‘I know who all was there:’ Family hopeful as new detective reviews cold case murder

CINCINNATI (FOX19) - A new detective is now working a Cincinnati cold case, leaving the victim’s mother hopeful that fresh eyes on the file means there will be fresh leads.

Days after LeRon Billings disappeared in June 2008, there was a gruesome discovery. Police said Billings had been shot and killed and that his body was left in a wooded area in Walnut Hills.

“They wrapped him up in garbage bags and blankets," Bridget Swint, Billings' mother, said.

The 25-year-old left behind a son and daughter, although he was not just a father. Swint says he was a wonderful brother and son too.

“Happy, just happy, always smiling, always protecting everybody that he loved," Swint said. “I miss my son every day. Every minute, I miss him.”

Police said Billings did not always make the best choices in life, but Swint counters he was moving in the right direction and preparing to build a future for himself.

“We all have made mistakes, and he too had made mistakes in his life, but he was trying to get his life together," Swint said. "He was getting ready to leave Cincinnati and go to school for auto mechanics.”

Twelve years later, a new CPD detective is investigating the cold case. Swint hopes a fresh look will help. She believes she knows who did it, but what she cannot understand is why.

“I know who all was there. I know who all helped carry his body from one destination to another, but right now, they just can’t make the case stick," Swint said.

Detectives have confirmed that there are several suspects. Now they are waiting on the right tip to move the case forward for Billings and for his family.

“We’ll never have closure because I can never have my son back, so my family will never have closure, but we do deserve peace," Swint said.

Cincinnati police said Billings had been in trouble with the law before he died, but Swint says her son was working through his struggles and did not deserve what happened to him.

Anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 513-352-3040.

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