On March 13, 2000, 23-year-old Leah Roberts stopped at a restaurant in Bellingham, Washington. She had driven all the way from Durham, North Carolina — a trip that took her four days. After that day, no one saw her again. Five days later, her Jeep was found wrecked at the bottom of a hill in North Cascades National Park. Years later, police discovered the car’s starter had been tampered with, raising questions about whether it had been crashed on purpose.
A Life Full of Change
Leah Toby Roberts was born on July 23, 1976, in Durham, North Carolina. She grew up with her sister, Kara, and brother, Heath. Life had always been busy and warm until her father became sick when she was 17.
She studied Spanish and anthropology at North Carolina State University but tragedy struck again. Her mother suddenly passed away from heart disease during Leah’s sophomore year.
Just months later, she was in a terrible car accident that left her with a punctured lung and a shattered femur. Doctors put a metal rod in her leg to help it heal. Leah told her sister afterward that she felt “born again.” She began to see life differently.
But only three weeks before she was supposed to leave for a college trip to Costa Rica, her father died too. She still went on the trip, leaving Kara with power of attorney over her finances.
Searching for Purpose
Leah’s siblings hoped she’d finish her degree but she dropped out just a semester before graduating. She started writing poetry, learned to play the guitar, took up photography and adopted a kitten she named Bea.
She hung out in coffee shops with her friends, Nicole Bennett and Jeannine Quiller, talking about life and dreaming of a road trip inspired by her favorite author, Jack Kerouac.
On March 9, 2000, Leah spoke to Kara on the phone. They talked about her future plans and agreed to see each other soon. That afternoon, she and Nicole made plans to babysit the next day. But when Nicole got home from work, Leah and her white Jeep Cherokee were gone. Nicole thought maybe Leah was just out for a drive — she didn’t seem worried.
By March 11, Leah was still missing and no one had heard from her. Two days later, Kara reported her missing to Durham police.
The Jeep in the Woods
When Kara and Nicole searched Leah’s room, they found a note. It read, “I’m not suicidal. I’m the opposite,” and it mentioned Jack Kerouac and a drawing of the Cheshire Cat’s grin. Leah had left rent money behind and taken many of her clothes and her cat Bea.
Kara checked Leah’s bank records and learned she had withdrawn several thousand dollars before leaving. Her debit card was used for a motel in Memphis, Tennessee, and for gas and food along a route west.
The last record was a gas purchase in Brooks, Oregon, around midnight on March 13. Security footage showed Leah alone, looking healthy but glancing around the parking lot as if she were nervous.
On March 18, a couple jogging along Canyon Creek Road spotted clothes tied to tree branches. Down a steep hill below, they saw a wrecked Jeep — Leah’s.
Inside were blankets and pillows hanging over the windows, as if someone had slept there. Her passport, driver’s license, clothes, guitar and even $2,500 in cash were found nearby. The cat carrier and some cat food were also there but Bea was gone.
Investigators noticed something strange: there was no blood or broken glass inside the car. It looked like no one had been inside when it crashed. The crash, they believed, was staged.
Searching for Leah
Kara and Heath flew to Washington to help. They found a movie ticket stub from a March 13 showing of American Beauty at Bellis Fair Mall in Bellingham. That meant Leah had made it to town before the crash.
Witnesses said they met her at a restaurant near the theater. She told them she was on a road trip inspired by Kerouac. One man said Leah left with another man named “Barry,” but no one else saw this person.
Later, someone called police claiming his wife saw Leah at a gas station in Everett, looking lost and confused. He hung up before giving his name. Police said the tip seemed real but nothing came of it.
For two weeks, police and volunteers searched the forest near the crash site using helicopters, search dogs and metal detectors to find the rod in her leg. But there were no signs of Leah.
New Evidence
Years later, detectives reopened the case. They found Leah’s mother’s engagement ring under a floor mat in her Jeep. A ring Leah always wore and never took off. It made her family believe she hadn’t left willingly.
In 2006, when police rechecked the car, they found that a wire under the hood had been cut so the car could accelerate on its own. They also discovered a man’s fingerprint under the hood and male DNA on Leah’s clothes.
Investigators questioned the man who said Leah left the restaurant with “Barry.” His fingerprint didn’t match and police have not released information about the DNA results.
Keeping Leah’s Story Alive
In 2001, Unsolved Mysteries featured Leah’s case, bringing in new tips but no solid answers. In 2005, Monica Caison from Community United Effort — a group that helps families of missing people — joined Leah’s sister, Kara, to raise awareness.
On the fourth anniversary of Leah’s disappearance, Caison led a caravan from North Carolina to Washington following Leah’s route. It became a yearly event to honor Leah and others who vanished.
That same year, Kara and Caison appeared on CNN’s Larry King Live. “I really don’t know how I would have made it through the past five years without her,” Kara said. “We’re just trying to, you know, keep Leah’s face out there as much as possible.”
In 2011, Investigation Discovery’s show Disappeared aired an episode about Leah’s mysterious case. But even today, no one knows what truly happened after she left that restaurant in Bellingham.
Sources
https://www.grunge.com/1035184/the-unsolved-2000-disappearance-of-leah-roberts-explained
