12 replies to this topic

[Lori Davis]

Print a Poster: http://www.projectja...AN_JoanCook.pdf

Photos provided by the family and edited by Project Jason




http://www.roanoke.c...aking/wb/236650

Police want public's help in search for missing Roanoke Co. woman

Monday, February 15, 2010
By Jordan Fifer | The Roanoke Times

Roanoke County officials are asking for the public's help locating a woman who was last seen in January.

Joan Renee Cook, 45, left her home in Roanoke County the evening of Jan. 24, according to Roanoke County detective J.D. Clark. She was reported missing Jan. 31.

Clark said the adult woman was last seen wearing a red sweater, blue jeans, Timberland shoes and a black jacket. Cook is described as being 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 120 pounds.

Clark said Cook was reported to have left her home on foot, noting that "there is no known vehicle information."

Anyone with information is asked to call 540-777-8636.

[Lori Davis]

http://www.wdbj7.com....asp?S=11988426
Police need help finding missing Salem woman
February 15, 2010

Roanoke County Police are asking you to keep an eye out for a Salem woman who's been missing for about three weeks.

The last time Joan Cook's family saw her was on January 24th.

The 45-year-old was wearing a red sweater and blue jeans.

A family member says she has been on anti-depressent medicine for years.

They also say for her to wander away, especially from her seven-year-old daughter, is very uncharacteristic.

You can call Roanoke County Police at 540-777-8636 if you see Cook.

[Lori Davis]

http://www.roanoke.c...anoke/wb/236720
Police ask for help in finding woman, 45
Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Roanoke County authorities are asking for help finding a woman who was last seen in January.

Joan Renee Cook, 45, left her home the evening of Jan. 24, according to Roanoke County Detective J.D. Clark. She was reported missing Jan. 31.

Clark said the woman was last seen wearing a red sweater, blue jeans, Timberland shoes and a black jacket. Cook is described as 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 120 pounds.

She was reported to have left her home on foot, Clark said. Cook lives in "the Salem part of Roanoke County," said Clark, who declined to be more specific.

Anyone with information is asked to call Roanoke County Police at 540-777-8636.

[Kelly]

Project Jason Profile:

Name: Joan Cook

Date of Birth: 02/02/1965
Date Missing: 01/31/2010
Age at time of disappearance: 44
City Missing From: Salem
State Missing From: VA
Gender: Female
Race: White
Height: 5 ft 6 in
Weight: 120 pounds
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Complexion: Light

Identifying Characteristics: She has a tattoo on her lower back of a frog, and one on her ankle of a bracelet with flowers.

Clothing: Blue jeans, red sweater, Timberland shoes and black jacket. She also had a green duffel bag, a beige toiletries bag and a purse.

Jewelry: Unknown

Medical Conditions: Joan has a medical condition and needs medication.

Circumstances of Disappearance: She was last seen in Salem, VA at a residence on Elderwood Rd. She left that residence on foot at around 11pm. The last contact with her was a text message received at 5am on January 25th. At that time, according to cell phone records, she was about 6 miles away on the 3rd Salem exit going South on I-81 in VA.

Investigative Agency: Roanoke County, VA
Agency Phone: (540) 777-8636
Investigative Case #: 10-006277

Print a Poster: http://www.projectja...AN_JoanCook.pdf

[Kelly]

AAN Poster Notify Sent to AAN Subscribers  Code 68

Help us find the missing: Become an AAN Member and receive notifications about missing persons via email.

Click here to become a part of the solution: http://www.projectja...awareness.shtml

[Jenn]

NamUs profile for Joan: https://www.findthem....org/cases/5156

[Kelly]

Project Jason announces the featured missing persons in the March 2010 issue of the CDLJobs.com Online Magazine, which can be viewed at http://www.cdljobs.c...azine/MAR10.htm  This month's ad is on page 8. The site receives thousands of visitors per day.

Each month, CDLJobs.com publishes a full color ad in their popular online magazine which will feature 5-6 of Project Jason's missing person cases from across the country. The ad has clickable links which take the reader to additional information about the missing person, and a link to their printable poster.  Readers are encouraged to sign up for the AAN program and help with poster distribution. "You can be a Hero" is the theme of the joint venture.

Awareness Angels Network (AAN). AAN, begun by Project Jason in 2008, provides a way for the public to assist the families of missing persons. Missing persons posters designed specifically for the AAN program are disseminated via email to those enrolled in the program. Participants can then upload the posters to websites, print and place the posters in public areas, and forward them to their contacts. The program helps spread the word and increase the chances of finding the person.

In the March 2010 issue, the following missing persons were featured:


Joan Cook, missing from Salem, VA since 1/31/2010
http://projectjason.....php?topic=8179

Michael "Bradyn" Fuksa, missing from Olathe, KS since 7/15/2009
http://projectjason.....php?topic=8101

Maya Madey, missing from Bellaire, TX since 2/5/2010
http://projectjason.....php?topic=8189

Christina Martinez, missing from Phoenix, AZ since 5/3/1997
http://projectjason.....php?topic=8275

Tracy Ocasio, missing from Ocoee, FL since 5/27/2009
http://projectjason.....php?topic=6172

Matthew Poole, missing from Mount Pleasant, MI since 2/5/2010
http://projectjason.....php?topic=8108
Sadly, Matthew was found deceased after this went to press.

Larry Riegel, missing from Yakima, WA since 12/26/2009
http://projectjason.....php?topic=7841


You can read more about this program at
http://projectjason.....php?topic=6319

[Kelly]

http://www.amw.com/f...se.cfm?id=73230

Late Night Stroll Leads To Mysterious Disappearance

A rainy, cold winter night doesn't make for ideal walking conditions, but it was that kind of evening when Joan Renee Cook left on foot for a friend’s house, never to be seen again.

The 45-year-old mother -- married for 22 years -- walked away from her Salem, Va., home at approximately 11:45 p.m. on Jan. 24, 2010. The temperatures dipped in to the low 40s that night as rain showered Roanoke County.

"It was very evident that she loved her 7-year-old daughter immensely," says Detective Andrea Morris of the Roanoke County Sheriff's Department. "Why hasn't she contacted her daughter?"

Officials tell AMW that Joan left her home with her wallet, house keys and a duffle bag containing clothes and cosmetics. She does not have driver's license, according to police.

Cops say Joan was on her way to a friend's house and that her friend was out of town. Police say there's no evidence indicating whether Joan made it to her friend's house alive. That friend has been fully cooperative with law enforcement's efforts to locate her.

Adding to the mystery: Her cell phone has not been used since she disappeared, and police tell AMW her bank accounts are untouched.
Investigators: "We don't know what to suspect."

Missing Mom Has 2 Distinctive Tattoos

Joan was las seen wearing a red sweater, blue jeans, a black jacket and Timberland boots.

She stands at 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs around 120 pounds.

Joan also has two distinctive tattoos that should make her easier to find. The first is a frog which she has inked on the middle of her lower back. The second is a "bracelet" of flowers that encircles one of her ankles.

"We don't know what to suspect; we don't know if she was just trying to get away or what," says Detective Morris.

If you have any information on the whereabouts of Joan Renee Cook, you need to call our Hotline immediately at 1-800-CRIME-TV.

[Jenn]

Charley Project Profile for Joan: http://www.charleypr.../cook_joan.html

[Kelly]

http://www2.wsls.com...ther-ar-795091/

One year later, no sign of missing Roanoke Co. mother

By WSLS-TV Staff Reports
Published: January 24, 2011
ROANOKE COUNTY, VA --

Roanoke County Police are still searching for a woman who disappeared one year ago today (Monday), January 24th.

Officers say Joan Cook was last seen walking out of her home on Elderwood Road. Investigators say they have no evidence to indicate whether the mother to an 8-year-old girl is alive or dead. Officers add that there has been no activity related to Cook's financial records, nor any sightings in the past year.

If you have any information, call Roanoke County Police.

[Shannon]

http://www.roanoke.c...anoke/wb/308724

Salem woman still missing after 2 years



Two years ago, Joan Cook stepped out of her house. She has never been heard from again.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

By Chase Purdy

Diane Beason was cooking dinner in her Salem home when she heard the name come across the television news.

"I just couldn't believe it," Beason said. "You could have knocked me over with a feather."

A frantic series of phone calls among friends and family followed. The name "Joan Cook" echoed dozens of times over, even onto a stack of missing person posters later put up across the city. The efforts would be fruitless, though — desperate attempts to resolve what has become a two-year mystery.

Even today, the narrative of Cook's disappearance remains riddled with lingering questions. Seasoned detectives describe the case as one that's never gone cold, but hasn't produced any new or substantive leads, either.

Still, almost every week a Roanoke County detective checks in with Lucy Huffman, Cook's mother. The investigative file, which weighs several pounds and packs two thick binders, hasn't collected any dust. Investigator Andrea Morris opens those binders at least twice a week, she says, on the hunt for anything that might spark a new idea of how to approach the case.

In the weeks following Cook's disappearance on Jan. 24, 2010, officers with dogs canvassed the quiet neighborhood surrounding her home in the 2800 block of Elderwood Road in Salem. They knocked on doors, searched the vicinity, even conducted aerial surveillance. But to this day, there's little to show why the then-44-year-old woman, a mother and Salem High School graduate, might have vanished on that chilly and rainy Sunday night.

It didn't — still doesn't — make sense to relatives and friends such as Beason, who say Joan Cook loved her daughter, Ashlyn, too much to uproot and leave without a trace.

"It just ravages your thoughts sometimes," said Cook's younger sister, Carol Byer of Buchanan.

Byer looked to her mother, seated next to her, and gave a sad smile.

"And of course there's no evidence. No proof. No nothing," Huffman said. "But you have gut feelings. It's just terrible, it's something terrible you have to live with. A nightmare that never ends."

Feeling of helplessness

Friends and family say they feel as helpless today as they did two years ago.

With very little evidence available, police said they were able to construct only a loose timeline of the night Cook disappeared.

The last time she called anyone was Jan.24 about 10:30 p.m. Phone records show she spoke to a friend — a casual conversation, nothing of great consequence, investigators said.

Cook's husband, Michael Cook, told police his wife left the house about 11:45 p.m. to walk down the road to visit another friend. She left him behind with their then-8-year-old daughter, he said.

It was common for Joan Cook to go on such visits, family and friends said. For years, her marriage had devolved into a state of emotional separation. The pair struggled financially, even slept in separate bedrooms. Byer said her sister tried moving out a couple of times, but those attempts were short-lived. It was too far from Ashlyn, she said.

Police said Joan Cook never showed up at her friend's doorstep that night. It was less than a mile away.

At 5:30 the next morning, phone records show a text message was sent from Cook's phone to another friend. The message was inconsequential, Morris said, nothing mysterious or unusual. There's no way for police to prove Cook typed and sent it.

That was the last anyone heard from her.

The next morning, management at Brandon Oaks, a Roanoke retirement community where Cook worked as an administrative assistant, reported her as a no-call, no-show employee, a rarity.

After she had been missing a week, with no calls from her to check on their daughter, Michael Cook filled out a missing persons report at the Roanoke County Police Department.

Beason has kept her friend in her prayers ever since, hoping for an answer. So have others.

"Joan and I used to watch these missing person shows and talk about them, and now, all the sudden, it could be a show," said Lynn Dickerson, one of Cook's best friends. "Your head can't get around the fact that you never want to be one of those people, and now we are."

Dickerson, of Bedford County, said she grew up with Joan Cook in Salem. As young girls, they had planned their families together and dreamed up stories about how their children would be good friends.

It was starting to happen. Dickerson recalled taking their children trick-or-treating for Halloween, and the strong bond between Cook and Ashlyn.

"My son is learning to drive, so that brought back memories of Joan and I learning to drive, and the several mailboxes that we took out," she said, trailing into silence. "There's just no words. It just feels like part of me is gone."

Nothing to go on

Without a body or material evidence, whether Joan Cook is alive or dead remains a mystery. There's no proof of a crime, either, Morris said.

Investigators said they examined every tip that came into their office. They searched the Cook residence, even a nearby retaining pond. A team of cadaver dogs was unable to find anything.

The case remains two-pronged, with detectives investigating scenarios in which Cook is alive and dead, Morris said.

"How do we prove that this person that we're looking for is not in San Francisco, in a homeless shelter?" asked Sgt. D.J. Herrick, one of Morris' supervisors.

Credit reports for Cook show no recent activity, Morris said, a sign her identity has not been stolen.

Morris has asked experienced cold-case detectives for pointers, even had an investigator trained in detecting deception review her recorded interviews.

Detectives agreed with the family that Joan Cook would never have willingly left her daughter.

"The daughter was something that was always her pride," Herrick said. "She doted on her daughter. She was the one good thing in her life."

Investigators said the case changed unexpectedly in July 2010 when Michael Cook, who was unemployed at the time, packed a U-Haul truck and moved with his daughter to Des Moines, Iowa, without telling police. A neighbor had called to tell them.

Morris said Cook cooperated with police during the initial stages of their investigation, making himself available for interviews about his wife's disappearance.

Michael Cook could not be reached for comment.

Ashlyn, who by this time had turned 9, began living with her paternal grandparents in Des Moines, family members said.

The move crushed Huffman, who'd grown accustomed to spending time with her granddaughter every week.

But she said that she learned to trust her Iowa counterparts. William and Beverly Cook enrolled Ashlyn in gymnastics, took her on trips across the Midwest to watch baseball games, even refurnished her bedroom in pink.

To help her cope with her mother's disappearance, William Cook said he fashioned a small prayer to recite, and always remained open to discussing the matter with her.

Ashlyn still speaks of her mother in the present tense, family members said. And they oblige her, despite their doubts.

Even from afar, the Huffmans and Byer kept in contact with Ashlyn, until recently.

Communication ended abruptly in March, when Michael Cook learned that Huffman and Byer had planned a trip to Des Moines, family members on both sides said.

Cook removed Ashlyn from his parents' house and severed all communication, William Cook said. The move alarmed both sets of grandparents.

"We're skeptical about her situation right now," William Cook said. "I know she cried about her mother sometimes, so she's got to be crying for her grandfather and grandmother. I think he feels that something might come from her."

Cook said it pains him to even consider his son when thinking about his daughter-in-law's disappearance.

Unending sadness

For Dickerson, the loss of her best friend has altered the way she lives. Trips to her backyard "Joan Garden," a private spot where she often thinks of her friend, trigger memories painful and pleasant, and returning to her childhood house is always a challenge.

"In my neighborhood, you could leave your doors unlocked, and your cars," she explained. "We could walk down to the store when you were 9 years old. I wouldn't dare let my children do it now."

And the sadness almost never subsides for Cook's immediate family members, each of whom copes in their own way.

"You're strong for so long, and once your body can't take it anymore, after three to four weeks, you've got to break down and purge it out," Byer said.

Huffman shook her head.

"I'm not willing to do that," she said. "I just hold it in. It's terrible."

Joan Cook's father, whose personal pain still remains raw, declined to be interviewed for this story.

Even when Huffman and her husband take their annual vacation to Florida for escape, it hardly helps. The same when they stumble upon daisies, their daughter's favorite flower.

"It's just that black cloud over your head," she said. "There's just no escaping it whatsoever."

Huffman sighed and Byer reached over and touched her mother's hand.

"It's just like it happened yesterday," Huffman said.

Byer added: "It never stops, because we've never been given the opportunity to grieve like we properly should."

[Lori Davis]

http://www.c-ville.c...n/#.VR3RoPzF98E

 

Vanished: Virginia’s other missing women

 

Laura Ingles

9/24/14 at 6:50 AM

 

Hannah Graham’s disappearance has dragged other local missing persons cases, abductions, and murders back into the public eye—particularly those of Nelson County teen Alexis Murphy, whose body is still missing even as her convicted murderer, Randy Allen Taylor, sits in jail, and Morgan Harrington, whose remains were found in Albemarle in 2010 three months after she vanished after leaving a Charlottesville concert.

 

But Virginia’s list of missing women is long, and while much attention has been given to the fact that several disappearances have taken place along the Route 29 corridor in recent years, a closer look shows that nearly every corner of the Commonwealth has its share of unsolved cases. The following reverse-chronological list is not a comprehensive one; the Virginia State Police’s online missing persons database includes more than 40 adults and upwards of 280 children. Here, we’ve gathered information on many of the women from that database considered endangered or involuntary missing persons. Some have been gone for decades, and while the flurry of news coverage of their disappearances has largely stopped, their families are still waiting for answers—just like Hannah Graham’s.

 

Joan Renee Cook

 Photo: Virginia State Police

Age at time of disappearance: 45

Missing since: January 24, 2010

Missing from: Roanoke County

 

The mother of a 7-year-old at the time, Cook was last seen by her husband around 11pm when she left home on foot. A text message hours later revealed that she was about six miles away near Salem’s third exit on I-81, heading south.

[Deborah]

Joan is still missing.

 

Roanoke County, VA
 (540) 777-8636
Investigative Case #: 10-006277