Account
Dec 12, 2008
Mar 20, 2024
Leah
Roberts
48
23
66 inches
130 lbs
White / Caucasian
Female
In March 2000, 23-year-old Leah Roberts embarked on a solo cross-country journey from her home in Durham, North Carolina. This trip was a soul-searching adventure for Leah, who had recently experienced the loss of both of her parents and had survived a serious car accident. She had dropped out of North Carolina State University just a semester shy of graduation and seemed to be seeking a new direction in her life, inspired by the writings of Jack Kerouac. She left a note for her roommate indicating she would be gone for a while but did not specify her destination. Leah began her westward trip on March 9, 2000, in her white 1993 Jeep Cherokee. Her family was able to track her progress through her debit card transactions, which showed her traveling through several states before her last confirmed activity in Oregon and Washington. The last known sighting of Leah was on March 13, 2000, in Bellingham, Washington. The timeline of Leah's last known movements shows her purchasing gasoline in Brooks, Oregon, in the early morning hours of March 13. Later that same day, a ticket stub found in her vehicle indicated she attended a 2:10 p.m. showing of the movie "American Beauty" at the Bellis Fair Mall in Bellingham. Surveillance footage from the Oregon gas station showed Leah alone, though she appeared to be looking out the window as if watching for someone. After the movie in Bellingham, what happened to Leah is unknown. Five days later, on March 18, 2000, her Jeep was discovered wrecked at the bottom of a steep embankment off a remote logging road in Whatcom County, near Mount Baker National Forest. The scene of the crash was perplexing to investigators. There was no blood or any other evidence to suggest that anyone had been injured in the accident. Valuables, including $2,500 in cash, were found in her pants pockets, and her mother's engagement ring was also discovered in the vehicle, making robbery an unlikely motive. Blankets had been placed over the broken windows of the Jeep, suggesting someone may have used it for shelter after the crash. The investigation into Leah's disappearance has been complex and filled with unusual clues. A later examination of her vehicle in 2006 revealed that a wire to the starter relay had been cut, which would have allowed the vehicle to accelerate without a driver, suggesting the crash may have been staged. A man's fingerprint was found under the hood of the Jeep, and male DNA was discovered on an article of her clothing. There were a few potential sightings of a woman matching Leah's description in the days following her disappearance. One notable tip came from a man who claimed his wife saw a disoriented woman at a gas station in Everett, Washington, who didn't know who she was. Another witness reported seeing Leah at a restaurant in Bellingham with a man known only as "Barry," but this lead could not be confirmed. The case has been featured on television shows like "Unsolved Mysteries" and "Disappeared," but despite the media attention and ongoing investigative efforts, no significant breakthroughs have been made. The circumstances surrounding Leah Roberts's disappearance remain a mystery, leaving her family and friends without answers as to what happened to her after she reached Washington.
Mar 09, 2000
Bellingham
Washington
Whatcom County
No
6169
Whatcom County Sheriff's Office
Bellingham
Washington
Whatcom County
98225
Samantha Robinson
Detective
311 Grand Avenue, Washington
3607786600
County
Law Enforcement
00A04762
Whatcom County Sheriff's Office
5117
Sandy
Blue
Blue
06/25/2026
