As the ninth-anniversary of 15-year-old Coquille, Ore. resident Leah Freeman’s murder rapidly approaches, her mother Cory Courtright’s quest for justice continues. Freeman disappeared while walking home in Coquille the night of June 29, 2000. Her body was discovered in Fairview, a wooded town eight miles outside of Coquille, more than a month later on August 3, 2000. After an autopsy was performed, it was determined that Freeman died from homicidal violence. Nine years later, the case is considered “cold” and remains unsolved. But there is nothing “cold” about the case as far as Courtright is concerned, “I will seek justice in the murder of my daughter until my dying day. I want the person or people responsible for her death to pay for their crime and to be behind bars where they cannot endanger anyone else.”

Ayrin Vick, of Peoria, Arizona, and her boyfriend had taken little Natalia Santillan into their care. The mother of three-year-old Natalia had to do some jail time, so the couple were to keep the child during her incarceration. They took the girl home in the middle of March. Ayrin Vick is the mother of a ten-month-old child of her own. Her boyfriend, Joe Ramirez, has an eight-year-old daughter. The picture of Ayrin, as seen to the left, hardly looks like that of a killer. But, that face seems to have masked something awful. Murder is the crime she is accused of by the state of Arizona.

Baczewski was arrested tonight at a La Quinta hotel in Alamo, Texas, near the Mexican border. Law enforcement, including the Alamo Police, U.S. Marshals, and a SWAT team from the San Juan police department surrounded the hotel at around 1:00 PM. Baczewski’s room was under stakeout for several hours while the surrounding rooms (consisting of several floors) were cleared of occupants. Baczewski reportedly surrendered –unarmed and without incident. It is unknown (to the public) if Baczewski had weapons within the room.

At this time, 22-year-old Travis Wayne Baczewski is still being sought as a person of interest in a South Austin death. The victim has been identified as Baczewski’s own mother, 54-year-old Violetta Baczewski. Authorities are not calling Baczewski a suspect, but they do consider him to be armed and dangerous. I think it is safe to say that law enforcement is focusing strongly on him at this point in the case. However, there is an outside chance that Baczewski was taken from the location by force or that he was a witness, possibilities acknowledge by law enforcement. It is unknown at this time if the perpetrator of this crime acted alone or had accomplices. As I posted last night, Baczewski claims to be a black belt in Ba Ki Do (Bakido), a type of martial arts used for self defense that apparently has a heavy focus in the Austin area.