Leah Roberts: 3,000 Miles Alone

Summary

The Final Hours with Sarah Turney & Courtney Nicole

Podcast: The Final Hours
Episode: Leah Roberts: 3,000 Miles Alone
Date: April 27, 2026
Host: Crime House

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Final Hours delves into the mysterious disappearance of Leah Roberts, a 23-year-old woman who vanished in March 2000 after embarking on a spontaneous cross-country road trip from Durham, North Carolina, to Washington State. Hosts Sarah Turney and Courtney Nicole combine detailed case analysis with personal insights as they explore Leah’s final days, examine the investigation, and reflect on the unanswered questions that still torment her family and friends.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Leah Roberts: Background and Personality

• Leah was a creative, free-spirited college student, known for her warmth, artistic talents, and passion for Jack Kerouac. After a series of personal tragedies (losing both parents and surviving a near-fatal car accident), she sought meaning and transformation (06:06–09:18).
• Notable Quote:
  “Sometimes when you lose someone, I feel like it compels you to, like, live life even harder. Right? To travel more, to do the thing you’ve always been putting off.”
  — Sarah Turney (08:33)

2. The Sudden Road Trip

• In early 2000, Leah dropped out of college unexpectedly, withdrew $3,000 in cash, and set off across the country in her white Jeep Cherokee with her cat, Bea—without telling anyone her plans (10:22–12:29).
• She left a cryptic note for her roommate Nicole, referencing Jack Kerouac and affirming she was not suicidal: “No, I’m not suicidal. I am the opposite.” (19:02–20:58)
• The ambiguity of the note left both family and law enforcement uncertain if her disappearance was voluntary or if she was at risk.

3. Unfolding Discovery and Investigation

• Leah’s siblings filed a missing persons report, but police initially hesitated due to Leah’s status as an adult who “had the right to go missing” (16:37–18:02).

• Notable Quote:
  “My trouble with adults, you know, voluntarily, quote, going missing or whatever is that it’s so heavily opinion based. And whose opinion do you take?... I feel like it should be taken into consideration. And... better safe than sorry.”
  — Sarah Turney (17:07)

• Tracing her ATM/debit card transactions, her family followed a trail westward—ending with a gas purchase in Brooks, Oregon, in the early hours of March 13 (22:35–23:16).

4. Discovery of the Jeep and Clues in Bellingham

• Leah’s Jeep was discovered wrecked in a ravine east of Bellingham, WA, on March 18, 2000, with personal belongings scattered but no sign of Leah or her cat (24:07–26:21).

• The scene suggested someone might have camped in the crashed Jeep but showed no physical evidence of Leah being injured in the accident (25:17–25:59).

• The last confirmed sighting of Leah is on store security footage in Brooks, Oregon, just after midnight on March 13 (00:06–01:03, 26:55–27:37).

• In Bellingham, she is believed to have seen a movie (“American Beauty”) and had a meal at Elephant & Castle, where two witnesses recall her being talkative, discussing Jack Kerouac and her soul-searching journey. (29:26–31:31)

5. Mysterious Witness Statements and 'Barry'

• Conflicting witness reports from the Elephant & Castle bar: One says Leah left alone, another claims she left with a mysterious man named “Barry,” but no one else recalls this man:
  • Police circulate a sketch and consider “Steve,” a witness, as possibly fabricating Barry’s existence (31:31–33:13).
  • Notable Quote:
    “Unless you can rule it out a hundred percent, you still need to keep that door open... why not just leave it as a maybe?”
    — Sarah Turney (32:57)

6. Forensic Revelations

• Seven years later, detectives discover the Jeep was tampered with, suggesting the crash was staged to look accidental. A “remote start” was jury-rigged—something only someone with mechanical knowledge could manage (34:46–35:49).

• Fingerprints are found under the hood; suspicion falls on Steve, who has mechanical and military experience. Two years elapse before his DNA and fingerprints are processed—ultimately, no match (35:49–39:24).

• A ring belonging to Leah’s deceased mother is found hidden in the car, which her family insists she never took off, increasing suspicions of foul play (33:13–33:46).

• In 2010, male DNA is finally detected on an item in Leah's car, but again, no match is found in databases (39:24–40:00).

7. False Leads and Lingering Questions

• In 2014, a mummified body with similarities to Leah (including a metal femur rod) is found nearby but is soon determined to be male (40:00–41:07).
• The hosts reflect on the agony of ambiguous loss, never having answers, and the emotional toll on families left to wait and wonder (41:07–41:59).
• Notable Quote:
  “Every lead that surfaces and then fades is its own kind of loss. The question still hasn’t changed: what happened to Leah? The honest answer is that we don’t know.”
  — Sarah Turney (43:54)

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Memorable Moments & Listener Insights

• The symbolic meanings of Leah’s cryptic note, especially the Cheshire cat doodle—a motif of disappearing and reappearing—mirror the mystery of her case (20:24–22:15).
• The hosts openly discuss the fears and vulnerabilities women face when traveling alone, both in 2000 and today (10:32–12:29).
• Frustrations are voiced regarding investigative delays, particularly the implications of waiting years to process crucial forensic evidence (36:42–39:24).
• Candid empathy for families enduring “ambiguous loss” and the compounding pain of false hope (41:07–41:59).

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Chronological Timeline of Leah’s Final Days & Key Events

00:06–01:03: Last confirmed video of Leah alive at Brooks, OR, gas station
March 9, 2000: Leah speaks with sister, withdraws $3,000, and leaves home
March 10, 2000: Debit card used at a Memphis, TN, hotel
March 13, 2000: Gas station purchase in Brooks, OR (00:06, 22:35). Later that day, movie ticket for "American Beauty" in Bellingham, WA
March 13, 2000: Witnessed at Elephant & Castle, Bellingham (30:07–31:31)
March 18, 2000: Jeep discovered wrecked in Mount Baker National Forest, WA
2007: New investigators discover staged crash, mechanical tampering (34:46)
2010: Male DNA found in car, but never matched (39:24)
2014: Remains found nearby, ruled not to be Leah (40:00)

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Unanswered Questions and Theories

• Did Leah choose to vanish, or did she encounter foul play?
• What was the significance of her cryptic note and her deliberate solitude?
• Who, if anyone, tampered with her Jeep, and why?
• What happened in Bellingham the day she disappeared?
• Does the DNA in the car hold the promise of someday closing the case?

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:06] – Leah’s last appearance on security footage
• [06:06] – Leah’s personal hardships and impacts
• [09:18] – Leah drops out, isolates from friends
• [12:29] – Leah goes missing, initial confusion and search
• [16:37] – Police response and “right to disappear”
• [19:02] – Discovery and analysis of Leah’s note
• [22:35] – Financial/debit card trail and move west
• [24:07] – Jeep found, details of the crash scene
• [26:55] – Security footage in Brooks, OR, analyzed
• [29:26] – Movements in Bellingham, American Beauty ticket, restaurant visit
• [31:31] – The 'Barry' story and police investigation
• [34:46] – 2007 forensic discovery: staged accident
• [39:24] – DNA tested with no match
• [40:00] – Remains discovered in 2014, ruled out as Leah
• [41:07] – The emotional aftermath and living with ambiguous loss
• [43:54] – Recap of Leah’s timeline and enduring mystery

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Final Thoughts

Sarah and Courtney conclude by recapping the poignant journey of Leah Roberts—a young woman searching for meaning, whose trail ends in uncertainty and longing for answers.

• “She was 23 years old. She had survived the loss of both her parents, a near fatal car accident, and more grief than most people faced in a lifetime. And she had gotten back up every single time... But it seems like she never made it.”
  — Courtney Nicole (44:28)

If you have information about Leah Roberts, contact the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, WA (360-778-66060) or visit namus.gov

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[End of Summary]

Transcript

[Courtney Nicole]

Foreign.

[Sarah Turney]

This is Crime House. You're squinting at security footage from inside a gas station convenience store located somewhere off I5 in Brooks, Oregon. The timestamp tells you it's just before 1am on March 13, 2000. Now watch the front door.

[Courtney Nicole]

A young woman with light brown hair and a hat walks in. She drops something, picks it up, and then wanders out of frame. When she gets to the counter, she hands something to the cashier and pays for it. Then the woman turns, steps back from the register and deliberately looks out the front door. Back at the parking lot, she does a double take and looks again. The camera outside the store isn't working, so there's no way to tell what she's seeing. But something out there has caught her attention. A moment later, she turns back to the cashier, takes her receipt and walks out into the night. She gets back in her white Jeep Cherokee and pulls out onto the highway heading north.

[Sarah Turney]

Her name is Leah Roberts. She's 23 years old and that's the last confirmed footage of her alive.

[Courtney Nicole]

Every year, over half a million people go missing, and that's just in the United States alone. Most of those stories barely get a headline. Some don't even get a flyer or a tip line. And when cases do get media attention, we usually only get the broad strokes.

[Sarah Turney]

But for those of us who have lived these true crime cases, we know the devil's in the details. This is the Final Hours A Crime House Original Powered by Pave Studios. I'm Sarah Turney.

[Courtney Nicole]

And I'm Courtney Nicole. Every Monday, Sarah and I will be looking at the final hours of someone's disappearance. The small, seemingly mundane moments to see if there was anything hiding in plain sight.

[Sarah Turney]

Looking back at all those last conversations, connections and choices, is critical and it could be the key to unlocking it all. Each episode all offer insight on what those close to the victim might have been going through and Courtney will use her expertise to give more context into the crime scene, the red flags and the investigation itself. And we want to thank you all for being a part of the Crime House community. Please rate, review and follow the show and for ad free access to every episode. Subscribe to Crime House on Apple Podcasts.

[Courtney Nicole]

Today we're discussing the disappearance of 23 year old Leah Roberts. In March of 2000, Leah left her home in Durham, North Carolina on an unexpected cross country road trip. She left behind a cryptic note and enough cash to cover a month's rent. Nine days later, her Jeep was found in Washington State, but Leah wasn't in it. Despite the strange stories of her final encounters. Leah's whereabouts are still a mystery 26 years later.

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[Sarah Turney]

What they did to your family, you're lucky to make it out alive.

[Courtney Nicole]

Streaming on Peacock these men are going

[Sarah Turney]

to come after me. Taking them out. It's my only chance.

[Courtney Nicole]

Put a bullet in her head from the co creator of Ozark.

[Sarah Turney]

Looks like a family was running drugs execution style. Killing it's rare for the Keys. Any leads on who they might have been running for? The cartel killed my family.

[Courtney Nicole]

I'm gonna kill them.

[Sarah Turney]

All of them.

[Courtney Nicole]

MIA Streaming now only on Peacock.

[Sarah Turney]

It's March of 2000. 23 year old Leah Roberts has spent her entire life in what North Carolina locals called the Research Triangle, an area that includes the cities of Durham, Raleigh and Chapel Hill. Currently she's living in Raleigh in an apartment off campus at North Carolina State University where she's been studying. Lea is known for being a good friend, creative thinker and a free spirit. She moves through the world with an artist's eye as a photographer, a poet and an amateur guitar player. She also loves listening to live music, smoking cigarettes, cuddling her cat Bee, and reading Jack Kerouac. Lea's sweet, easygoing personality puts people at ease the moment they meet her. That's how she landed a close knit group of friends at NC State, where she enrolled to study anthropology and Spanish. Leah can often be found in a local coffee shop called Cuppa Joe. The baristas call her Double Cap Girl since she orders a double cappuccino every morning. She used to spend her days studying there, but lately she's only journaling and re reading Kerouac novels because for reasons unclear to her family and friends, Leah dropped out of college just a few weeks ago. It's an odd choice considering she was about to graduate in May, but maybe it's because the last few years haven't been kind to Leah. She survived things that would be difficult for most people to navigate. Her childhood, fortunately, was stable and happy. She grew up in Durham, about 15 miles from NC State. She always got along well with her older siblings, Heath and Kara. And they were all still close with their parents, Nancy and stansel. But in 1994, that stability started to crack. When Leah was 17 years old, Stancil was diagnosed with a life threatening respiratory disease. As he fought through his illness, the family rallied around him. They were so focused on watching over Stancil that none of them saw their mother Nancy's health deteriorating as well. Then In February of 1997, just as Leah was finding her footing at NC State, her mother died from heart disease. Leah was 20 years old. She had just watched her father's health begin to fail. And now her mother was gone. Her life had been changed forever.

[Courtney Nicole]

Leah took some time off from school after losing her mother. But true to form, she picked herself back up and returned to NC State in the fall of 1998. Then almost immediately afterwards, the universe dealt her another blow. While Leah was driving, a truck pulled out right in front of her and she couldn't stop in time. The accident left Leah with a punctured lung and a shattered femur. Surgeons implanted a metal rod in her leg to help it heal. She later told her sister Kara that in the moments just before the crash, she felt like she was going to die. But she didn't. And when she came out the other side, she felt the need to live life to its fullest.

[Sarah Turney]

And that renewed energy took her places. In the spring of 1999, she did a semester abroad in Spain, a perfect location to further her education in Spanish and anthropology. Then, bitten by the travel bug, Leah signed up for a field study program in Costa Rica over the summer. But then In March of 1999, her father's condition worsened. When Stancil was hospitalized, Leah took another break from college to spend time with him. Less than a month later, Stancil Roberts passed away. At just 22 years old, Leah was now an orphan.

[Courtney Nicole]

What happened next says a lot about who Leah was. Three weeks after her dad's passing, Leah was scheduled to leave for that field study program in Costa Rica. Most people would have canceled, but Leah decided to continue with her plan. Friends who visited her over the summer were a bit confused by her decision to still go on her trip. She didn't seem to be grieving the loss of her father in the way they imagined she would. But rather than shutting down, as one might expect, Leah was opening up. She seemed to be searching for a new way to live her life, one that was unique from the way everyone else lived theirs.

[Sarah Turney]

I feel like everybody grieves differently, and sometimes these major losses Especially when you have two so close together, they can kind of have this delayed effect sometimes. I mean, long story short, everybody's different. And as long as you're not hurting yourself or others, I think that there's really no wrong way to grieve.

[Courtney Nicole]

Yeah, I 100% agree. There really is no right or wrong way. And honestly, I feel like Leah's choice of, like, wanting to, like, reinvent herself, I feel like that's something to admire, you know, instead of, like, shutting down. There's nothing wrong with that either. I just feel like it's a. It's. It's a good way, you know, like you said, as long as you're not hurting anybody, it's a kind of a good way to, like, look forward to something in the midst of losing both of your parents and going through just such a horrific car accident as well.

[Sarah Turney]

Yeah, absolutely. And, I mean, sometimes when you lose someone, I feel like it compels you to, like, live life even harder. Right? To travel more, to do the thing you've always been putting off. I think sometimes it just teaches you, like, how precious life really is and makes you want to live it to the fullest. Right. And. And again, I think both of us are saying, like, you know, as long as there's no harm done, there's no wrong way to grieve.

[Courtney Nicole]

Leah returned to North Carolina in the fall of 1999 and kept working toward her degree in anthropology and Spanish. Her studies abroad were part of her program, but they didn't offer the same amount of credits that staying on campus would. That meant that Leah had to hustle if she wanted to graduate on time the next year. But she seemed ready to work hard and make up for lost time.

[Sarah Turney]

However, In February of 2000, Leah mysteriously dropped out of school again. Her siblings tried to reason with her. Keith remembers telling her just to tough it out for six more months. But Leah didn't want to hear it. She didn't see why a degree had to stand between her and the rest of her life. She was still searching for a way to live differently, one that would feed her soul more than her mind. That's when Leah also started to pull away from her core group of friends. She spent all her time at Cuppa Joe making new connections. One of them was a woman named Janine Quiller, who bonded with Leah over Jack Kerouac's novel the Dharma Bums.

[Courtney Nicole]

In the book, the main character, loosely based on Kerouac himself, heads out to Washington State to spend time on Desolation Peak. In the Cascade Mountains. Leah talked with Janine about her desire to head west, to follow in Kerouac's footsteps and spend time alone in the mountains. Learning about herself, she started talking about taking a road trip, not just to Janine, but to her roommate Nicole as well. She even asked Nicole if she wanted to come along. But Nicole was busy working. She didn't have the money to just pick up and go.

[Sarah Turney]

But Leah could. She had no job, no classes, and she had inherited some money from her parents. So she decided to go alone.

[Courtney Nicole]

I feel like traveling alone, especially cross country as a woman, is a really, really scary and big thing to do. And I feel like it shouldn't be, which is also infuriating.

[Sarah Turney]

No, I totally agree. I recently just started doing solo trips with my dogs. Not completely solo. And it was terrifying at first. Especially my first one. I like, over prepared. I brought all the things I had, the door locks, like I was ready to go. And it's still scary.

[Courtney Nicole]

It's scary because I feel like there are definitely predators out there that could target women who are traveling alone. And I feel like it's easy to do that because you're in an unfamiliar place, you don't have anybody with you that could help if something goes wrong. And then especially in this case, where it took place in 2000, like, this is before smartphones. So Leah didn't really have that ability to, like, share her location in real time.

[Sarah Turney]

Right. But, you know, I think as a solo female traveler, right, you can prepare for, like, your car breaking down, you know, for any incident like that and pretty much, like, get away with it. But what you can't prepare for is somebody watching you, somebody deciding that you're their next target. I think that's the scary part of travel. I'm not afraid of my car breaking down. I'm afraid of somebody seeing that I'm alone and taking advantage of that and trying to hurt me and. And unfortunately, I don't think that that danger has gotten better or changed much over time, especially since, you know, Leah went missing.

[Courtney Nicole]

You could even be, like, surrounded by a bunch of, like, strangers on your trip that appear really, really nice, like Good Samaritans. But I personally have never taken, like, a solo road trip before. I don't know if I ever would. I feel like part of me, like, really wants to. It's, like, liberating. But another huge part of me is, like, so scared to do that.

[Sarah Turney]

That's what happened to me. I was like, no. Like, I don't know if it's worth the risk. And then this other part of me was like, no, that's exactly why I'm gon because I shouldn't be afraid. Well, let me say I should have a healthy amount of fear without it stopping me from doing what I want to do, like taking a road trip like anybody else.

[Courtney Nicole]

So, adding to the frustration, Leah doesn't tell anybody that she's planning to travel. So when Thursday, March 9, 2000, rolls around, her friends and family don't suspect that anything is awry. Leah and Cara chat on the phone, as they often do, not about anything in particular. The sisters just catch up. Leah casually mentions that she's available to hang out that weekend if Kara is too. Then Leah makes plans with her roommate Nicole to babysit together for a neighbor the following day. When Nicole gets home from work that night, Leah isn't there. Nor is her 1993 white Jeep Cherokee or her cat, Bea. But that's not unusual. With their busy, ever changing schedules. The roommates often go days without seeing each other, and Bea is often somewhere in hiding. But the next day, March 10, Nicole shows up for their babysitting gig while Leah does not. Nicole isn't worried, she's just disappointed. She figures that Leah forgot about their plans or found something more interesting to do on a Friday night. Without cell phones, Nicole can't exactly shoot Leah a text to check in. She figures she'll see Leah later that night and hear her excuse then.

[Sarah Turney]

But two days later, on Sunday, March 12, there's still no sign of Leah, her car, or her cat. At this point, Nicole is concerned she's getting calls from Leah's other friends, too, wondering why Leah bailed on their plans. That's when Nicole calls Kara. Turns out she hasn't heard from her either. Nicole and Kara start reaching out to anyone in Leah's circle, but nobody knows anything. So they make a plan to meet again the next morning and strategize. By Monday, March 13, no one's heard from Leah in four days. Cara goes to Nicole and Leah's house and heads directly for Leah's room. It's immediately clear to Kara that Leah left voluntarily. She took some clothes, toiletries and cat litter. She'd clearly packed up for some sort of trip and took Bea with her. Nicole and Cara aren't sure what to do next. Solo trips aren't unlike Leah, but disappearing without a word is. They turn it over in their minds. She's dropped out of school against everyone's wishes. She's spending all day at coffee shops talking to strangers. Frankly, she seemed Lost for quite a while. Maybe she's not thinking clearly, but neither woman says what they're both thinking. There's a big difference between lost and not okay. And right now, Cara and Nicole aren't sure which one they're dealing with. This episode is brought to you by. Prime Obsession is in session. And this summer, Prime Originals have everything you want. Steamy romances, irresistible love stories, and the book to screen favorites you've already read twice off campus Elle every year. After the love hypothesis, Sterling point and more, slow burns, second chances, chemistry you can feel through the screen. Your next obsession is waiting. Watch only on Prime Girl.

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[Sarah Turney]

It's Monday, March 13, 2000. 23 year old Leah Roberts has been missing for four days after taking a look through her bedroom. Leah's sister Cara and her roommate Nicole believe she left voluntarily. But they're concerned that Leah didn't tell anyone about her trip and that no one has heard from her since she left. Ultimately, Nicole and Cara decide to head over to the Raleigh police station and file a missing persons report. But because they don't know where Leah went, the authorities don't even know where to begin looking for her. However, the investigation is now officially open.

[Courtney Nicole]

Cases like this are so difficult for me because I've heard time and time again from authorities that adults legally have the right to go missing or disappear if they want to. But I feel like in this case right now, they obviously didn't know where to like even begin looking for her because, you know, she kind of just left and there's kind of no clue where she could have gone. It's kind of hard because especially without like, cell phone track or like any signs of foul play, I feel like police can really establish, like, where, where were they last seen and then they can go from there.

[Sarah Turney]

I think my trouble with adults, you know, voluntarily, quote, going missing or whatever is that it's so heavily opinion based. And whose opinion do you take? Is it the police, you know, who say that, you know, adults have a right to go missing? If they want to. Or is it the family and her roommate who say that, you know, they think that something could be wrong? That's what's hard for me. And of course, like, I'm always gonna, you know, err on the side of caution. If somebody comes to you and says, hey, my loved one appears to be missing. They've been gone for four days. It's just not like them. Because of these factors, I feel like that should be taken into consideration. And, you know, unfortunately, if it becomes a waste of resources, I feel like it's better safe than sorry.

[Courtney Nicole]

I guess. In my opinion, it's better to do too much than not enough. Especially now, four days have gone by and nobody's seen or heard from her. Like those. Those first hours are so crucial in finding out what happened.

[Sarah Turney]

Yeah. Like, it doesn't take much time and effort to put out a bolo. Right. Or be on the lookout so that, you know, if an officer pulls her over or encounters her in any way, they can just confirm that she's safe. I think, you know, it's just. It doesn't take that much to do a little bit of effort to bring somebody home.

[Courtney Nicole]

Yeah. Start with the people she's closest to, where she was last seen, where she could possibly be heading, like her favorite coffee place. You know, things like that. It's just like the small things that you can do when at first you don't know if foul place is suspected or not.

[Sarah Turney]

On Tuesday morning, March 14, Cara returns to the apartment to take another look through Leah's room, hoping she missed something. And this time, she finds it. On her dresser is a folded piece of paper. It's addressed to Nicole with a Cheshire cat smile drawn on the outside. Inside is a wad of cash along with a note in Leah's handwriting. It says the money's for rent while she's gone. Then Leah makes a couple requests. She asks Nicole to help with an upcoming Easter event and to give someone named Peter her laptop. She also wants Nicole to tell Karen not to worry, even though she knows she will. There's a PS about cookies in the freezer and a suggestion that a friend named Melissa should come stay in Leah's room if she wants to visit Raleigh. And then circled off to the side, there's something that neither Cara nor Nicole can totally decipher. A note referencing on the Road with the date April 23rd written next to it and Jack Kerouac's name spelled out phonetically with a little smiley face next to the question mark. And there's Another PS that reads, no, I'm not suicidal. I am the opposite. Cara can't stop looking at the Cheshire cat on the outside of the envelope. She knows Leah's a fan of Alice in Wonderland, but she wonders if the drawing means something more deliberate. The cat that disappears and reappears out of nowhere. The note seems to confirm what Kara and Nicole already suspected, though, that Leah left on her own terms and intends to come back. The money left behind for rent suggests she plans to be gone for a month max. The note seems happy. Leah seems happy. And she said it herself, she's not suicidal. But Kara, who has always looked after her little sister, can't let go of the worry. She needs to know where Leah is, and she's not sure if the note holds any more clues to that question.

[Courtney Nicole]

The note doesn't really seem suspicious. Kind of like, in their words, like, she seems happy. She doesn't seem like anything is really wrong. But on one hand, it's kind of, like, ambiguous. I don't know, like, it could kind of be split down the middle. For me, it could be her not having anything wrong and she's kind of just doodling and, like, leaving a little note saying she'll be back soon. On the other hand, she could be leaving, I guess, like, little Easter eggs hinting at what she's, like, about to do. No matter how ambiguous a clue or piece of evidence might be. I do feel like investigators should look into it with as many resources as possible, because you never know.

[Sarah Turney]

Yeah. I mean, you can only do, like, what you can with what you have. Right. And I think, you know, if Leah had been gone for two days, left this note, and came back, nobody would be over analyzing it like we are right now. But because it's one of the biggest pieces of evidence we have in this case, of course, we're going to microanalyze everything and then have that extra layer of being close to Leah. Right. Her family, her roommate, her friends. I'm sure that they've picked this over in their minds like, a million times, and it could mean everything or it could mean absolutely nothing, especially the Cheshire cat.

[Courtney Nicole]

I know. I feel like that's kind of what throws me for a loop a little bit, because I feel like the note itself is not, like, suspicious at all. But then that drawing of the cat, you know, the cat is known to, like, reappear and disappear. I feel like that holds so much weight in this case, specifically. Right.

[Sarah Turney]

I mean, but you could attribute, like, anything to the Cheshire cat in terms of, like, the Alice in Wonderland lore, right? There's so much more than him just, like, fading in and out. And again, do we know if she liked to doodle? Could have just been a doodle. I don't have any of the answers to these questions, but again, I have to imagine that this has been mulled over in the minds of investigators, her family, everybody who knew her, millions of people who have heard her story. And at the end of the day, it seems like we just don't know.

[Courtney Nicole]

I agree. And then especially with, like, the references to on the road, probably in their minds, they're probably trying to rationalize, like, her absence, you know, relating to, like, road trips and stuff. But, yeah, I feel like the not knowing is probably just so tough.

[Sarah Turney]

And I get it, you know, they want to try to figure it out and find the answers. I totally get it.

[Courtney Nicole]

After scrutinizing Leah's note all morning, something dawns on Kara. When Leah went to Costa Rica, she'd given Kara power of attorney, which means Cara still has access to her financial records and can see if Leah's been using her ATM card anywhere along her trip. So after going to the bank, Cara learns Leah withdrew $3,000 in cash on March 9, the last day she was heard from. Her debit card was then used about 730 miles away at a hotel near Memphis, Tennessee, on March 10, then again at a few gas stations as she made her way west over the following days. The last transaction on record is from just before 1am on March 13 at a gas station convenience store in Brooks, Oregon.

[Sarah Turney]

Now, Cara has no idea why Leah would be headed out west until she and Nicole start reaching out to people in Leah's life. That includes Janine, her new friend from cup of Joe. And when they talk to her, a picture starts to emerge. She tells them she and Leah bonded over Kerouac's novel the Dharma Bums, which is set at Desolation Peak in Washington State. She says she's positive that's where Leah is heading. She'd told Janine that she wanted to go sit alone in the mountains and figure out what really matters and that she wanted to learn more about herself. It all points to one thing. Leah's disappearance was her choice. She told a friend she wanted to do some soul searching in Washington State, Kerouac style. She left a note saying she wasn't suicidal, that Kara shouldn't worry. She was an adult, her own person. So why did everything still feel so wrong?

[Courtney Nicole]

Well, Cara tries to let it go and allows some time to pass. Her birthday is only five days away on March 19, and Kara is certain that if all is well with her sister, she'll get a call from Leah to wish her a happy 26th birthday. But when the 19th rolls around, Kara doesn't get a call from Leah. Instead, she gets a message asking her to contact the Whatcom County Sheriff's Department in Bellingham, Washington. When she returns the call, the authorities tell her something that makes her heart sink. The day before, on Saturday, March 18, two hikers were making their way up a mountain road in the Mount Baker National Forest about 30 miles east of Bellingham. As they walked, one of them happened to glance down into a ravine and spotted something. A car. It was wrecked at the bottom of a steep embankment off a remote logging road. And when he made his way down to get a closer look, he saw it was a white Jeep Cherokee with North Carolina plates, But there was no one inside. The hiker called 911 and a deputy from the Whatcom County Sheriff's Department responded to the scene. At first it seemed like it could have been a drunk driving incident, but when the deputy ran the plates and connected the Jeep to the missing persons report that had been filed in Raleigh five days earlier, the authorities knew they were dealing with something a lot more complicated. Based on the damage done to the trees on the way down, the Jeep had probably been traveling between 30 and 40 miles per hour when it went over the embankment. It appeared to have rolled multiple times before crashing at the bottom. An accident at that speed, with that kind of roll should have left someone badly injured. But there was no blood inside the vehicle, no sign that the seatbelt had been strained. Really, there was zero indication that anyone had been inside the car when it crashed, which was baffling. The only signs that someone had been there at all were the personal items strewn about the area, including Leah's checkbook, her guitar, some CDs, and bags of clothing. Plus there were blankets and pillows covering the blown out windows, which suggested that someone may have used the Jeep as a shelter after the crash. The scene left investigators with more questions than answers. What had made the car drive off the road? How did it happen? Did someone else find it and use it as shelter? Or was it the driver? And most importantly, where was Leah Roberts?

[Sarah Turney]

As soon as Kara hangs up with the Whatcom Sheriff's Department, she calls her brother Heath. The siblings decide to fly out to Washington state to go look for their sister. Meanwhile, investigators continue to search for Leah's car for any other clues as to her whereabouts, and they discover a Couple of items that help flesh out Leah's journey. The first is a gas receipt from a store in Brooks, Oregon, where Leah had stopped to fill up at about 12:50am on March 13, four days after she left home. When Kara and Heath arrive in Washington, Cara confirms this was the charge she'd already seen on Leah's bank statement.

[Courtney Nicole]

Investigators contact the Brooks gas station and request their security footage from that night. It shows Leah inside the store alone, paying at the register. She looks calm, but at one point, while she's waiting for the clerk to ring her up, she turns and peers out the door toward the parking lot. Then she does a double take and looks again. Unfortunately, we may never know what she was looking at since the cameras outside the store weren't working. This is another frustrating aspect to this case where they have, like, this last known footage of her. And at first, it's also kind of, like, ambiguous. She looks fine. She doesn't look frantic, like anything's wrong, but she is peering out, kind of doing double takes into this parking lot where the cameras are just. Just so happened, not working, Right?

[Sarah Turney]

I mean, why are the cameras always not working? I would love to talk about that, right, and get a real answer to that, But I feel like all this does is confirm where she was and when she was there. I think that the double take out the door could have been anything. She could have seen somebody that she thought she knew. She could have saw a car that she liked. I mean, it could have been absolutely anything, which I know isn't the most exciting for, like, a true crime brain, you know what I mean? But I think sometimes the reality of true crime is that there's not always something more to it. There could be, but we don't have any guarantee of that. I feel like I keep saying it could be everything or it could be nothing.

[Courtney Nicole]

Not everything is conspiracy theory or something big. It could have just been her doing a double take into the parking lot because she just wanted to see what was out there. But honestly, I feel like sometimes the not knowing in cases like these is almost worse than. Than having answers.

[Sarah Turney]

Yeah, it's like the Cheshire cat, right? It's something that you could sit there and think about and think of all the, you know, a million possibilities of what it could be. And I think that's some of the hardest things for families. You know, I know for a lot of families I work with, for me, like, if you look at it enough and if you just try hard enough, you might be able to pick a clue out of it that'll help find your loved one.

[Courtney Nicole]

Well, let's go back to Leah's car for a second because another significant item they find there is a movie ticket to American Beauty. If you're wondering, it was bought at a theater in Bellingham on the afternoon of March 13th for the 2.10pm showing. So if Leah drove straight from Brooks to Bellingham, it would have taken about five and a half hours, which means she would have had plenty of time to spare before the movie started if she left around 1am so investigators begin to wonder what she did in that window of time and who she talked to, if anyone.

[Sarah Turney]

Meanwhile, Cara and Heath print up some missing persons posters and head to Bellingham on March 23. They put up posters in the Belles Fair mall where the movie theater's located, hoping to find someone who knows something about Leah. When Kara sees the only sit down restaurant in that mall, a place called Elephant and Castle, she guesses that Leah would have gone there for a meal either before or after the movie. She and Heath leave some flyers at the restaurant and hope for the best. Then they reluctantly head home to North Carolina. After these last four days in Washington, Leah's siblings are leaving with almost no new information on their sister's whereabouts. To say they're disappointed is an understatement.

[Courtney Nicole]

But the next day, there's a sliver of hope.

[Sarah Turney]

Help.

[Courtney Nicole]

Someone calls into the police station with a tip. He says Leah had been at Elephant in castle on the 13th, and she'd been talking. It's March 24, 2000. A man who we'll call Joe sees Leah's missing persons flyer at Elephant and Castle and calls investigators to tell them something. Something important. He'd spoken to Leah there on the afternoon of March 13, four days after she'd left home. Joe says she sat between him and another man at the bar. She was warm and chatty with both of them, talking about her road trip and Jack Kerouac. He says she then left the restaurant alone. Investigators then tracked down the second man who was seated on the other side of Leah at the bar. We'll call him Steve. His account matches Joe's in most respects. Sex, he remembers. Leah confirms that she was friendly and talkative and very into Kerouac. But when it comes to how the afternoon ended, Steve's story is a bit different. According to him, Leah didn't leave the restaurant alone. She left with a third man, one he referred to only as Barry. Steve says that he doesn't know anything about Barry, but he remembers what he looked like. His description is detailed enough that police bring in a sketch artist. And now, now they finally have the face of a possible person of interest in Leah's disappearance. They release the sketch to the media right away.

[Sarah Turney]

Unfortunately, no one seems to recognize the man from the sketch. Plus, investigators have another eyewitness who says Leah definitely left alone. And when police speak to others who were at the restaurant that afternoon, no one can confirm this Barry was ever there at all. Detectives begin to suspect that Steve invented the story about Barry, but they aren't sure why.

[Courtney Nicole]

Sarah, what do you think about this Barry guy? Do you think he's real? I mean, I feel like there's so many people saying that he wasn't there at all, like, that he doesn't exist.

[Sarah Turney]

I think it's hard, right? But when you don't know and you don't have video footage, it's a game of what do the most people say? I think that's the most reliable way to figure out, Especially like this situation, if you have one person saying that this Barry guy was there and you have 10 other people saying that didn't happen. And I'm gonna trust the 10 other people.

[Courtney Nicole]

Yeah. I feel like I have to kind of lean with the detectives on this, that maybe Steve did just kind of make this story up. At the end of the day, there's probably a million different reasons why somebody would fabricate something like this. But I think what it boils down to, you know, if this account is not true, is probably just attention and boredom. I mean, people want to insert themselves in these high profile cases, but then part of me is like, no, you always want to err on the side of caution. And honestly, I don't feel like what they did in releasing the sketch to the public was wrong by any means. Even if it could be, could potentially be, like, not true, because at the very least, like, it's going to get people talking about the case.

[Sarah Turney]

Well. And I feel like unless you can rule it out a hundred percent, you still need to keep that door open again. You can have all these people saying one thing and this guy saying another, and until you can say for sure, why not just leave it as a maybe? Even if it's like a likely not,

[Courtney Nicole]

I really don't think it would hurt, honestly.

[Sarah Turney]

Yeah, because I mean, who knows, if they find another clue and it looks just like the sketch of Barry, then you have something there still. The local police continue looking into the mysterious Barry. Meanwhile, the Whatcom Sheriff's department and the FBI do a more thorough sweep of Leah's Car, which has been towed to a safe facility to process evidence. On March 30, 12 days after Leah's Jeep was discovered and almost three weeks after Leah left north Carolina, Officers find a few other items of importance in her car. Tucked into a pair of pants is a wad of cash. $2,400 to be exact. Leah had withdrawn $3,000. As far as they knew, she'd only spent money on gas, food, and a movie ticket. If she was planning on continuing her trip without her car, she'd need money to survive. So why leave this behind? Then, under a floor mat in the jeep, Officers discover a diamond ring. It was Leah's mother's engagement ring, and it's widely known to be Leah's most prized possession. Her friends and family confirm that she never took this ring off. For them, this is the greatest indicator that Leah has been met with foul play. At this point, most people feel like something horrible has happened to Leah, but no one can prove it. The crash site and the car have been combed. Witnesses have been questioned, but the authorities still have nothing. That's when Leah's case runs cold, and it stays that way for seven more years.

[Courtney Nicole]

In 2007, Leah's case is passed on to new detectives in the Bellingham police department. They re examined the evidence and noticed something startling. Even though the interior of the car had been thoroughly searched, no one had ever looked under the hood. When the detectives pry it open, they find an explanation for one of the biggest lingering questions in this case. If no one had been in the car when it rolled down into the ravine, how had it gotten there? Well, it turns out the jeep had been tampered with. The COVID on the starter relay had been removed, and it had been rewired so that someone could start the car from the outside and cause it to accelerate on its own without anyone behind the wheel. Meaning Leah's car crash wasn't an accident and it wasn't random. Whoever had done this to her car had to have significant mechanical knowledge to make their plan work. Work. Knowledge Leah didn't have. So the police process the car one more time. And as luck would have it, on the inner underside of the hood, they find a series of fingerprints that were never documented during the original investigation.

[Sarah Turney]

With this new information, investigators turn their attention back to that witness, Steve, the man from elephant and castle, the man who claimed Leon left with someone named Barry. And as it turns out, Steve does have experience as a mechanic as well as experience in the military. Between that and his strange, possibly false report of this Barry guy, Steve, officially becomes a person of interest. Washington authorities track him down and find out he's currently living in Canada. They contact the local police there and request that he be fingerprinted and provide a DNA sample. They also send the other clothing items found from the car to be checked for a lingering DNA. Unfortunately, this is where the investigation hits another snag. It takes them two years to obtain the fingerprints and DNA from Steve and to get the DNA checked from the rest of the clothing.

[Courtney Nicole]

I mean, two years is definitely a long time to, you know, wait for samples and to kind of collect evidence like this. But I guess when you are collecting and, like, obtaining this DNA from another country, I'm sure there's like a whole list of, like, steps that you have to follow. But, you know, it does suck because when a suspect, especially like Steve, kind of knows that they're being looked at, I feel like it works in their favor a little bit in his favor. I don't know, it could help him possibly dispose of evidence if there is any left.

[Sarah Turney]

Yeah, I mean, I get it. Right. I don't know what that looks like internationally, but I think I'm a little less forgiving of that. Two years seems absolutely unacceptable to me. And to your point, you know, as long as he knows he's a person of interest, that they're looking at him trying to obtain these things, then he has two years to dispose of evidence. Like, that drives me crazy. And we know, we have seen cases that are fresh, brand new, with a ton of media coverage, and what happens to their DNA? They find out, like, in a matter of days, like, sometimes the same day, these things can be done. I understand that there's a backlog that, you know, of course going internationally is going to complicate things, but two years is too long.

[Courtney Nicole]

The ball was kind of dropped in this case. Like, that's a long time.

[Sarah Turney]

Yeah. And I get it. Right. You know, I think a lot of listeners know that. I was on the board of Season of Justice, you know, who provides funding for law enforcement for exactly this, for DNA testing, because we know that their budgets aren't unlimited. But again, it just tells me that they don't care it wasn't made a priority. And that's the sad, I think, fact of this.

[Courtney Nicole]

Yeah. And he was kind of already, like, a little bit suspicious to begin with with this fake story. And, I mean, we've seen this time and time again, too, where people insert themselves into the investigation, kind of, you know, lie and make, like, these false claims, and usually I mean, I don't know 100% in this case here, but, like, usually they're hiding something, and then, you know, add on another two years when there are. When they're looking at him as a suspect. Like, that's just ridiculous.

[Ross Store Announcer]

Yeah.

[Sarah Turney]

And this feels like very direct evidence, right? His fingerprints underneath the hood of this car that's crashed. It's not like some ambiguous. Maybe we'll connect him in some other way. If it's his fingerprints, he's likely involved in this. And that gives him two years to, again, like, commit other crimes, too. It's just. It's too long. I don't find it acceptable in any way.

[Courtney Nicole]

But, you know, DNA testing and. And technology, it has changed dramatically since 2000. So I don't know, I feel like there is still a really good chance that all of the evidence collected in 2000, it could be tested again today, and it could yield different results just because of how much things have improved. So I guess there's always that aspect.

[Sarah Turney]

Unfortunately, the exact reason for the delay in this particular case has never been thoroughly explained. And in an even more frustrating twist, when they finally do get the samples from Steve, they aren't a match for a case that's already been waiting years for answers. This must have felt like a huge letdown. But in the spring of 2010, it seemed like a new door had opened. A crime lab finally identifies male DNA on an item left behind in Leah's car. But again, unfortunately, that DNA has never been matched to anyone or proven useful in any way.

[Courtney Nicole]

But four years later, in 2014, another kernel of hope services. The authorities discover a mummified body in the same region where Leah's Jeep was found. The similarities are striking. The estimated height matches Leah's. The remains even have a metal rod in the right femur. It's from a bat shipped in the fall of 1998, the same year Leah had her rod implanted. For a moment, it seems like Leah's body has finally been found. But experts ultimately determine the remains likely belong to a male man. I feel like in this case, like, the years just keep going on and, like, every so often, there's like, this little nugget of, like, hope when, like, something like this brand new piece of evidence emerges. You know, you have the whole Steve thing. In 2010, they found out it's not him. They can kind of, like, put that to rest a little bit. And then another four years later, a mummified body is found. You know, hoping, not hoping, but, like, considering it could possibly be her only to find out that it's not. I'm sure that has to be so tough to deal with. You're already missing your loved one and then like the decades just like stretch out and then like your hope constantly just gets crushed.

[Sarah Turney]

Yeah, I mean, every family takes these things differently. Right. And I never want to speak for anybody who's not present with us, but I can say that it's like bittersweet. You're constantly reopening this wound that you have for this ambiguous loss. Right. Because we don't know what happened. But at the same time, you still want those leads to come in. Of course, I have to imagine that her family, her loved ones want the case to progress. But yeah, it hurts every single time. I'm sure. I know it does for me. I know it does for so many families. So again, it's like this double edged sword. You, you want the case to progress, you want these tips to come in.

[Courtney Nicole]

I feel like that level of hope that you have at the very beginning, I just feel like it never goes away. It could be 10 days from now, 10 years from now, 20 years from now. Like you always have this tremendous hope that this will be resolved. And I don't feel like that changes.

[Sarah Turney]

Yeah, I mean, I think it's different for everybody. Right. I've worked with families who've held out hope, that same level of hope from the beginning. And 30 years later, you know, some families, 30 years later, they say, you know, I just don't think it's likely anymore. I, you know, I want it to be likely and I hope it happens. But like the levels change a little bit. So it's really difficult because I think it's just different for everybody. We're all different humans with different standards and levels of tolerance for things like this, which is why some families you'll see just like walk away. It just hurts too much. Like they're always there and open for investigators, but in terms of, you know, being forward facing in the media, being the family contact person, sometimes families do just have to step away. And I respect it. 25 years later, Leah's family and friends are still waiting. Every lead that surfaces and then fades is its own kind of loss. The question still hasn't changed what happened to Leah. The honest answer is that we don't know. But here's what we're sure of. On the morning, morning of Thursday, March 9, 2000, 23 year old Leah Roberts called her sister, made plans with her roommate, and wrote a cryptic note to her roommate, Nicole, which included A message to her sister. Then she went to the bank and withdrew $3,000 in cash. Sometime that evening, she got into her white Jeep Cherokee, packed with clothes, books, and other sentimental items, including her cat, beach, and left. She drove through the night and into the next day. On the night of March 10, she crossed into Tennessee and checked into a hotel near Memphis. After that, Leah kept moving. She quickly made her way through the middle of the country and then up to the Pacific Northwest. She traveled nearly 3,000 miles in four days. By the early hours of March 13, she'd made it all the way to Brooks, Oregon, where she stopped at a gas station. She paid for her gas, turned and looked back at the parking lot for just a moment. Then she got back in her Jeep and kept driving. A few hours later, she arrived in Bellingham, Washington, where she went to the movies and had a meal at Elephant and Castle. She was warm. She was talkative. She spoke to the strangers beside her about Jack Kerouac and why she'd come all this way. She seemed happy, like someone who knew exactly where they wanted to be. And then she disappeared.

[Courtney Nicole]

We don't know what happened after she walked out of that restaurant on the afternoon of March 13, but we do know her Jeep ended up at the bottom of an embankment. We know her mother's ring was under the floor mat and most of her cash was still on her pants. We know that someone tampered with the engine of her car. And we know that Leah was never seen again. She was 23 years old. She had survived the loss of both of her parents, a near fatal car accident, and more grief than most people faced in a lifetime. And she had gotten back up every single time. She was on her way to Desolation Peak in Washington state to sit alone in the mountains and figure out what came next. But it seems like she never made it. Leah Toby Roberts would be 50 years old as of this recording. She's described as a white woman, approximately 5ft 6 inches tall with light brown hair and blue eyes. She has a metal rod in her right femur from a car accident in 1998. She was last seen in Bellingham, Washington, on March 13, 2000. If you have any information about Leah Roberts, please contact the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office in Washington State at 360-778-66060 or visit namus.gov for more information.

[Sarah Turney]

Thank you for listening to the Final hours. If you have any more information on Leah Roberts, please share it with us on social media. We want to hear from you your thoughts, condolences and feedback are what make this community so special At Crime House.

[Courtney Nicole]

We value your support. Share your thoughts on social media and remember to rate, review and follow the Final Hours to help others discover the show.

[Sarah Turney]

Thanks for listening and to enhance your listening experience, subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts. You'll get every episode of the Final Hours ad free along with early access and exciting bonus content.

[Courtney Nicole]

The Final Hours is hosted by Sarah Turney and me, Courtney Nicole and is a Crime House original. Powered by Pave Studios, this episode was brought to life by the Final Hours team Max Cutler, Ron Shapiro, Alex Banadon, Lori Marinelli, Natalie Pertzofsky, Sarah Camp, Ellie Reid, Leah Roesch and Russell Nash. Thank you for listening.

[Sarah Turney]

I'm Katie Ring, host of America's Most Infamous Crimes. Each week I take on one of the most notorious criminal characters cases in American history. Listen to and follow America's Most Infamous Crimes. Available now wherever you get your podcasts. Looking for your next listen? Check out hidden history with Dr. Harini Bot every Monday.

[Courtney Nicole]

Dr. Bhat goes where history gets uncomfortable. Vanished civilizations, doomsday prophecies, and events that science still can't fully explain.

[Sarah Turney]

Follow Hidden History now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.