year!!! :cheers:

Hi Acuiriz!! It's Great to see you! Isn't this the best News EVER?