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."