Does anyone remember this case? I get a bad feeling that she met with foul play. It's been nearly 10 years since she was last seen, and even if she had memory loss which I think was likely after her accident, she would have remembered something by now, or found a Dr. or hospital or some state assistance so that she could find her way home. I don't think she was in her right mind after the accident. I believe she was driven off the road or maybe accidentally drove off an embankment or something. But her car was pretty secluded in a wooded area. I don't think she was real near any major city or anything and may have hitchhiked. It doesn't make any sense to me that she just would have walked away without taking her clothes, money & her mother's ring which was her most prized posession. The only things that were missing were her and her cat, the cat's carrier was empty and cat food was found in the vehicle too. If she had her cat with her the whole time, she would have needed to feed it, and since she took no money with her after she left her SUV, I would say that the cat ran away or she let it go somewhere and it starved and died! How could she have survived taking no identification, credit cards, wallet, cash or anything. This case is really sad! What's your guys' opinion on this case?:(

The Montel Williams Show also featured this case a couple of years ago. Often Montel did shows that featured cases of missing adults. Leah's case was featured I remember there was video footage of her at a gas station that was shown on the episode. I think she met with foul play too.

True Crime Diary (http://www.truecrimediary.com/index.cfm?page=cases&id=110) (great website!) has a new post about Leah Roberts' disappearance and the somewhat similar disappearance of Maura Murray, who was not featured on UM, but has been discussed on this message board in the past.

A bit OT ...but I wanted to mention that the new show on ID called Disappeared is featuring Maura's story tonight. I've read so much about it over the years that I had half convinced myself it was featured on UM at some point, but after searching the forum I guess I was wrong.

A bit OT ...but I wanted to mention that the new show on ID called Disappeared is featuring Maura's story tonight. I've read so much about it over the years that I had half convinced myself it was featured on UM at some point, but after searching the forum I guess I was wrong.

UM never profiled the Maura Murray case, because she disappeared after UM went out of production; UM hasn't produced any new episodes since 2002, and Maura Murray disappeared on February 9, 2004.

This is an odd case. I could accept that she wanted to get away from everything, but why would she leave her money in the car? Even if your goal is to start a new life, you still need money to survive.

Given the amount of time that has passed since the (apparent) last sighting, I would suspect she is no longer with us, but whether this was foul play, natural, or even suicide, there's really no evidence to even speculate.

A bit OT ...but I wanted to mention that the new show on ID called Disappeared is featuring Maura's story tonight. I've read so much about it over the years that I had half convinced myself it was featured on UM at some point, but after searching the forum I guess I was wrong.
Again, OT: I just watched this episode of Disappeared, and though I was familiar with the case, I did not have an opinion of what happened to her. I am leaning towards foul play here, specifically because of the phone call made to her boyfriend. Assuming it was her, she had to have access to a phone, and not a cell phone, since the call was made using a pre-paid card. Obviously, she's probably not freezing to death in the woods at that point.

Then again, if she had access to a phone and she was in danger, why not just call 911?

Also, the amount of alcohol she purchased on her trip was completely overboard. What the heck was going on there? They never came out and said it, but she must have been drunk the night she wrecked her dad's car. They made multiple specific references to the fact that they went to a "brewpub" for dinner, to the point where you wonder why they would talk about it so much if it didn't factor into the accident(s) or disappearance. I feel like there's so much going on here that we don't know about.

I also watched the Disappered episode on Maura Murray. Very sad story and I give credit to her father for fighting to find out what happend to her everyday.

Disappered is a very good show and has UM qualities and hopefully this show can aid families in the same UM did.

I think Leah met with foul play. Whether her car crashing into the bush was an accident or not is not something I am sure about. I would think there would be blood somewhere had someone been in that car.

Leah was a young woman who was going across the country to "find herself". I hate to say it, but that has the earmarks of her being a potential target for all the wrong types of people. She could very well of been picked up by someone, the wrong person, and taken care of.

I just saw the show "disappeared" about her. The show said that the day that she purchased the movie ticket for "American Beauty" she had lunch at a bar. The bartender there said that she talked to a couple people that were sitting next to her and that she was very outgoing and friendly. She also mentioned to one of the guys sitting next to her that she was from out of town and traveling around. I think she was abducted by the guy she met at the bar and he took her car and crashed it up and left it there.

I just saw the show "disappeared" about her. The show said that the day that she purchased the movie ticket for "American Beauty" she had lunch at a bar. The bartender there said that she talked to a couple people that were sitting next to her and that she was very outgoing and friendly. She also mentioned to one of the guys sitting next to her that she was from out of town and traveling around. I think she was abducted by the guy she met at the bar and he took her car and crashed it up and left it there.

Interesting theory. The only thing I wonder is why go that far out of the way to hide the car, and why not take the money? Part of me feels that she was driving in the woods trying to find the mountain that she had been reading about in Kerouac's book, got stuck, and died of exposure.

Isn't it interesting the UM never made ONE mention of this mystery person that was seen with Leah at the bar? On "Disappeared" (for those that missed it or have yet to see it), Leah was seen eating at a bar (in the town in which her car was found), chatting with some guy. One eyewitness told police he saw Leah chatting up with this guy and then she left alone. Police actually did locate this mystery guy she was seen talking to and he said she left with ANOTHER "mystery" guy and then gave a composite sketch of the man she allegedly left with. But when police went back and re-interviewed the first witness he was ADAMANT that Leah left the bar on her own. The "Disappeared" show also concluded that her car was tampered with (by someone with a mechanic's knowledge) that would make it easy to put it in drive without having someone actually sitting behind the wheel. And this mystery guy she was seen talking to used to work as a car mechanic. IMO I think this is the man that killed her, they just don't have a body or and DNA evidence that could link him to her vehicle. On a side note, "Disappeared" made no mention of Leah's cat.

Interesting. I actually just watched the "Disappeared" segment you guys have spoken about. I am still not quite sure what to think. One questions I have is this: How can the detective determine that part of the car was tampered with (apparently they found a cap missing off of something under the hood) after the car had been in such an accident. They also discovered this seven years after her jeep was found in the woods. Isn't it possible that the "tampering" that they think happened could have been caused by the damage to the car? Also, the did mention that finger prints found on the removed cap was NOT the prints from the guy that was with her at the bar (the one with the mechanic background).

I'm still not sure if this wasn't just a case of her wondering in the woods. Even her sister, in the Disappeared special, said that there is a possibility she ended up in the woods.

I'm fairly certain that the cops said they were waiting for the DNA results from the suspect (with the mechanic background). I know nothing about cars, so I'm sure if the crash could have resulted in the supposed tampering. Her car was found right off of a road, if Leah in fact had an accident of some kind, why not go out and walk the road (and hopefully run into a passing motorist) instead of wandering around in the woods?

Since Leah's blood was not found in the car, just her mother's ring which was on the floor of the jeep (her sister claimed this was her most prized possesion and never took it off) clothes, books and money I have to believe that she was abducted as soon as she left the bar, and killed at another location and her body dumped off somewhere. I think the guy took her away in his car and after he did away with her took her keys and went back to the bar where her car was parked and drove it out to the wooded area and crashed it to make it look like she was in an accident. I definitely think that this is what happened.

Since Leah's blood was not found in the car, just her mother's ring which was on the floor of the jeep (her sister claimed this was her most prized possesion and never took it off) clothes, books and money I have to believe that she was abducted as soon as she left the bar, and killed at another location and her body dumped off somewhere. I think the guy took her away in his car and after he did away with her took her keys and went back to the bar where her car was parked and drove it out to the wooded area and crashed it to make it look like she was in an accident. I definitely think that this is what happened.

I think that is a viable theory, but for me it just seems like there are more plausible explanations. Didn't the jeep look like it had been used for shelter at least temporarily? I remember the detectives stated that there was clothing purposely covering up the side windows (and didn't appear to just be a result of clothing tumbling around in the car).

Also, while possible, I find it odd to think that someone would kidnap Leah (the first day she arrived in the town, btw) kill her, dump her body, and then go back to the place where he first met her and drive away in her jeep. Wouldn't it be way less risky just to leave the jeep in the parking lot? They also did not find his fingerprints anywhere in her car, or under the hood.

It is true that the detective is waiting to get DNA results back, but the fact that there is DNA doesn't mean there was foul play necessarily.

Finally, the fact that she was talking about going to "find herself" in the Pacific Northwest, and, in particular, was enchanted with a specific mountain in the very vicinity where her jeep was found, it seems very likely she was headed up that road herself.

Just my opinion of course.

I think that is a viable theory, but for me it just seems like there are more plausible explanations. Didn't the jeep look like it had been used for shelter at least temporarily? I remember the detectives stated that there was clothing purposely covering up the side windows (and didn't appear to just be a result of clothing tumbling around in the car).

Also, while possible, I find it odd to think that someone would kidnap Leah (the first day she arrived in the town, btw) kill her, dump her body, and then go back to the place where he first met her and drive away in her jeep. Wouldn't it be way less risky just to leave the jeep in the parking lot? They also did not find his fingerprints anywhere in her car, or under the hood.

It is true that the detective is waiting to get DNA results back, but the fact that there is DNA doesn't mean there was foul play necessarily.

Finally, the fact that she was talking about going to "find herself" in the Pacific Northwest, and, in particular, was enchanted with a specific mountain in the very vicinity where her jeep was found, it seems very likely she was headed up that road herself.

Just my opinion of course.

Perhaps she went up to the mountain and happened to meet (wrong place, wrong time) some weirdo who killed her.

The fact that her jeep appeared to have been "camped" in may have been a clever ruse by whoever crashed the jeep (if that in fact was what happened). Or it could have possibly been used by a transient who needed shelter on a rainy night, or investigators may be wrong and it just appeared to have been used as a type of shelter.

The fact that her jeep appeared to have been "camped" in may have been a clever ruse by whoever crashed the jeep (if that in fact was what happened). Or it could have possibly been used by a transient who needed shelter on a rainy night, or investigators may be wrong and it just appeared to have been used as a type of shelter.

Yeah, I agree that it's possible the cops made a mistake in thinking the car was used for shelter.

But as to your first part: Now we have the killer not only going back to the restaurant and stealing Leah's jeep (and risking being seen), driving it out to the woods, tinkering with the parts under the hood, crashing it into a ravine, BUT now he also crawls down the ravine to where the jeep is and stages a shelter scene?

That just seems implausible to me. Of course we are all just guessing, but given the fact that she essentially dipped out of town to begin with (from NC), I think an accident is more likely than foul play. Really weird case though, however you look at it.

Saw this one again yesterday. So odd. You hear she wanted to take off and so many people do that and start new lives...but did she stage all that?? I doubt it. She needed the car to start that life! Not to mention the money :/

Still think the myster guy from the bar is the most likely suspect. He may have tampered with her jeep, knew she was going to have car trouble, and decided to show up and play "good samaritan" and take Leah away under the ruse of giving her a ride to an auto shop or gas station. That would explain why everything was found in the jeep.

And if it wasn't foul play, I would suspect some sort of Kristi Krebs mental breakdown. Leah may have suffered an injury after the crash which caused her to become disoriented. There was a witness (according to Charley Project) that says he saw a woman near a gas station who looked like Leah, who was acting as if she was disoriented and didn't know who she was. Oddly, the guy started to freak out in the middle of his call to the police and hung up with them in the middle of reporting the sighting.

I think one of two things happened to Leah:

1) Lost in the woods. Where her car was found was an extremely rural area. She could have gotten lost and died of exposure.

2) Foul play. I find this extremely likely considering the state of her vehicle. Leah was also very sociable and liked talking to people in coffee shops and restaurants. She was very social at the last eatery she was seen in. I don't think it's unlikely that someone pretended to be friendly and took advantage of her. Perhaps they offered to take her to Desolation Peak or accompany her so she wouldn't be alone. I lean toward this possibility because I think she would have been found by now (or at least traces of her/her clothing) if she got lost in the forest considering the extensive searches done.

This case struck a chord with me when it was on UM and I was so glad to hear that Disappeared had a segment on her. Can kind of relate to Leah; always dreamed of going on a soul-searching road trip but lack the funds needed to do so. :(

Still it blows my mind that the police waited seven years before someone actually took a look at the engine to see if it could have been tampered with or something. Why didn't they look at the engine in the first place?

I think because police found the vehicle to have been tampered with in order to make it accelerate without a driver (knowledge only a mechanic would normally have) its foul play. Plus, there was no evidence anyone had been in the jeep when it went over the embankment.. Leah came across to me as a free spirit searching for meaning and a deeper purpose. She did not come across to me as mentally ill. Im sure that finding deep meaning and purpose in life only intensified after the death of her parents but again I did not get the impression of someone who was mentally ill or suicidal. She was definitely naive though

This case has always really bothered me. Sadly, I don't think Leah is alive. I don't think she was in the car when it went down the embankment, but that it was some kind of foul play. Hopefully this case will be solved one day to give her family closure. Not knowing what happened has got to be killing them.

This case has always stuck with me as well. It's possible she ended up lost in the woods or may have been hurt and succumbed to the elements, but it seems just as likely to me that she met the wrong person and was possibly murdered.

Based on the segment (both the UM and Disappeared), Leah struck me as someone who was rather naive; a dreamer without an ounce pragmatism. I'm from the Pacific Northwest and people often seem to forget the terrain there can be overwhelmingly harsh, especially in the area she was at. If she was not met by foul play, I find it very likely that she could have wandered away from her vehicle, possibly confused or disoriented, and died of natural causes.

That said, the fact that she was sighted at the bar and had the American Beauty ticket stub does complicate things a bit. Like everyone here has mentioned, she was also apparently quite affable, and it seems possible that she placed her trust in the unknown man at the bar, who may have ended up being a bad character.

What video on YouTube is this cases included in?