News. If anyone has a memory to share or anything to say someone will pay. I just figured the truth will come out and the real person or persons would be found. Everybody was quick to point fingers at nick, being her boyfriend. 20 20 will be present. Theyll be with us. Has it been difficult . How long its been . I dont know. Law enforcement followed me. The misstatements they said on the original 20 20 episode, i have a lot of frustrations with it. Separate your feet. I was facing life in prison for a crime i didnt commit. Everything you thought you knew about this case is thrown into question. That shocker that would come next. I havent spoken out about this. I remained quiet all these years. Theres a lot that happens on the oregon coast. And its a wonderfully spectacular setting. Its also rugged, and its dangerous. Coquille is right by the beach. Its about 15, 20 miles from the pacific ocean, a couple hours north of the california border. Coquille is a small farming community, logging, millworking kind of a town. Coquille is a two stoplight town. Its kind of tucked into the forest. Theres a few restaurants and shops, but theres nothing particularly charming about it. This is a really, really small, close community. Everybody knows everyone. The body of a teenage female tentatively identified as leah freeman was discovered. What really split this very tightknit community apart was a tragic criminal case. It involved two High School Sweethearts, leah freeman and Nick Mcguffin. Why do they think you did it . Because they have nothing else to go on. And im the boyfriend. It was the signature event that happened in coquille. It was the event that brought people together and split them apart. Nick mcguffin would become one of the towns most notorious figures. Nick mcguffin. Nick mcguffin. Nick mcguffin guilty of manslaughter. He became infamous. My names Nick Mcguffin. Im from coquille, oregon. The reason why were sitting here for me in my eyes so to bring awareness to this case. Im doing this not for myself, but im doing this for leah and her family to get resolution. Im an innocent man, and i want the false narrative to go away. I think i was about 2 to 3 when we moved down to coquille. My mom works in the medical field. And my dad, he started a business, a produce market. Id ride my Mountain Bike delivering the newspaper with the old paper bag in it. And you know, i wasnt the biggest kid. I was nicks fourth grade teacher in i believe it was 1992. He was a great student. He enjoyed learning. He was creative. In high school, i was just kind of like any average student. I wasnt different really than anybody else. Nick played for the coquille football team, and it was a big thing there in coquille, friday night football, just like it is in most small towns. Nick the high school kid. He was always in love in a way, you know . He always had a girl. The girls liked him. I had met leah when i was walking through the gym and she was in volleyball practice. She was a freshman and i was a senior. She sees me looking at her, and she kind of gives me this look. Leah was beautiful. That was my first impression. She was just a short, bright personality. And leah was like a sparkle. She had a glow to her, and it was somebody that i wanted to get to know. They spent some time together and started dating. I know that leah really cared about him a great deal. I think that when youre young, you develop strong feelings really quickly, especially if its with an older guy who shows a lot of interest in you. My mustang was not anything special. It had a little straight six in it. It was a little threespeed transmission. A lot of times, leah and i would just drive around and listen to music. I try to say goodbye and i choke i try to walk away and i stumble i remember a certain song that her and i always listened to. It was macy gray, i try, came out in 99. We had a lot of deep conversations. We had a future planned. I know we loved each other. I loved her without a doubt. I think that there were times when leah would get jealous of nick hanging out with other girls or that sort of thing. They would argue about it. But they always seemed to resolve it and stay together. He was definitely a flirt. He was kind of into every girl. But he did seem like he really cared about her. I asked leah if shed go to prom with me. She had a gorgeous white dress, she had her hair done perfectly. Im glad we went and we got the pictures that we did together. I think leah makes me look better. He seemed like an okay kind of guy. But still, the age difference was there. And then i found out that they were being sexually active, and that was disturbing. It caused some conflict between leah and i, because she wanted to see him. She wanted him to be her boyfriend, and i didnt. Together, they were very compatible. Like any young couple, they had their issues arguing, whatever but they both wanted to be together. June 28th, 2000. Ill never forget that date. It started out like any normal day. I got in my mustang and went to her house, and i remember her telling me, we need to clean the outside of the car. We were spraying each other with the hose, splashing each other with soap. I remember we were having a good time. Decision was made to take her to cheries house at 7 00, and pick her up at 9 00. I hadnt seen her for a while. We were still really good friends, but we just didnt hang out as much because she was with nick a lot. She was at cheries and she wanted to go jogging and asked cherie to go with her. Cherie asked her mom, and her mom said no, because every time you do, nick comes and picks leah up, and you end up walking home alone. So, leah heard that, and i guess she got mad and started to walk off. So she left, and then i followed her out to the road and thats when i told her, its not about you. I guess a lot of it was about the guy she was with. You know, he was, like, trying to take her away to do things that i wasnt really welcome. She was mad. She had her arms folded. I can actually still picture it. That was, when she was mad, you knew she was mad. Leah took off upset, clearly upset. And last, she was headed toward the high school. Spotted by numerous witnesses along the way. You dont think anything like thats gonna happen in a small town. Definitely nothing sinister you would ever think would happen in coquille. Your mission stand up to moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. And take. It. On with rinvoq. Rinvoq a oncedaily pill can dramatically improve symptoms. Rinvoq helps tame pain, stiffness, swelling. And for some. Rinvoq can even significantly reduce ra fatigue. Thats rinvoq relief. With ra, your overactive immune system attacks your joints. Rinvoq regulates it to help stop the attack. Rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious infections and blood clots, somatal have occurred as ihave certain cancers,. Including lymphoma, and tears in the stomach or intestines, and changes in lab results. Your doctor should monitor your bloodwork. Tell your doctor about any infections and if you are or may become pregnant while taking rinvoq. Ready to take on ra . Talk to your rheumatologist about rinvoq relief. Rinvoq. Make it your mission. Tell her how you feel. Cause there is no doubt this love is real ooohh. Take the leap, with our diamond price match guarantee. Jared. Comes never ending stuffed pastas. From as little as 11. 99 you get, never ending stuffed pastas, sauces, and toppings. Never ending salad and breadsticks, of course. Never ending generosity. Never ending stuffed pastas. Only at olive garden. And then what happened . Wheres our family from . Was he my age . So nana and pops eloped . And then what happened, daddy . Well, before us, there were your great, great, great grandparents. Turn questions youve always had into stories you cant wait to share; with ancestry. Grand now we have to deal withed had ius this. Rs. Climate change is an emergency. Thats why i wrote the nations most progressive climate law. And thats why im endorsing tom steyer. Because when big oil tried to stop our clean air laws, he led us to victory. Same with the keystone pipeline. When tom says we can save the world and do it together believe him. Im tom steyer and i approve this message. On june 28th, leah is at her friend cheries house visiting. The two get into an argument, and leah storms out of the home. And thats shortly before 9 00 p. M. When i first interviewed cherie back in 2010, she told me that leah was very upset when she left her house that night. Oh, she was pissed. I remember her saying to me, im sorry im not good enough for you. And it was, apparently, it was shortly before 9 00. Like five to 9 00 i guess. This is an overview of the area that were talking about, coquille, oregon. We know from cherie, leah leaves on foot. She walked down Fourth Street and turned left on central boulevard. She was seen walking by mckays market. We have witnesses that put her at the fast mart. Then we have a sighting of her at a restaurant thats a little farther up. The next sighting we have is leah up here by the high school. The people that saw her said she had her arms crossed and looked angry. She was probably angry about the argument she just had at the house. Right, right. The next witness says that around 9 30 p. M. , she sees leah standing outside a pay phone. And there are two men arguing nearby. The next time we see leah, shes standing outside the gas station. And thats the last time that anyone sees leah. Several minutes later, a witness hears a highpitched scream. And nobody saw anything suspicious . Stranger pick her up or a stranger driving around town . Not to my knowledge. It was 9 00. I went to go over to cheries to go get leah. I asked her where leah was. I said we got in a fight, she left. Shes probably walking home. You know, im sure that if you just drive to her house, youll find her. Its not a very big town. You can walk through from cheries up to the high school in a matter of minutes. So, nick gets back into his car and starts driving through the town of coquille, looking for leah. I drive to fast mart. Id asked multiple people if theyd seen leah walk by. At about 9 00 at night, i see nick pull up. And he says, is leah here . And i said, no. Nobody had seen her. I remember going by the high school. I had a very strict curfew of 10 00. As i was driving back home, i came to the stop sign by the high school, and i saw nick driving by in his mustang. So i drove by leahs house, because i didnt see her. He did call the house shortly after 10 00 that night, and he said, is leah there . And i said, leah . No, isnt she with you . He said, welsh its all right. Dont worry. Im going to find her and bring her home. I went back to fast mart probably five or six times. He had looked every place that he could think of and couldnt find her. I and even talked to police twice that night. My headlight was out and i got pulled over for it both times. I told them that i was looking for my girlfriend and told me i needed to get it fixed. After getting pulled over two different times by police, nick decides to go to his friend kristen and ask her to drive around with him to look for leah. And kristen drives around with nick for an hour. I dropped kristen off around 2 00 probably. I decided to go by leahs house one more time. And i saw a glare on her on her window, thought it was her tv. Back then, it was 2000. Its not like she could send me a text. She couldnt call me on a cellphone. So i thought she was home, and i went home after that. And i looked in her room, and her bed was empty. Leahs mom, cory, calls at like 7 30 or 8 00 in the morning the next day. I said, wheres leah . Shes not here. He goes, she didnt come home last night . And i said, no, where is she . He goes, i dont know. I went into town as quick as i could. I talked to cory. We went down to the Police Department and we filed a missing persons report. The police basically told us that leah was probably a runaway. I knew. I knew something was wrong. This girl had to no reason to run away. She had absolutely no reason. None. I handed out fliers with people everywhere. Every town. Have you seen leah . Nobody nobody seemed to know anything. I dont remember what date it was the Police Called me. They wanted to talk to me, so of course im going to go in and im going to help them. Today is june 30th. It is 13 48 hours. This is a statement of Nick Mcguffin, in a missing person case involving leah freeman. Nicholas james mcguffin. People tend to think, if im innocent, i dont have anything to hide. The problem is, even though you think what youre saying is fine and its going to be helpful, it can be turned back on you in a second. How would you characterize her personal life . When shes around me she just seems really bright and happygolucky and giggly. Shes just a really good person. I started to have my concerns when they, kind of, started, i guess, trying to twist my words and the way i speak. Did she never have problems at home . Her parents are divorced and her depression maybe has a lot to do with her childhood. Her depression . Huh . What depression . You were just telling me she was happygolucky. She is, she is. The first week, they actually wanted to look at my mustang. I signed it over to them immediately. I did not have anything to hide. There was nothing that i was worried about. The night that leah disappeared, its about 11 40, a mechanic, worked the swing shift. Hes driving home, and he saw a shoe lying on the road. He thought maybe one of these kids had left a shoe out there. So he picked it up, took it home. And then when it came out in public that we were looking for leah, that person came forward with the shoe. We showed it to leahs sister. She said, i think thats her shoe. Then on the fourth of july, just six days after leah went missing, her other shoe is diskdi discovered and its got blood on it. This point here is where her right shoe is found on north elm street. Leahs bloodstained left shoe is found on hudson ridge. The distance from where the left shoe is found on hudson ridge back to the town of coquille is about a 10mill stretch. When the case first started, cory felt she wasnt bein taken seriously by the Police Department. When we had that second shoe with her blood on it, i think everybody felt that this was not going end well. I dont know if the second shoe gave me more questions, or if it solidified the horror that we were about to find out. You wouldnt accept from any one else. Why accept it from your allergy pills . Flonase relieves your worst symptoms including nasal congestion, which most pills dont. Flonase helps block 6 key inflammatory substances. Most pills only block one. Flonase. Chit, chit. Jif peanut butter. Its that jifing good, youd dress up like a squirrel for it. Snack on Something Else jifing good, jif power ups creamy clusters. Not anymore. Leaving residue . New fructis invisible dry shampoo. Powered by oilabsorbing rice starch. Invisible on hair. No residue. Just nonstop refreshed hair for 24 hours. New fructis invisible dry shampoo. By garnier, naturally suspense music Warning Siren theres no room go on without me woman nooooo i got room. Hop in go ill hold it off mondays, right . You guys go horn honking get in, bryan. Thanks, mom. Hey howdy hello again . 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As mayor, he rebuilt a shaken city after 9 11, created over 450,000 jobs. Expanded healthcare to 700,000 and raised teacher pay. Elected for three terms because he got things done. Mike beat the nra, strengthening gun laws. He beat big coal, closing over 300 dirty coal fired plants. Mike is still getting things done. So ask yourself. For president , do you want a debater or a doer . Someone with workable, common sense plans to fix healthcare and create jobs, whos done both. Mike has the record and resources to beat trump. And it will take both. But mike will get it done. Bloomberg im Mike Bloomberg and i approve this message. At first they just didnt take it seriously. They just looked at her as a runaway. I dont think they were actively looking for her. We just told them and told them that she would not ever run away, that something has happened to her. They just didnt listen to the family at all. They began to take it seriously once they found that shoe. Okay, wait, something happened. At approximately 3 30 this afternoon, the body of a teenage female, tentatively identified as leah freeman, was discovered in the Fairview Area in coos county. The area where leah disappeared from is right in here. Then weve got way over here, about eight miles away, weve got where leahs body is found on lee valley road. And this eightmile stretch, thats through backwoods, gravely, old logging roads up fairview mountain. Behind me here is the area where the remains of leah freeman was found. Just right down at the base of this hill where evidently our suspects had disposed of leahs body. The search party assigned to this area, they detected an odor was consistent with a decomposing human body, and they found leahs remains. The body was in bad condition. She was out in the summer heat six weeks. Its not that hot around here, but then again, its summer time. The decomposition. There was animals. So, theres a lot of information that wouldve been there earlier, that just wasnt available to anybody unfortunately. It was august 3rd. Id gone out to laverne park with my friend janet to let her grandson play, and all of a sudden, a coquille city cop pulled in to laverne park. He said, cory, i need to take you home. I said, they found her . He told me he didnt know. But you knew. Yeah. Yeah, i knew, but i still let the denial take over. I wanted to go back in time. I didnt want i didnt want to go home. I didnt want to hear the final news. I didnt want to hear it. I remember the exact moment. I broke down. After being told that, i dont remember anything after that. I just remember that specific moment in time. Thats the saddest moment that ive ever gone through and that i can imagine going through. It was pretty much like literally losing a piece of yourself. I know that people say that,