Linwood parents frustrated in 1988 disappearance of son

LAWRENCE – Two Linwood northeast Kansas parents are increasingly frustrated with the investigation into their son’s 1988 disappearance.

Randy Leach was a teenager when he went missing from a graduation party along with the family’s car, the Lawrence Journal-World reports. He would now be 44.

For years, his parents, Harold and Alberta Leach, have felt that investigators were secretive, refusing to keep them abreast of developments. Then earlier this year, the Leaches learned that law enforcement had a suspect in the 1990s.

In a hearing and subsequent trial, Eric Montgomery, who died in prison four years ago, testified that the FBI and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation had considered him a suspect in the disappearance of Randy Leach, according to court transcripts obtained by the Journal-World through an open records request.

Montgomery also had been a suspect in two 1990 homicides that occurred seven miles from the Leaches’ home in rural Linwood. In those homicides, Montgomery told authorities he had helped two killers by hiding the bodies in barrels and tossing them in the Missouri River. The bodies were never found.

Harold Leach, now 73, said he was saddened when he found out law enforcement had withheld information from him and his wife.

“No one ever said a word about this to us,” Harold Leach said.

After learning about Montgomery, the Leaches want to review law enforcement investigation records to determine what detectives have done over almost three decades. But the Leaches have been unable to see the records. The KBI and Leavenworth County sheriff’s deputies say they are still investigating the case and have refused requests from the parents and the Journal-World to release them.

The Legislature approved the closing of such records to the public in the 1970s, leaving it up to a law enforcement agency to decide whether to release them. They almost never do.

Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson said what is being investigated after all this time is unknown even to him. Thompson said that no KBI agents or Leavenworth County deputies have even mentioned Randy Leach since Thompson took office six years ago.

“Honestly if we had something we could do we would,” Thompson said. “There has never been a discussion with me about this case.”

In response to the Journal-World’s request for records, KBI general counsel Laura Graham wrote: “While I understand the curiosity that led to your request, our position remains. … We will not permit your review of the KBI’s criminal investigation records. Regardless of how old criminal investigation records are … they often contain sensitive material that ultimately has been determined irrelevant to a case.”

This story was originally published November 17, 2014 at 8:17 AM with the headline "Linwood parents frustrated in 1988 disappearance of son."