Leah's Timeline
FRIDAY, DEC. 14
Leah Hickman, 21, is last seen by her half-sister, 25-year-old Jessica Vickers, at the apartment the two share on the 400 block of 8th Avenue sometime in the afternoon.
Hickman logs in to her MySpace page sometime on this day.
5:40 p.m., Hickman makes a call from her cell phone to a friend saying she is going to McDonald's. This is the last call made from her phone. All incoming calls that night go straight to voice mail suggesting the phone has been turned off. Eventually, incoming callers get a recorded message that Hickman's voice mail is full.
SATURDAY, DEC. 15
In the morning, Vickers enters the apartment and sees Hickman's purse, keys and car are still at the residence, though Hickman is nowhere to be found.
1:01 p.m., Vickers posts a message on Hickman's MySpace page which reads "Oh sister, where are you???"
5 p.m., Hickman does not show up for a scheduled four-hour shift at Dress Barn on Merritts Creek Road in Barboursville, where she has been working for five months. Her manager, Peggy Nida, later told reporters that Hickman was not the type of employee to no show for a shift, and even called the store to tell them she was going to be a few minutes late.
SUNDAY, DEC. 16
4:48 p.m., Hickman's mother, Sherry Russell of Leon, W.Va., files a missing person report with the Huntington Police Department. Authorities begin the investigation into Hickman's disappearance.
MONDAY, DEC. 17
7:30 a.m., Hickman's friend, Roger Parker of Proctorville, posts a message on Hickman's MySpace page informing friends that she is missing, and asking anyone with information on her whereabouts to contact him, or friend Caitlin Starkey. Friends begin to post fliers across the area.
TUESDAY, DEC. 18
Police continue to search for Hickman and conduct interviews, searching for leads in the case.
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 19
Vickers is interviewed on MSNBC concerning her sister's disappearance, other national media begin to carry stories on the incident.
11 a.m., Police search Hickman's neighborhood, searching abandoned houses and interviewing sex offenders in the area looking for any new evidence in the case. Authorities state the search does not turn up any new information.
Dress Barn announces a $10,000 reward for information on Hickman's whereabouts.
THURSDAY, DEC. 20
Police announce they are pursuing new leads in the case.
6 p.m., Friends and family hold a candlelight vigil at the Memorial Student Center plaza on the campus of Marshall University.
FRIDAY, DEC. 21
Vickers is interviewed on MSNBC for the second time concerning her sister's disappearance.
Later, Huntington Police find the body of a white female in the overhead crawl space in the basement laundry room in Hickman's apartment building. Police believe it is Hickman's body, but the woman was not identified conclusively. Police forensic units look for clues and treat the discovery as an active crime scene.
SATURDAY, DEC. 22
Forensic units continue to investigate at the apartment building.
The victim's body is removed from the building and sent to the state Medical Examiner's Office for identification.
MONDAY, DEC. 24
Police announce the body found has been positively identified as Leah Hickman.
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 26
Funeral for Leah Hickman scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 29, at the Point Pleasant National Guard Armory. Hickman will be buried the next day following a private graveside service.
THURSDAY, DEC. 27
Dress Barn announces that $10,000 reward fund will go to pay for funeral.
SATURDAY, DEC. 29
More than 2,000 attend services and visitation for Hickman at National Guard Armory in Point Pleasant.
