MHS teacher authors book on Cold Case program

Olivia Zellner | The Chronicle

Years after a forgotten case sparked a movement at Mason High School (MHS), one teacher is bringing the story full circle with a project that honors its impact.

Five years after the start of the well-known “Cold Case” program, MHS Forensic Science teacher Randy Hubbard is finishing his final year at Mason with his very own capstone project — a book. Titled The Laney Gwinner Effect: How One Cold Case Mobilized a High School to Make a Difference, the autobiographical work chronicles the landmark case Hubbard explored alongside a former student, leading to the creation of MHS’ real-life forensic investigation class. 

The Laney Gwinner Effect was a huge accomplishment for Hubbard, as it was his first time writing a full-length book. He said it took him roughly two years to finish, but that the end result was worth the struggle.

“Life kind of gets in the way,” Hubbard said. “The hardest part is just staying focused. But I think I finished it in a way that honors Laney and how she’s still touching people on Earth, even though she’s not here.”

Hubbard said that even before beginning the writing process, he encountered difficulties. He had to rely on information from strangers, years after the events had occurred, making it hard to determine fact from fiction.

“It’s so difficult to figure out who’s telling you the truth and who’s not because some people just want to be a part of something, and others really do want to help, but do they really have information, or are they just making things up?” Hubbard said. “That’s the hard part. You know that somebody out there knows something.”

The book delves into the 27-year-old case of Alana ‘Laney’ Gwinner, a young woman who disappeared from a bowling alley in the suburbs of Fairfield, Ohio. Hubbard said the case, which occurred in his hometown, struck a chord with him for that very reason.

“My parents used to take me to [the bowling alley] when I was a kid, and we drove by it all the time,” Hubbard said. “For Laney’s case to start there, in my hometown, was pretty emotional.”

The case was not just emotional for Hubbard, but for his partner, Evan Fletcher, as well. Fletcher was a junior at MHS during the time he and Hubbard took up the Laney Gwinner case, and the pair continued to collaborate even after Fletcher’s graduation. 

“It was kind of neat, because if I wouldn’t have met him in my class at that time, I would have never done any of this,” Hubbard said. “We wouldn’t have the class, I wouldn’t have written the book, and I probably would never have even looked at Laney’s story. It’s really special for that reason.”

Hubbard said the emotional bonds he made did not end with the living. Not only will his connections with Fletcher last a lifetime, but his connections with Gwinner will as well.

“[The case] drew me to a bunch of people that I would have never talked to before who are now my friends,” Hubbard said. “I would have never met them without Laney, so it’s almost like she was introducing me to people, even though I’ve never met her before. So I got to thinking, what a great idea for a class.”

Just two weeks before the deadline, the pair picked up a class proposal form from the MHS front office. Hubbard said that after three days of working tirelessly, he and Fletcher turned in a detailed class proposal for what is now known as Cold Case. 

“I think Cold Case, which wouldn’t have existed without the book, brings light to cases that have been collecting dust in a file cabinet somewhere,” Hubbard said. “It also helps students with empathy, realizing that they’re talking to people that have lost a loved one in a very violent way. Getting to help those people is one of the most impactful things you can do.”

After 21 years, Hubbard’s career as head forensics teacher at MHS is coming to a close. He plans to retire during the second semester, but Cold Case will stay, led by Paul Barry. Although the program will be under new leadership in the years to come, Hubbard’s book can remind future students of Laney Gwinner and where Cold Case began.

“When somebody dies, their reach on Earth is not done,” Hubbard said. “In other words, if you keep talking about them, if you keep bringing it up, you’re going to open up doors for new ideas and people you can communicate with. And you know, I think the biggest thing is there are always, always stories that need to be told.”