Cold Case: Clues sought in missing man's case, 35 years after he disappeared

SHEBOYGAN COUNTY -- Oregon State Police, with the assistance of Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Office, are asking the public’s help for any information on a missing man from Idaho Falls, Idaho that was last seen 35 years ago. He is Randall Leach who would now be 55 years old.

Officials say Leach left Wisconsin around November 1, 1980, hitch-hiking towards a final destination of his sister’s residence in Bend, Oregon.  Leach was last seen alive on November 7, 1980 in Idaho Falls where he had stopped and worked at a dairy farm for a couple of days.

In the last 35 years, the Oregon State Police has never received any information or confirmation that Leach reached his final destination of Bend, Oregon or if he had ever entered the state of Oregon.

Randall Leach

The Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Office became involved in this investigation due to a friendship between Randall’s father, Richard Leach, and the Deputy Inspector of the Detective Division at the time Randall went missing. That relationship between their agency and Randall’s family has continued and investigators have worked with the family to obtain Randall’s dental records which have now been uploaded to the National Dental Image Repository (NDIR). By doing this, it makes images available to law enforcement and medical examiners nationwide. Investigators have also obtained DNA samples from family members which were provided to the University of North Texas (UNT)—Center for Human Identification.

UNT personnel have established a DNA profile suitable for comparison for Randall Leach and that profile has been added to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), which allows nationwide comparison.   Investigators also created an entry with the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NAMUS) for Randall Leach (MP# 7429).

Anyone with tips in the case is urged to call the Sheboygan County Sheriff's Office at 920-459-3859.