Leah N. Hickman 21yrs, Huntington W.VA missing since 12/14/07(BODY FOUND)

[Nut44x4]

I agree...I have a feeling they will solve this one soon 

[Nut44x4]

Leah Hickman Case Causing Fear Save Email Print 
 
Posted: 6:14 PM Jan 2, 2008
 
While Leah Hickman's body is finally resting in peace, many people in Huntington are living in fear. With no arrests, no suspects and no leads in this murder case, an uneasy feeling is setting in.
With no motive and no explanation, it's hard to relax.
A killer is on the loose. Who can relax knowing that? Police are working very hard and they're still working this case around the clock, but they're coming up empty and that's leaving many full of worries.

Despite the sunny, clear day, an uneasy, eerie cloud still hovers over the neighborhood where Leah mysteriously disappeared. Her body--found one week later in the basement of her apartment building.
Young women who must walk through here, travel in groups and with hurried steps.

“It makes me real nervous. My sister lives on 5th St. and my dad on 1st St. I walk this alley constantly,” said Courtney Otts.

Because Courtney often has no choice but to walk alone, she packs her companion.

“My dad bought it for me a week ago to be on the safe side.
Does a knife make you feel safer? Yeah, because I know how to use it. I was in the military. I'm good with a knife,” said Courtney.

“I used to go to work and about my day and didn't care if anyone knew where I was. Now, I call my parents when I leave for work and when I return from work. I don't go out at night and if I do someone always knows where I am at all times,” said Stacy Haverland.

Stacy lives all the way across town from where Leah disappeared. But, because she's a Marshall University student in the same age range as Leah, she's worried.

“I’m actually very nervous and I’m surprised the person is still out there,” said Stacy.

“Do you have any reason to believe he or she will strike again? No, not at this time,” said Lt. Rocky Johnson.

Lt. Johnson has worked the case around the clock. He says he wishes he could put people's minds at ease, but the truth is--there are still too many unknowns.

“It could be a random act--not sure. We're not looking at that right now, but it could be and we want to caution people to be aware--don't be scared or paranoid,” said Lt. Johnson.

Comments continue to pour into our webchannel at wsaz.com--many about this fear factor.
Beth, the parent of a Marshall student, wrote, "as a parent, it is a terrifying thought to send my child back with a killer out there".
However, not everyone is so worried. Another person wrote, "also, as a Marshall student, I am not afraid to go back. I practice common sense safety and know how to protect myself".
http://www.wsaz.com/newswestvirginia/headlines/12944387.html

Lots of comments and a video on link.

[pdh3]

I'm confused now. Aren't those police statements kind of conflicting?
Maybe it's  purposeful media manipulation to make the perp think he's gonna get away with it, and it's not a bad thing to caution people to be more careful. College campuses, and the surrounding areas, are dangerous places at times
Poor Leah.

[Nut44x4]

Indeed pdh3, they are!!


I found this today.....
Student safety top of mind at Marshall
Jan 14, 2008 @ 10:58 PM
By BEN FIELDS
The Herald-Dispatch
HUNTINGTON -- Marshall University classes resumed Monday, one month after slain broadcast journalism student Leah Hickman disappeared.

Even though Hickman's body was found off campus, students who came back to class Monday said they were somewhat rattled by her killing.

"It really makes you wonder who you can trust and who you can't," said Marshall student Courtney Ferrell, who lives off campus in Huntington. "You've always got to watch your back no matter who you're with."

Hickman, 21, from Mason County, W.Va., was last seen and heard from Dec. 14, 2007, just a couple of days before winter break began for most Marshall students. Police discovered her body a week later in a crawl space underneath her apartment building at 403 8th Ave. The crawl space was connected to a common laundry room.

Sophomore Katelyn Neff, who commutes from Barboursville to the university, said she has been taking extra precautions to make sure she stays safe.

"I know the area, and I know crimes happen, but it makes you stop and think about everything," she said. "I work late at night, and now I have a friend watch me when I walk to my car after I get off work, or I have someone walk with me. And my family is making sure they keep the house locked up now."

Many questions about Hickman's death remain unanswered. Police have not named a suspect, ruled anyone out of the investigation or released the victim's cause of death.

Huntington Police Chief Skip Holbrook also declined comment when asked if Hickman's death was a targeted attack or a random killing. He said detectives have "a strong feeling one way," but he believes it would be irresponsible to describe that theory without complete lab results to strengthen any determination.

"The minute we go out on a limb and make clear-cut statement like that, we're setting ourselves up for disaster," he said.

The Huntington Police Department has been waiting for test results of forensic evidence for at least two weeks. Holbrook said the results are critical to the investigation. He has said his department cannot rush the West Virginia State Police Crime Lab any more than it already has.

"We're on the edge of our seats waiting like everybody else," he said. "We hope that gives us a link to a suspect and helps with the identification of a suspect."

Holbrook said his department realizes its obligation to limit fear and panic, in addition to its responsibility to not jeopardize the investigation. Officers worry that releasing specific parts of the investigation, such as the cause of death, could make the case more difficult to solve.

Many Marshall students said they feel safe on campus and in the surrounding area of Huntington, despite the troubling nature of the case.

"I'm a little more conscious of my surroundings," said Sara Vorac, a junior from Columbus who lives off campus. "But, for the most part, I haven't really thought about it a lot."

"It's a little bit creepy, but it doesn't really bother me that much," added sophomore Casey Carande.

Still, others said they now look at Huntington a little differently.

"It's scary," Neff said. "Not on campus, so much, but the outside area."
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/homepage/x1137608132

[Nut44x4]

http://www.wsaz.com/news/headlines/12576086.html

UPDATE: JANUARY 26
From the Associated Press:
The director of the State Police Crime Lab says DNA tests are ongoing on evidence in the death of Marshall University journalism student Leah Hickman.

Soraya McLung says the lab has finished testing the first set of evidence sent by Huntington police investigators. But she says tests on a second set of evidence are not finished.

McLung and Huntington Police Chief Skip Holbrook declined to say what is being tested.

But Holbrook says detectives hope the tests lead them to a suspect.

Hickman was last seen alive Dec. 14. Her body was found in a basement crawl space in the Huntington apartment building where she lived Dec. 21.

While tests are continuing, Holbrook says detectives continue to question people and have eliminated some suspects.

[A's Fever]

Does anyone know why these DNA tests would take so long??

[Nut44x4]

  backlog, perhaps? Possibly could be just that some forms of DNA testing take longer than others.

Anyway.......I found this today.

Police Release More Details About Leah Hickman's Death
Posted Thursday, March 13, 2008 ; 02:26 PM
Updated Thursday, March 13, 2008 ; 02:51 PM
http://www.wowktv.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=35988

Victim was strangled.
HUNTINGTON -- Police think a Marshall University student's who was found dead in her apartment building late last year was strangled.

Huntington Police Capt. Steve Hall along with Chief Skip Holbrook and FBI Agent Joe Ciccarelli held a press conference Thursday to discuss the death of Leah Hickman.

The cause of death has been determined to be strangulation, but police said she was not sexually assaulted.

They also say that the killer may be someone familiar to her.

They added that she was home on break and the crime did not happen on campus.

Police have some leads they are pursuing, but cannot release any further information as it is an ongoing investigation.

Further testing will be done by the FBI.

Hickman's body was discovered in a crawl space of her Huntington apartment building in late December. She was reported missing earlier that month.

[Nut44x4]

Neighbors React to Latest Hickman Information
Posted Thursday, March 13, 2008 ; 08:02 PM
Updated Friday, March 14, 2008 ; 01:01 AM
http://www.wowktv.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=36026

HUNTINGTON -- Those living near the apartment Leah Hickman's body was found react to the latest developments.

Neighbors say the street haven't been the same since the day police found Leah's body. Many say they've been on guard every since.

None of them walk these sidewalks alone anymore.

While it does bring some relief to know police believe her killer was someone she knew and it wasn't a random act of violence, they say until that person is behind bars, they can't move on.

"The only thing that's going to make me feel better is to hear that there's been an arrest," said neighbor Jennifer Perry.

Her husband, Jack Perry, added, "It's unnerving because you're used to living here and you have a certain comfort level and when that's violated it changes your life."

Ribbons still line the apartment building. Neighbors say that serves as a constant, haunting reminder, but shows they haven't forgotten.

[Nut44x4]

March 14, 2008

Marshall student was strangled

Police withheld cause of death from family, public


HUNTINGTON - Leah Hickman, the 21-year-old Marshall University student who was killed last December, died of strangulation, Huntington police said during a news conference Thursday.

Capt. Steve Hall said there was no evidence Hickman had been sexually assaulted.

Hickman, a broadcast journalism student, was found dead in a crawl space in her apartment building Dec. 21. She was reported missing Dec. 14, after she did not show up for her shift at the Dress Barn in Barboursville, where she worked part time.

Hall said police do not think her death was a random act. He reiterated that investigators have believed from the beginning that the killer or killers knew Leah and were familiar with the layout of her apartment complex.

Huntington Police Chief Skip Holbrook would not say whether the department has a suspect in the murder. He said investigators have not excluded anyone as a suspect and have interviewed more than 50 people in relation to Hickman's death.

He also declined to discuss a possible motive.

He said investigators informed Hickman's family of the cause of her death Wednesday, even though police have had the information for some time.

Investigators did not release the cause of death to Hickman's family or the public earlier in order to use it in interrogations and interview processes, he said.

Holbrook acknowledged that Hickman's family has been subjected to rumors and speculation within their hometown of Point Pleasant because of the lack of information. He said police have tried to keep the family as up to date as possible with new information and developments.

"Except for the family there really isn't anyone closer [to the killing] than we are," Holbrook said.

Holbrook reiterated that no connection between Hickman's slaying and Marshall University has been found other than she was a student.

When Hickman's family reported her missing in December, students had already left campus for winter break, and her body was found off campus, he said.

Hall said some evidence found at the scene will be sent to the FBI for further testing.

"This is new testing; we're not retesting," he said.

Hall and Holbrook declined to give a time frame when they would know the results from the tests.

"It's a very difficult case we have very limited evidence that we are working with," Holbrook said.

The West Virginia State Police Crime Lab can do nuclear DNA testing, but not mitochondrial DNA testing, said Lt. H.B. Myers, head of the lab's biochemistry section. Where there is only one copy of a nuclear DNA in a cell, there are multiple copies of mitochondrial DNA, he said.

"So there may not be enough for our type of testing but there may be enough for mitochondrial testing," Myers said.

The last known person to talk to Hickman was a friend who talked to her on her cell phone late in the afternoon of Dec. 14.

Hickman's keys, purse, car and the bags she'd packed to go to visit her parents in the Point Pleasant area were found at her apartment, which she shared with her sister.

http://wvgazette.com/News/200803130815?page=2&build=cache

[Nut44x4]

It sounds like the police have a suspect in mind, and that they're trying to build a case against that person. As soon as they have the forensics back, maybe they can make a move. I really hope the person that did it left behind some strong evidence for them to use, because that person needs to pay for what happened to Leah.

I believe they do and I believe it is a family member.
If indeed the FBI is doing Mitochondrial DNA Analysis, then that means 'family' DNA.
http://www.fbi.gov/hq/lab/fsc/backissu/july1999/dnaf1.htm


IMO her sister killed her.
I have been checking daily for news in this case. This crime was 'personal'.

[Nut44x4]

Here are some photos from the Vigil held in December BEFORE she was found.
2 are of her sister.
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/gallery_news/x607056243

read the captions...then look at her

[Nut44x4]

I sure wish I had news with answers to this young woman's murder, but I don't. I did find this...>
http://www.myspace.com/rogeraparker
 

[Nut44x4]

Remembering Leah Hickman

Posted: 4:37 PM Nov 22, 2008

POINT PLESANT, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- It's been almost a year since Marshall University student Leah Hickman was found murdered in the basement of her apartment building.

Now her friends and family are working to keep her memory alive.

Hundreds of people gathered in Point Pleasant Saturday to run in the Leah Hickman 5k.

Organizers say they wanted to show the family and community that they have not forgotten about the case.

We caught up with some of Leah's friends who say time of year is pretty tough with the holidays ahead.

No arrests have ever been made in Leah's murder.
http://www.wsaz.com/news/headlines/34932399.html

Interesting comments>>....
Comments are posted from viewers like you and do not always reflect the views of this station.
Posted by: citizen on Nov 22, 2008 at 07:37 PM
good job HPD,,,,,, for nothing

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Posted by: ... on Nov 22, 2008 at 05:59 PM
and still no arrests. do the men of the HPD not look at this picture daily? if not, they should be required to!!! it's sad that the people in our town that we expect to handle these types of things appropriately, efficiently and successfully have failed us so miserably.

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Posted by: Bob on Nov 22, 2008 at 05:09 PM
Thanks to everyone,. A special thanks to David and Connie Pyles.

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Posted by: Donna on Nov 22, 2008 at 05:08 PM
I would like to know what happened with the dna results the law enforcement were waiting on...they said they had a possible suspect pending the results...
 

[Nut44x4]

Leah Hickman's death still a mystery
December 13, 2008
HUNTINGTON -- Christmastime always will be wrapped with a sense of loss for the families and friends of Leah Hickman.

The 21-year-old from Leon, W.Va., died one year ago today. It took place at the Marshall University student's off-campus apartment located at 403 8th Ave. Police found her body seven days later. The case remains unsolved.

Leah Hickman's death rattled a community, captured national attention and left lasting effects that forever altered many lives. It means emptiness for her parents. Her half sister, Jessica Vickers, felt more isolated and depressed. The victim's friends realized the shortness of life and pushed toward accomplishing their goals.

Some emotional wounds are beginning to heal, but those closest to Leah Hickman said no arrest means no closure.

"My heart just can't accept it -- that she is really, really gone," said her mother, Sherry Russell. "It's hard to believe that I have to live the rest of my life without her. I can't understand why anybody would want to hurt her."

Investigators for the Huntington Police Department say Leah Hickman was strangled as part of a targeted attack carried out by someone familiar with the layout of her 8th Avenue apartment. Police found her body hidden in a crawl space located underneath the apartment building. It was connected to a common laundry room.

The investigators say they have a working theory about her killer's identity, but lack evidence needed to prosecute. Some hopes lay with mitochondrial DNA testing in Phoenix.

Police Chief Skip Holbrook will not describe specific evidence, but the state-of-the-art lab generally examines hair, bones and teeth. Holbrook said the first tests were inconclusive. Investigators do not anticipate additional findings until early 2009.

"We've been focusing in a general direction from the very beginning, and that is where we remain today," he said.

Leah Hickman's death captivated many in the region. It also spurred criticism of the Police Department, but her families and friends stand behind the investigation. Vickers embodied many of their comments. She said she knows the detectives are emotionally involved in Leah's case and she feels confident they are doing everything they can.

"I have faith that whoever took her from us will one day be judged," she said. "I hope that it's here on earth, but if not I know they will stand before God one day and He is the ultimate judge."

Parents struggle to cope

Leah Hickman was the daughter of Sherry Russell and Mason County Assessor Ron Hickman. She was born Nov. 22, 1986. The parents parted ways about eight years later, but her love for both continued.

"Her only problem was she didn't have enough time to spend with them," said her longtime friend Caitlin Starkey.

Both parents still struggle to cope with the large void brought by her sudden death.

Russell wears a necklace with Leah's photo. She also wears a memory bracelet on her wrist. She remembered her daughter as selfless and full of love. Leah volunteered to do dishes upon visits home. She called her mother almost every day and every conversation included an "I love you, Mom."

"She always hugged me," Russell said. "If she had been gone for an hour and came back into the house, she hugged me. She would kiss me on the cheek and turn her cheek for me to kiss her."

Leah Hickman loved Christmas, and her family will notice the void every year. It is personified for Russell at the Christmas tree, which Leah helped decorate each year. Russell also misses her daughter offering advice about what to buy and acting secretive about the gifts she purchased.

Russell said those holiday traditions, kisses and hugs have been replaced with the toughest parts of the past year.

"Doing all of these things a mother shouldn't have to do, like picking out a headstone and going to the grave site and putting grass seed on it," she said.

Leah Hickman was her father's only child. He struggles to express his sorrow in words. Many times his unoccupied mind quickly fills with her wants and goals for life. Those plans included grandchildren for her father. It is just another thing her death leaves him without.

"It's just been very, very hard to deal with," he said. "I think about her each day and what a wonderful, sweet, special daughter she was."

Ron Hickman was first elected as Mason County Assessor in 1996. He ran unopposed in this year's election, but he calls the 2008 campaign the toughest of his political career. Leah frequently attended dinners and other functions. She had looked forward to using lessons from journalism school to bolster her father's campaign.

The national attention garnered by Leah Hickman's case surprised her mother. Russell said the national podium is usually reserved for big cases, and it was difficult to realize her small-town daughter was a missing, young female who reached that level.

Russell said the coast-to-coast attention produced overwhelming support. For the first few months that support arrived in the form of letters, cards, books, Bibles and other items. She estimates 72 Dress Barn stores participated in the giving. Her daughter worked part-time at the clothing chain's Barboursville location.

"It was awesome," she said.

The support was much needed. Russell would deal with the tragedy on two fronts -- the sudden loss and widespread speculation that Vickers was involved. Russell is mother to both women. They were half sisters and roommates.

Any such rumor remains unsubstantiated by police. Russell said the widespread speculation was torture and created much of the pain she endured over the past year. She described those people as cruel and attributed their beliefs to watching too much television.

"I know she didn't. I know she is not capable of it. I know the police are doing everything they can to gather the evidence they need to successfully convict the right person," she said. "When they do, these mean people will have to eat their words."

Death of sisterhood

Jessica Vickers said she never has been an outgoing person. She considers herself shy and isolated. The death of her half sister reinforced those character traits and pushed her toward depression.

Vickers said Leah Hickman's death was a "complete upheaval" to an otherwise normal life.

The two girls had been roommates since the fall 2006. Friends and family said Leah initially wanted her own place, but agreed to stay with Vickers to help her half sister with rent.

Vickers said it was an interesting time period, in which they grew closer. The two siblings had separate lives, but still found time for each other. Vickers remembered scary movies that cuddled them together, Sunday breakfasts at Bob Evans and late-night trips to Wal-Mart and Taco Bell.

Vickers described her half sister as loving, vivacious and completely full of life.

"It was hard to be around her without a smile on your face. If you didn't, she was the first to try to make it there," she said.

Vickers particularly remembered her half sister's giddiness and the way she would giggle. Vickers said Leah would burst into her room excited about the most trivial thing.

"Five seconds later, I would turn around and she was completely asleep on the bed -- passed out from exhaustion from having to tell this wonderful story," she said.

Vickers already had experienced the death of about 10 relatives. In those instances she grieved and eventually moved on, but coping with Leah's death only proved more difficult with time.

The grief eventually caused Vickers to shut down one day at work. It became too much and forced her to seek help. It was assistance she had hoped to avoid. She had planned on helping herself and staying strong to assist others in her family.

"I have definitely had moments where it has honestly just hit me like a ton of bricks, and I couldn't breathe just imagining what she had to have gone through," she said.

Vickers, who became front and center of the week-long search effort, quickly retreated. She didn't grant interviews and some criticized her lack of emotion. Some used that to fuel rumors about her possible involvement.

"The best way I deal with things is alone," she said. "I don't put a lot of emotion out there, and I know some people thought that was weird. They expected to see a show, I guess. They expected to see all of us just completely falling over each other and not being able to get out of bed. That's not how we are.

"It's nobody else's business when I cry or why I cry," Vickers added.

Vickers quickly learned about the unsubstantiated accusations. They were publicly posted on Internet message boards and bantered about around local water coolers.

Vickers said she wanted to run out and scream, but resisted the urge. She became more frustrated and secluded as the accusations made her feel paranoid at work and elsewhere.

"It's been a lot easier to stay in my apartment and not have to face people," she said. "I would look at a customer and think, 'What do they think about me? What do they think I'm capable of?'"

Starkey, Leah Hickman's best friend, defended Vickers this week. She said the duo did not have problems. She believes they got along well together and never fought. She called it a testament to their maturity.

"I get really, really serious when people blame Jessica," she said. "Not only does it not make any sense, but it also seems insensitive to a sister trying to grieve."

Vickers elects to cope with Leah's death by focusing on the fact her half sister will never return home, instead of imagining the horror she endured.

Death of friendships

Leah Hickman's death shattered Starkey's support and belief systems. It also altered the lives of other friends, such as Ashley Russell and Kimberly Schoonover.

Starkey was her best friend. The girls went to the same Christian school. They worked a summer job together at a locks and dam. They joined each other at Marshall University.

"We were always together," she said.

Starkey was convinced police would find her friend alive. She was devastated to hear otherwise.

The death shattered Starkey's support structure. Hickman was the person who Starkey called at the first sign of any emotion.

"Leah was basically my rock," she said.

Leah Hickman's death also pushed Starkey forward. She said it forced her to recognize the shortness of life and the need to accomplish her professional goals.

"It really makes you think, 'I may not be around tomorrow,'" she said. "I want to have all of those things she wasn't able to have. I want to do it for her."

Ashley Russell, who is no relation to Leah Hickman's mother, shared a similar story. She met her friend in Christian school and moved to San Francisco after her death.

Ashley Russell said Leah was an amazing person, one who had everything going for her. That passion and direction influenced Ashley Russell to push toward her dream of attaining an arts degree.

Leah Hickman's death also prompted Ashley Russell to be more cautious. She found herself looking for apartments with no fire escapes attached to windows and other precautions to ensure her safety from intruders.

"The fact it could happen to somebody as sweet as her -- it just doesn't seem right," she said. "Suddenly I found myself placed in a situation to where if it could happen in a small town to her, well it could happen to me here in the big city."

Ashley Russell and Kimberly Schoonover exemplify those friends who gather at MySpace.com. Both have moved to other areas. They do not know each other, but are joined in sadness over Leah. Her personal Web page is a place where grief lingers today as many share stories about their friend who passed on.

"It's a way to tell her what's going on," she said. "It's almost as if, in a way, she is still there. Just writing on there to tell her what is going on, it's almost like praying."

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/x362300134/A-year-later-Hickmans-death-remains-a-mystery?r=p

[CatToy]

hoping that Leah's family sees some kind of justice in her case.  its hard to sit back and watch, esp knowing they have someone in mind.
I myself, still have her sister in mind.  Goes to opportunity and who was with her "last"
I always think about this case and family. 

[Nut44x4]

hoping that Leah's family sees some kind of justice in her case.  its hard to sit back and watch, esp knowing they have someone in mind.
I myself, still have her sister in mind.  Goes to opportunity and who was with her "last"
I always think about this case and family. 

Oh, I agree Cat....I agree. The sister, indeed!! I have always thought so!

[Nut44x4]

12/14/2009
 
Two Years Later

The leads are few and far between.

Two years after the murder of a 21-year old Marshall University student, Huntington Police Sergeant John Williams tells MetroNews investigators are still hoping for some kind of break in the case with the help of either new technology or new information.

"DNA is advancing in leaps and bounds and things, just a few years ago, that you can pull up now, it's always advancing," Sergeant Williams said on Monday which marked two years since Leah Hickman from Mason County was killed.  No suspect has ever been publicly named for her murder.

Her body was later found stuffed into a crawl space at her Huntington apartment building.

"We have hopes that anybody with any type of information pertaining to this would come forward and feel convicted enough to send that our way," Sergeant Williams says.

Last year, Huntington Police said they did not think Hickman was killed randomly.  They believe she knew her killer.  "We went back and reinterviewed individuals involved in the case, trying to ascertain some more information.  We called the parents in, some of the friends and whatnot," he says.

Sergeant Williams has been part of the Hickman investigation for the past two years.  He says the hardest part about it is not having answers for Hickman's parents.

"In investigations, you're used to, sometimes, investigations being lengthy.  You can live with that, but you never actually get over having the deal with the pain of the families," he says.  "That's probably where the most frustration comes from.  You'd love to be able to provide those answers so they can move on with their lives."

Hickman disappeared at this time of the year back in 2007.  It took a week to locate her body in the apartment building where she lived on 8th Avenue in Huntington.

http://www.wvmetronews.com/index.cfm?func=displayfullstory&storyid=34109

[Nut44x4]

Three Years Later, the Leah Hickman Murder Case Remains Unsolved
It was three years ago Tuesday that Leah Hickman disappeared, and she was later found murdered in Huntington. The case remains unsolved.
Posted: 7:12 PM Dec 14, 2010

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Three years ago on Tuesday, a family received troubling news -- their Marshall University student was missing.

A week later, Leah Hickman was found murdered.

It's a case that still haunts family and police as much now, if not more, than it did then.

"There are happy moments and then, when I get away from everyone, there's a big crash and I remember my baby," Ron Hickman said.

That's been the heart-wrenching routine for Ron Hickman nearly everyday for the last three years since his daughter, Leah, was found murdered.

"It's still very tough. She was special," Hickman said.

In December 2007, Leah was just 21 and a broadcast major at Marshall University. She disappeared one day and -- a week later -- was found dead -- wrapped in plastic and stuffed in a crawl space in her Huntington apartment building.

Her killer is still on the loose as of December 2010.

"There's a fine line between disappointment and anger," Ron Hickman said.

For him, the wait is maddening. But, for Huntington police, wait is all they can do.

"What we collected from the crime scene we hope technology will evolve where we can use that to determine a suspect," Huntington Police Lt. John Williams said.

Williams has been on this case since day one. He says no one is more frustrated than he is. But, the minuscule amount of DNA collected at the crime scene severely limits their options now.

“The evidence we got opened a few more questions, and it's not enough to pursue a strong case,” Lt. Williams said.

For Ron, everyday is a struggle -- a struggle to relive the memories while comprehending the reality.

One thing he knows: "I’m going to continue to fight for justice for my baby until my last breath,” he said.

Police and family are still asking for anyone who may know anything to call police.

http://www.wsaz.com/news/headlines/Three_Years_Later_the_Leah_Hickman_Murder_Case_Remains_Unsolved.html?ref=086

recap at link...I remember getting all wound up over this one because the killer is right under their nose.