“In May, my grandma (Leah Gallegos) came to Utah from Oregon for a press conference, and ended up experiencing unexpected health issues,” Leah’s granddaughter, Jamisan Duran, posted on GoFundMe. “This has led to tons of unexpected medical bills, and her needing to move back to Utah in order to get the care she needs.”

Leah is pictured with her son, Steve Duran. If she looks familiar, she should, because she was a taxi driver for Royal Cab, and could often be seen bustling around Astoria. She also used to work at the Labor Temple.

In 1985, Leah’s daughter, Christine Gallegos, 18, was brutally murdered in Salt Lake City. Her killer was not found, and her death has been a cold case all this time. 

Until just recently, that is, when DNA identified her murderer as Ricky Lee Stallworth, who died of natural causes in 2023, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. One of his relatives provided the DNA sample that confirmed the identification.

The press conference Leah attended in Utah was the official announcement of Chistine’s case being solved, at last. “She was just special,” Leah told The Salt Lake Tribune. “She was outgoing, she was sweet, she was in love with her fiancé … They took so much away when they took her away.”

Between the medical issues, and having to move back to Utah, Leah can’t work. “Any help to cover these expenses would be extremely appreciated!” Jamisan added. You can help Leah at tinyurl.com/LeahInUtah. (Photo: Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune)