UNSOLVED DISAPPEARANCE: LEICHIA REILLY

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When a western New York woman vanishes during a night of dancing at a popular nightclub, the focus of the investigation quickly turns to the last person seen with her: a local state trooper. Investigators seek the public’s help in solving a case they refuse to give up on in this episode of Last Seen Alive.

Leichia Reilly was 21-years-old when she went missing from West Seneca, New York on January 30th, 1985. Investigators believe her disappearance was a result of foul play, and that she is deceased. Image source: family photo.
Pictured: a poster distributed by the West Seneca Police Department after Leichia’s disappearance. It shows Leichia, along with the person she was last seen with: Daniel D. Rose. Image source: West Seneca Police Department.
A 1984 article from The Times Union details the outcome of an assault then New York State Trooper Daniel D. Rose committed against a teenager. Daniel D. Rose of western New York is the last person ever seen with Leichia, who is believed to be deceased. Image source: The Times Union.
A 2020 article by Dan Herbeck for the Buffalo News revisits Leichia’s Case. Leichia left a nightclub with then New York State Trooper Daniel D. Rose, and has not been seen since. The Buffalo News has been reporting on her case from 1985 through present day. Image source: Mark Melville / Buffalo News

Sources used to research this episode:

Woman, 21, Disappears; Police Suspect Foul Play (The Buffalo News)

Cold Case: Leichia Reilly’s Disappearance 40 Years Ago Today Remains a Mystery (Charlie Specht, Sean Mickey / 2WGRZ News)

Police Still Stumped After Disappearance of Woman in January (Gene Warner / The Buffalo News)

Trooper Probed (The Buffalo News)

Trooper Retains Lawyer in Probe of Disappearance (The Buffalo News)

Lack of Body Stymies Police in What May be Murder Case (Tom Ernst / The Buffalo News)

$10,000 Offered as Reward for Missing Woman (The Buffalo News)

Landfill Search for Woman’s Body Tied to Disappearance Last Year (Gene Warner / The Buffalo News)

Family Clings to Hope of Solving Woman’s Disappearance (Tom Ernst / The Buffalo News)

Missing Woman’s Dad Asks Justice, Not Revenge (Gene Warner / The Buffalo News)

A New Chance for Justice (Charity Vogel / The Buffalo News)

Trooper Was Last Person Seen with Woman Missing Since ’85 (Dan Herbeck / Buffalo News)

State Trooper Indicted (The Times-Union)

Assault by a State Trooper (The Times-Union)

Trooper’s Assault Trial Under Way (Democrat and Chronicle)

Boreanaz’s Skills Forged in ‘the Heat’ of Big Cases (The Post-Standard)

Daniel D. Rose Charged with Felony Driving While Intoxicated (Star-Gazette)

Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 3 Elected Daniel D. Rose (The Buffalo News)

HUGHES v. BRICKLAYERS AND ALLIED CRAFTWORKERS LOCAL 45, 2004 (United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit)

People v Rose 2009

Retired Detective Names Union Boss Big Suspect in Woman’s Disappearance (Mike Hudson / Niagara Falls Reporter)

Father’s Need for Justice Has No Time Limits (Tom Ernst / The Buffalo News)

If you know anything about the disappearance of Leichia Reilly, please call the West Seneca Police Department’s anonymous tip line at 716-675-8423.

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