The Randy Leach Cold Case

Randy Leach grew up in Linwood, Kansas when the population was 377. He lived with his family on a farm that housed many animals such as chickens, horses, and pigs. At a young age, Randy was very successful and had a promising career as he launched his lawn mowing business where he cut lawns for the summer. 

Randy was described as a cheerful guy with a lot going for him as he had just entered trade school. He was quite popular, playing many sports and involved himself in several extra circulars.

On the morning of April 15, 1988, Randy appeared to be the same cheerful guy he always was but even more so because he had just bought his new tractor.  He had just finished mowing someone’s lawn that morning and took a shower since he would be making an appearance at the pre-graduation party that was hosted by a student Kim Erwin at the Erwin farm.

Around 7 pm that night he drove around Linwood as teens usually do when they are bored. He even stopped at his cousin’s house but was disappointed because he wasn’t there. He was said to be driving his mother’s mother’s gray 1985 Dodge 600 4-door sedan to the party he would be attending. 

After driving around and making a few stops, Randy arrives at his friend’s Steve Daugherty house, around 8:30 pm. He then drove to a body shop in De Soto where his graduation gift from his parents was being restored; a red 1966 Ford Mustang.

After stopping at a convenience store Randy finally arrived at a bonfire at 10 pm in Bonner Springs where around 45-100 people had attended. The mother of the person hosting, Annie Erwin, had reported that Randy had issues with walking but wasn’t intoxicated. But his classmates said that he appeared drunk. 

After a while, the students surrounding him started raising concerns over Randy since he hadn’t taken a sip of anything but he acted as if he was drunk by the way he slurred his words or how he struggled to walk. Randy’s mother, Alberta Leach, asked him if he was okay to which he said, “Man I don’t know”.

After midnight around 1:30 am, Randy’s friend at the time John Burns started to take Randy and a couple of his other friends home. But John changed his mind and told Randy to stay back as he would take another girl home first and then pick Randy up later; to which, Randy agreed. 

At 2:30 Burns returns to the farm to pick up Randy but he comes to find him and the car he had been driving missing from the property. 

6 am the next morning the parents waited outside their driveways but there was no return. Out of suspicion and fear, they contacted the police and gave information about Randy and his last whereabouts.

Police have been in constant search for Randy but they haven’t seen anything in over 35 years that led to an idea of Randy. Unfortunately, the case has gone cold and some of the people who had been in a desperate search for Randy have passed including his father, Harold Leach.