Three years ago, Lt. James Perry said he was waiting for "that one phone call" that would lead him to the person who killed a University of West Georgia student more than a decade ago.

He's still waiting.

"That's one that eats on us every day," Perry said. "And this year we've received less calls than we ever have — we can't even call them leads anymore."

Twelve years ago, the body of Toyal Jackson was found in a remote field off Lovvorn Road in Carrollton, after a month of searching. Twelve years ago, an investigation started that's still going on today.

On Nov. 29, 2000, Toyal Jackson, a 22-year-old student at the college, made a late-night Walmart run. Police know she went in the store, made some purchases and walked her shopping cart back to her car. But before she could even unload her purchases, she went missing.

Her body was discovered a month later in a remote field by a city sanitation worker while clearing a spray field at a wastewater treatment facility.

A witness reportedly spotted Toyal with a man who was driving a dull red Nissan pickup truck, but a college friend told police he believed a group of people were involved because Toyal would not have been abducted easily. The witness told police that he saw a stocky white man pushing a black female into the driver's side of a Red Nissan pickup truck.

Despite numerous tips, the information from 2000 left investigators guessing, and Perry of the Carrollton Police Department said he is constantly reminded of the unsolved case.

Jackson, an Atlanta native, left behind a number of relatives, including her parents, Emma and Gene Jackson, and an older sister, Christy. During the course of the investigation, Jackson’s friends and relatives told police of an outgoing, athletic girl who worked as a volunteer lay coach for Carrollton Middle School.

“Toyal was kind, compassionate, loving, caring and very energetic,” Emma Jackson said. “She was always reaching out to help others.”

Emma Jackson said that while the loss of her daughter will always be painful, finding her killer may bring Jackson’s family some kind of peace.

“My faith in God has given me some peace, however, the memory is still present,” the victim's mother said. “A day does not go by without me thinking about her. I can see something, a pair of shoes, a dress or whatever, and it brings back her memory. It’s a little more bearable, but the pain is still present. I pray constantly for the person to be caught and justice done. I do not wish or pray for the death penalty. I just want this person off the streets.”

Every day when Perry walks into his office, he sees Toyal’s picture on his desk.

"It stays on my mind, especially as the season comes around when it happened," he said. "It comes to my mind even more then, when it starts to get colder."

When he watches the evening news, he said he constantly tries to link a case or a pictured criminal to Toyal.

"I look at every murder that happens around Atlanta to see something — anything — that's comparable," he said. "Any kind of common denominator that might be a clue."

Perry said he and other investigators have "been through everything" and that it's all come back without a result.

"It's really died off this year," he said. "Most of the stuff we've gotten this year has already been visited. People will call and tell us about look-alikes or suspicious people who we've already been called about and looked into and cleared."

Even when the investigators have received a glimpse of viable information, it has turned out to be fool's gold.

"We were encouraged by some information we'd received earlier this year, and the district attorney reviewed it with the Jackson family," Perry said. "But the DA came back and said he doesn't feel like we have it just yet."

Despite the setbacks, Perry said the case of Toyal Jackson's murder is still very much open.

"We haven't given up," he said. "In fact, I'm talking with a sketch artist to do an age enhancement to get a more accurate and updated rendering. I really want to see this one solved."

Perry said public involvement is crucial in this type of "cold case."

"This is never going to be solved without the public's help," he said. "I've got two drawers full of stuff on that case, and boxes full of hundreds of other things from it. We have to ask the public for help."

Perry said oftentimes people with information will "sit on" their knowledge, which can hurt the investigation at large.

"People will say, 'It can't be him — he's a good guy,' or that they don't want to make problems or get their name out there," he said. "That really hurts us."

Anyone who might have any information about Toyal Jackson’s murder can call the Carrollton Police Department at 770-834-4451.