Woman seeking answers 17 years after brother found dead at Catoosa truck stop

A Green Country woman is still hoping for justice, after her brother was found dead in Catoosa in 2008.

No one has been arrested in the death of 32-year-old Carter Leach.

FAMILY MOURNING

Jerri Battenfield, Leach’s sister, says it’s been a rough 17 years for her family.

"I left that morning, my brother was in the driveway and I told him ‘bye,’ we were roommates,” said Battenfield. “I came back, I was back in about 2 hours, and he was gone. Normally, he would leave somewhere and come back, sometimes he'd be gone for a couple of days even at a time. He left that day and he never came home."

WHAT HAPPENED

Investigators say Leach was found dead in the back of a pickup truck at a truck stop in Catoosa in April of 2008, a month after he went missing.

"I called his phone for weeks trying to locate him, I went to places where I thought he might be, I went to places where I knew he wouldn't be, just to make sure,” said Battenfield. “I called everybody I knew. nobody knew where he was at."

SHOULDN’T HAVE HAPPENED

She says even though her brother struggled with drugs, he was a good person and didn’t deserve for something like this to happen to him.

"He was somebody's brother, he was somebody's father, he was somebody's son,” said Battenfield.

A NEW CHAPTER

She says what helps her through is ehr faith and her own newfound sobriety.

She wishes she could have experienced her new life with Leach.

"I wish that I could have got that help for my brother,” said Battenfield. “I wish that we could have went through this together. Get help. I've just tried to forget all those feelings. I try to forget the hate and the hurt and the pain of it, I just try to find the good in things now. I try to find the silver lining."

OPEN INVESTIGATION

The OSBI says it is still investigating this case and is asking anyone with information to come forward.

You can find more information on Leach’s case and other cold cases HERE:

The OSBI says if you have any information, you can contact any of the following:

cold.case@osbi.ok.gov

tips@osbi.ok.gov

1-800-522-8017

HELP AVAILABLE

Battenfield encourages anyone struggling with drug use to get help.

You can call the hotline at 1-800-622-4357