WA WA - Leah Roberts, 23, Whatcom Co, 13 Mar 2000

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somequestions said:
The case of Leah Roberts is featured on the Disappeared episode, Soul Searcher.

I think there are definite signs in this case pointing to foul play like the starter on her Jeep being messed with. If Leah Roberts did not have mechanical knowledge, that is very strange. Plus finding fingerprints and male DNA in her wrecked Jeep is also strange.

One unique piece of evidence was the movie theater ticket found in her wrecked Jeep. The movie she had seen before she disappeared was American Beauty. I remember this film because it had a view unique quote in it towards the end of the movie. I cannot remember the exact words of the quote since I have not seen that movie in a very long time but it went something like this(not verbatim):

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. That is true of every day except one, the day that you die.
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The Youtube video of Disappeared: Soul Searcher has been taken down from Youtube. Does anyone else know where I would find it? I had 31 minutes left! :(
 
Nixaeagle said:
It’s a good thought . They’re looking for more victims . And they’re very close in age ( Leah 18 months older )
However , best I can tell Keys was in NY in the service when Leah disappeared in March 2000.

FBI fears serial killer Israel Keyes murdered more women
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I really think Israel has a striking resemblance to the guy that Leah was last seen with. When I did a side by side comparison it's scary, and I am almost 90% sure I read somewhere he would have been in the surrounding area at the time Leah disappeared.
 
Since there was no blood found in the car, I think it is highly unlikely that anyone was in the car when it went off the road. This seems like an attempt to dispose of Leah's car in a fairly remote area with the intention to buy some time before it would be discovered.

Given its location, it also seems highly unlikely that the person who did this acted alone. Whoever drove the car out there would need a way to then leave the scene. This makes me think that (1) either Leah was voluntarily near Canyon Creek Road, only to be abducted/murdered by someone who was also there and who had their own means of transportation; or (2) whoever disposed of Leah's car did so with another person who followed in another car so that they could both leave the scene once Leah's car was dumped.

I also wonder if Leah went to see the movie at Bellis Fair just to have a quiet, dark place to have a nap! She had just done a ridiculously long drive in a very short time period, and even if manic (which, by the way, it total speculation), her body would be tired and in need of rest. Another interesting tidbit is that there is a street in Bellingham where a bunch of RVs/campers park for extended periods of time. I am new to the Bellingham area and don't know how long that has been going on for, but if Leah was looking for a place to sleep in her car, this guy in the bar might have told her about it. That being said, given how much cash she had, I don't know why she wouldn't just get a motel room, but I wonder if police ever investigated whether Leah had been sighted in the RV area.

Another thought: A kitten would not last more than a day or two out in the woods alone. If Bea had been in the car when it crashed, she likely would not have strayed far from the crash site, yet no cat remains were found there. This makes me think that whoever harmed Leah might have offered her and Bea a place to rest. Did police question whether anyone in the area suddenly had a new kitten? Was anyone in the area gifted with a kitten in the days/weeks following Leah's disappearance?
 
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I definitely think leah was lost when she got to Bellingham, she was nw of her destination. The car and its location....?
 
I just went out to Mt. Baker yesterday, and I have some more thoughts!

I think Leah intended to spend some time in Bellingham, at least overnight. As far as we know, it's the only place where she spent any significant amount of time-- at least a movie and a meal.

The drive out to Mt. Maker is pretty much a straight shot east. Once you're out of Bellingham, it very quickly turns into farmland and then forest. The towns between Bellingham and Mt. Baker are tiny and primarily residential-- again, farms and forest. The town of Glacier is the last stop before getting to the mountain, and there are small shops and restaurants where people can stock up before going up to the mountain.

Something that stuck out to me is that Canyon Creek Road, the road where Leah's car was found, is easy to miss. Leah definitely did not accidentally turn onto it, assuming that she was alive and driving her car out towards Baker. Her car was *intentionally* dumped there because it is off of the main road and not a place where someone would be easily spotted. Canyon Creek Road is also easier to spot on the way *back* from Baker, which makes me think that it's possible Leah actually did make it past Glacier.

There IS, however, a campsite very close to Canyon Creek Road called Douglas Fir Campground. It would have been closed in March, so I don't think Leah would have been able to camp there (again, assuming she was alive and made it out of Bellingham). However, given that it would have been empty, it may have been a convenient place to bury a body. It might not be the smartest idea to dispose of a body so close to where the car was dumped, but it's possible. Were any of the nearby campgrounds ever searched with dogs?

Yet another rough theory I had was that Leah could have been abducted from Glacier. There is one public restroom at the far end of a parking lot for a convenience store (Graham's). Again, Glacier is the last place to stock up on supplies and use a restroom before heading up Mt. Baker. Given how isolated the restroom is, it would be *very* easy to surprise someone, and there is even a small trail right behind the building. Was anyone in Glacier or anyone form Graham's ever questioned about whether they saw Leah?

Lastly, if Leah *was* planning to do any sort of winter hiking/camping, she would have needed a Northwest Forest Pass and appropriate supplies. Was she ever at the REI in Bellingham or at the ranger station in Glacier to get a pass? If not, if she did make it out there to do some adventuring, she would have needed to be with someone who *did* have a pass. Anyone know a guy named Barry who had a Northwest Forest Pass? :D

These are all half-formed ideas, but actually being out in the area really helped me get a better idea of the situation. Regardless, if Leah did plan to head out to Mt. Baker, it was a terrible time of year for a novice to do any sort of trekking.
 
This is a puzzling case for sure. First thing that came to mind was, I wonder what the fuel level in the Jeep was at the time it was discovered? She had been using a debit card for gas and the last purchase was 300 miles from Bellingham. Based on the number of gallons on the receipt and the distance driven from the fill up previous to that one, the Jeep got about 19 mpg. The tank on that vehicle is 19.1 gallons. So max range would be about 360 miles. No purchase of gas on that card (which she had been using for gas) in Bellingham before heading out of town suggests to me she didn’t leave town in the Jeep. Other than perhaps a book store to get local information about Desolation Peak, or to a hotel, I don’t see her going anywhere other than a gas station after leaving the mall.

As far as the vehicle being tampered with: I’m not an expert mechanic, but I know the location and function of the starter relay switch. Removing or disabling it is perhaps the easiest AND the stealthiest way to make a vehicle not start. Engine will not crank at all. It does exactly what the name would imply, namely controlling the connection between the battery, ignition, and the starter. I believe that the neutral safety switch is also in this loop. It’s failure allows the vehicle to be started in other than park or neutral....As far as how that would be helpful in accelerating an unoccupied vehicle, I’m not sure. I did see in a picture that there were a pair of Leah’s shoes on the floor in the driver’s cockpit. Oddly, as tossed around as everything was in the inside of the Jeep, they looked as though they weren’t. If someone wanted to accelerate the Jeep and then get out, why not put the floor mat slightly on the accelerator and weight it down (perhaps with a pair of shoes)? They could experiment with the RPMs with the Jeep in neutral until they felt like they reached a maximum amount of acceleration which still allowed them to put the Jeep in gear and get clear of it and avoid injury.

Perhaps the starter relay was tampered with while she was in the theater or restaurant? The primary hood latch is inside the Jeep, but even if it was locked, it’s hardly Ft. Knox. A Slim Jim or even a wire coat hanger and...it’s not difficult at all. She most likely returned to her Jeep after the movie to attend to her cat, probably smoke. The NC plates, lots of possessions in the car, perhaps even the windows shaded to somewhat conceal her stuff and provide shade and security for her cat, plus the noticeable absence of a travel companion....all that would standout to a would be predator.

I could see it being a real possibility that the last time she actually drove her car was upon arriving at the mall. IF that were the case then what? The person who intentionally disabled the Jeep now appears as a “good Samaritan” slash wolf in sheep’s clothing offering assistance? An accomplice offers to “recommend someone?”

I don’t think she left Bellingham alone. And I don’t think she left in her car. I think her car was towed from the mall. Probably not to a national or regional auto repair chain. I think it went to a small shop. One that closes early, or has a very small staff, or a single person working out of a small shop leased in an industrial complex. Something like that. It was a Monday. Some small shops keep unconventional business hours, like open Saturday, but closed Sunday and Monday. It may have even been just outside Bellingham. That would seem more likely in terms of the hours of operation, number/schedule of other employees (if any), a location that lacks passers by, and maybe just off LE’s radar as far as developing leads. Not to mention, given the location of the mall and as someone else mentioned how it gets rural pretty quickly just outside Bellingham - it may well have been one of the closest places for repairs.

I believe ultimately that she will be discovered to have been much closer to Bellingham. While the person responsible for her going missing may no longer be in that community, I think while there they hid in plain sight. I also strongly believe that the person is responsible for the disappearance and death of Vera Izhevskiy as well, a 25 year old woman that lived about 15 miles from where Leah Roberts’ Jeep was found. She went missing in Bellingham in 2016. I wouldn’t be surprised if the person responsible in her case has ties to her much closer to her home though and not where she went missing. After staging the vehicle accident, I think the person responsible for Leah Roberts disappearance may have walked either home (if no family) or to a store, restaurant, or tavern closer to home and called for a ride. Coming up with a convincing story to an unsuspecting family member why you need a ride home from the bar isn’t hard to do.
 
After further thought, it doesn’t make sense that the discovery of the Jeep is either a real or a staged accident. The evidence points to her not being in an accident there. Staging an accident is methodical and detail oriented. It’s a sales pitch. Kind of a hard sell leaving so many items in the Jeep that one would obviously take with them if they walked away from an accident. The Jeep was abandoned there with three things in mind....1) Giving LE a red herring that this is the search area, 2) If Leah Roberts is one day located the ID is difficult, and 3) the person responsible is adequately separated from any evidence that ties them (or I think more importantly in their thinking, the location of where she had been) to the Jeep or anything she owned.

What about the money in her pants pocket then? Cash is untraceable, and whether someone was trying to sell this as an accident or not, they wouldn’t have to leave it all. I mean they could have left, say $500 of the $2400, right? I don’t think they ever looked. There’s really no question as to why she didn’t take at least that, if you believed that she indeed was in the Jeep when it over the embankment. The question would be, why would those not be the last pair of pants she was wearing? Of course they would have been. And they, like everything else were put into the Jeep for reason #3 above.

There’s no need to make sure every single thing is disposed of into the Jeep if the plan is to dispose of her in an area that’s common to anyone. But if the location is tied to you in some way....that’s how I think the person responsible for her disappearance was thinking.
 
Those details about the ring and pants stick with me, too. It makes me wonder if Leah had decided to sleep in her car that night after the movie, and she changed into sleeping clothes. When I was younger, I often kept my money folded in my pocket rather than in a wallet. I could see how Leah may have done the same during the day and then just left the money in her pants pocket when she changed into something else to go to sleep. Does anyone know if she typically went to sleep with jewelry on? If not, she may have stashed the ring for safe-keeping overnight. Not sure why she wouldn't put the ring in her pants pocket with the money, though....

Could someone have tried to steal her car in Bellingham, not aware that she was asleep inside? Or someone saw how vulnerable she was and decided to take advantage? I lean towards thinking that she never made it out of Bellingham alive.

Hathor16 said:
Its interesting that Leah seems to have stashed her mothers ring. A ring that family and friends said she would never take off. Yet her cash was left in her pants. 1) Was she in a sketchy situation where she thought it best not to flash her bling? 2) Did she hide it with the purpose of it being found as a sign? 3) If the money was in her pants, what was she wearing? Seems unnecessarily careless. Unless someone else hastily gathered her clothes and threw them in the car. Then Leah herself, as travelled as she may have been I pick up some serious naïveté and rashness on her part. She was seriously ill prepared for the hike she wanted to take, and thought it totally feasible to take a kitten/coyote bait with? I think that's the weirdest part of the story for me.
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Bellingham, WA is a port, and aren't there ferries/boats that go from Bellingham to Alaska?
Do you think it's possible she may have gone (been taken) there?
Her passport was found in the crashed jeep at the bottom of the canyon, so she wouldn't have been able to go across the border to Canada, at least legally.
If she didn't get on a ferry or other boat to Alaska, it's also possible she may have been taken into any other ship or even a small boat in the ports or docks.
A lot of people in these jobs are transient individuals, moving from one area to another often, even within days, so less of a chance of being caught. She could have been pushed overboard at a later date.
 
This case has always tugged on my heartstrings for several reasons. Once of which is the tragic loss this family has endured. I had the saddest feeling tonight thinking of her. I really feel that either 1) her remains have just not been found yet or 2) her remains have been misidentified mistakenly. My suspicions have always fell on #2 for reasons I cannot explain.

This is all certainly my opinion only and pray that she is still alive enjoying a new life elsewhere but as the case with most other missing cases, the missing have families that suffer tremendously in the midst of all of this. IMO, a high percentage of those that are missing would not leave their loved ones in such anguish. Keeping in mind that is they have a loving semi functional family and we’re somewhat involved in family life. However, I do believe many are victims of suicide that family did not or chose not to see as an option. I never rule suicide out completely but in Leah’s case, although I sense a great deal of sadness I don’t necessarily think she was lost to suicide. Again just MOO and my ramblings.
 
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When I covered this case I received an email from someone saying, "That road isn't as remote as everyone is making it out to be". That it was used by loggers and other vehicles. I wasn't quite sure what to make of it, I didn't state it was remote, but worth noting the road is busier than what has been depicted in several articles. I think the point she was trying to make is that if Leah had of crashed, she wouldn't have been waiting for as long as it's sometimes been made out, to be picked up. It could explain why she stashed the ring, hoping to come back later and have the vehicle towed, so she stashed it in case the person robbed her, only taking Bea with her.

Bea could have needed emergency medical attention, she was a small kitten, could she have survived that crash? I hate the thought of even saying that, but if she did, could she have survived the injuries? Could it be Leah flagged down a passing individual in the hopes of being taken to the local animal hospital?

Re Bea, I have wondered that, as well. But, I guess, we've no idea where this person came from, or where they went, or where they belong, (if they abducted Leah and Bea), so pinning down if someone got a new kitten around that area could be difficult. Going back to what I said above, Bea might not have survived very long and I think it's more than likely that wherever Leah went, Bea went.

There's also the Israel Keyes link, people are saying the composite sketch looks like him, I can see it, and if I recall he said he had been near there around that time (according to podcasts/articles I've listened to/read).

sarahperhaps said:
Since there was no blood found in the car, I think it is highly unlikely that anyone was in the car when it went off the road. This seems like an attempt to dispose of Leah's car in a fairly remote area with the intention to buy some time before it would be discovered.

Given its location, it also seems highly unlikely that the person who did this acted alone. Whoever drove the car out there would need a way to then leave the scene. This makes me think that (1) either Leah was voluntarily near Canyon Creek Road, only to be abducted/murdered by someone who was also there and who had their own means of transportation; or (2) whoever disposed of Leah's car did so with another person who followed in another car so that they could both leave the scene once Leah's car was dumped.

I also wonder if Leah went to see the movie at Bellis Fair just to have a quiet, dark place to have a nap! She had just done a ridiculously long drive in a very short time period, and even if manic (which, by the way, it total speculation), her body would be tired and in need of rest. Another interesting tidbit is that there is a street in Bellingham where a bunch of RVs/campers park for extended periods of time. I am new to the Bellingham area and don't know how long that has been going on for, but if Leah was looking for a place to sleep in her car, this guy in the bar might have told her about it. That being said, given how much cash she had, I don't know why she wouldn't just get a motel room, but I wonder if police ever investigated whether Leah had been sighted in the RV area.

Another thought: A kitten would not last more than a day or two out in the woods alone. If Bea had been in the car when it crashed, she likely would not have strayed far from the crash site, yet no cat remains were found there. This makes me think that whoever harmed Leah might have offered her and Bea a place to rest. Did police question whether anyone in the area suddenly had a new kitten? Was anyone in the area gifted with a kitten in the days/weeks following Leah's disappearance?
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Is there a way to look up specific crime reports for vehicle thefts and break-ins in Maple Falls and Glacier around 1999-2000?

I've been thinking lately about the marks on the exterior driver's side door that police thought could have been from someone trying to pry open the door. If Leah actually *did* make it out of Bellingham alive and decided to drive out to Mt. Baker, she might have decided the spend the night in Glacier and sleep in her car before continuing up the mountain in the daylight. What if someone thought the car was empty, not realizing she was asleep inside, and tried to steal it? If she woke up and confronted them, there could have been an altercation that lead to her death, and the culprit could have ditched the car nearby off of Canyon Creek Road.

I still need to drive over there! I know police extensive searched the area where the car was found, but does anyone know if they searched with cadaver dogs any other areas around Glacier/Maple Falls?
 
When/where do you theorize that Leah was going to buy gasoline again? The last purchase was on the debit card she was using for gas was in Brooks, Oregon. It’s 300 miles from the shopping mall in Bellingham. Based on her history of where and when she bought fuel and the size of the gas tank....getting to Glacier or Maple Falls would be “possible” but not by much.
 
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