Cory Courtright poured her heart out at the July 2, 2007, Coquille City Council meeting. She was eloquent, organized and her valid questions clearly and forthrightly presented. Nothing, no answers, no remarks, no suggestions as to how to bring her daughter, Leah’s murder to closure has been acted upon by the City of Coquille.

In the July 18, 2007 edition of the Coquille Valley Sentinel she again begs police chief Mike Reaves for answers. Cory’s most poignant request is that the case be turned over to some other agency with the skill, the motivation and the resources to actively pursue Leah’s killer. What logical objection can Reaves have for not agreeing, accepting and embracing this? Surely he wants her murder solved as much as anyone.

The city council appears not to be willing or able to exert any influence on city management. A citizen review board, duly empowered by the people of Coquille could demand answers where evidently a solitary citizen cannot. The continued stony faced silence by Reaves to any and all questions and complaints against his department only adds to the frustration of the citizens that pay his salary.