Cory Courtright holds a blanket with the image of her murdered daughter Leah Freeman on Monday morning. Leah Freeman was 15 years old when she was last seen in Coquille on June 28, 2000. Her body was found on Aug. 3, 2000 with the cause of death listed in reports as “homicidal violence.” No one has been charged in the murder and her mother waits for justice.
World Photo by Lou Sennick
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.
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THE YOUNG MAN WHO KILLED LEAH SEEMS TO BE A WHOLE LOT SMARTER THAN ANYONE ON THE COQUILLE POLICE DEPT. OR ANY OF THE INVESTIGATORS. HE DESTROYED EVIDENCE, HE LIED ACCORDING TO THE DETECTOR TEST. HIS PARENTS ARE SHIELDING A MURDERER. DONT THINK I COULD DO THAT. BUT THIS DEPT IS NO MORE INCOMPETENT THAN ALL THE OTHER SMALL TOWN DRIVE BETWEEN DONUT SHOP DUMMIES. THEY WRITE TICKETS, HANDLE MINOR COMPLAINTS, AND CHASE GOOD LOOKING TEENAGE GIRLS. AND GET A SMALL WAGE TO BOOT.
My sister deserved better from the coquille police, the D.A., and everyone else involved. the law enforcement officials in the city of Coquille should feel unending shame over how they chose to mishandle Leahs murder!!!!!
It would solve everything if the writers of some of the comments above would volunteer a small amount of their time and show the police how to solve the crime. There also might have been a more favorable outcome if the citizens of Coquille had been more forthcoming with information at the time of the crime. I suspect the above comments were made by the small group of people currently attacking the police. Should the entire department be replaced, these same people will continue their anti-police campaign against their replacements. That's just the way they are.
No awnser for cause or death, that should never happen, The coroner must not be trained well. It's too bad when these kind of crimes happen in a small town it seems like the murderer just gets away with it because the police are untrained. And for the DA down there, i think it's time for a new one. There is a killer wondering the streets of coquille and the police don't seem to care.
To think that there is the murder of a pretty young girl that has not been solved in 7 years, what a joke. Is the police department STUPID! Do they not realize it is unsloved, they must not or they would be working on it everyday.
It seems like the coquille police department and team of investigators are not worthy of there jobs. Not being able to tell the cause of death, come on..What is the coroner out of date. I feel terrible for the mother and family, and to think that the killer is probably living close by and that about makes me sick. Come in coquille police, don't you know how to do your job! How frustrating this is, an it should never be. There should be alot more awnsers. It is so sad that because the police obviously have no experience that the family hasd to suffer so much.. I really hope i never have to deal with the coquille police department for a matter like this.
The World welcomes your comments about stories, and we encourage a robust dialogue on this site. All comments must meet reasonable standards of decency and civility.
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