VA VA - Joan Cook, 45, Roanoke County, 24 Jan 2010

[MBLover]

Thanks for asking. There is no new news on this case. Unfortunately. Take care!

I am so sorry. I really hate to hear that. Still thinking of her and praying for her safety.

 

[doughgirl07]

I'm still on here everyday, almost, checking on the cases around the country. Flabbergasted by Ethan!! Haven't forgot you Joan!!!!! Just frustrated that there is nothing new- no leads, thus no searches. Have been enjoying the pics of ac and cb on FB. 13 weeks and another scare this week with unidentified womans body. Anyhow dr0915- glad to know you still know people here are praying for her safety and for answers. As always just let me know if there is anything I can do!

 

[dr0915]

Joan's case has been added to the Missing Persons section of AMW.com

 

[MBLover]

Bumping for Joan

 

[MBLover]

Bumping for Joan

 

[Japandaaa]

/ bump.

If it hadn't been for noticing this yesterday afternoon, I would honestly have no clue about this case, which boggles me considering I have been a neighbor to Joan, her ( ex ? ) husband, and their daughter for a long time. Yesterday afternoon, police, undercover detectives, and a CSI unit was in front of the house, but from the looks of it, I thought they were across the street. I was curious as to what was going on until I noticed a couple walking their dog and had been stopped. I asked them as they passed my house and they said "You haven't heard" ? I was baffled when they told me that they were searching for the body of Joan Renee Cook. It then hit me who she was and I had remembered at the beginning of the year, seeing her story on the news, but I never put it together that she was last seen literally right down the street. A sad and eerie feeling hit me as I watched the police bring out the search dogs until dark last night.

I am glad I found this site. It has shed some light on what has been happening with this case, especially for me being new to it. I am still in wonder how something like this slipped past me because my mom and I are usually up-to-date with what's happening in the neighborhood.

Anyways. I didn't know the Cooks personally. I know the ( ex ? ) husband use to drive/walk around the neighborhood all the time with their dog, but from what I got from him, he was never friendly. He never said hi or even look in our direction. I know I don't know him closely, but I talked to someone ( last night ) who worked with him and he said the ( ex ? ) husband was sketch and talked about wanting to leave to Iowa ASAP all the time. From what I have read, his sister lives there ? I would always see him washing the cars, but that was about it. I use to see Joan and their daughter out in the front yard here and there, but I had noticed towards the beginning of the year, that she was gone. I assumed that the couple got separated and she moved out, etc. I remember the ( ex ? ) husband getting rid of the truck, but I'm not sure when that exactly happened. He was driving the SUV that was always there afterwards. Towards the beginning of Spring, I would see him outside every day and he always flashed a smile and waved to me on my way home from work, which threw me off because he has NEVER waved whenever I have passed him nor did I ever really see him sit outside on the stoop as much as he was then. I saw him with their daughter a lot and across the street at the neighbor's house talking to them in their driveway. It seemed like he had took on a different personality. Also, I have lived in up here for over 22 years and there has NEVER been a Salem cop living near or around the house ; so I have no clue where someone got that the cop saw her leave twice.

Has anymore information came up ?

This has been eating away at me all night. I guess because it hits so close to home and has been going on right under my nose. Where did her ( ex ? ) boyfriend live ? Does anyone know what he was out-of-town for that night ? Also, has anyone searched around the area where her last text message was sent ? I know Salem like the back of my hand and the area around Dixie Caverns has so many nooks and crannies in the woods. I also wonder if anyone has searched around the rock quarry up Twine Hollow Rd ? Plus, the area around North Beverly Heights has so many paths to get out towards Wildwood Rd, as well as the interstate. My friends and I as teenagers use to run all through the woods, as well as along I-81 in the area, which puzzles me because if she was to be walking along the interstate, she would have been stopped by State Police in no time. They are always around the area. I also know that people call in whenever they see someone walking along. Have all along the ditches, etc. been searched ?

I hate having so many questions because I know a lot of the time the answers are to not be found. I am always up for a search party if anything comes up. I do remember a flyover back in Spring because I was outside when I noticed a helicopter combing the area, especially above our neighborhood. I had guessed they were searching for narcotics or something because I hadn't heard anything about it. I wonder if it had to do with this case ?

I am willing to do anything to help to bring Joan Renee Cook back home.

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

welcome japandaaa....

Thanks for the local perspective....I can't imagine how surreal that had to be for you with the CSI vehicles in your neighborhood. I haven't read this thread for quite a while so I don't have the answers to your questions, sorry about that. I'll have to go back and re-read to get caught up. Something must have happened to send the police back into the house, so let's hope they finally are able to find evidence which will bring Joan home.

 

[MBLover]

Thanks for the info Japandaaa and welcome to the group.

I have been wondering what in the world was going on with this case. There has been very little in the local media - just a couple stories shortly after Joan went missing. I honestly had figured local LE had written this off as Joan walking away from her life. I just hate to know that all of this time has passed before CSI vehicles show up and begin looking into things. I certainly hope they have been there before but weren't noticed for some reason.

Joan has been missing far too long and her little girl needs answers.

I'm local as well and would be more than happy to participate in searches. And like you...Dixie Caverns (that area)...is a most logical choice for dumping someone...very vast and rugged terrain.

 

[Japandaaa]

Yeah. I agree. This case went cold ..... fast. I guess everyone assumes she just up and left, but it seems weird that no one ( especially her daughter ) has had any contact with her in almost 9 months. I am also very unimpressed with how the local media has treated this. I know it's hard to make "news" when there's not much evidence, etc. yet at the same time, I think they should bring it up every month just to make people aware that a woman in our community has vanished without a trace and is STILL missing.

I usually notice if cops ( or anyone of that authority ) are in the neighborhood because I'm constantly outside due to my kids and letting our dogs out ; so I never really remember a huge search of the house being done. I wouldn't have missed it since my backyard faces the house. Maybe I did ? I noticed all of them right away yesterday though ; so it makes me wonder if maybe they have evidence leading back to the house or if maybe they are starting from the beginning ( the last place she was seen ) and trying to trace her steps. The house has been empty since June ; so IDK why it has taken so long for them to come back to investigate. The home is listed in the paper that it was up for foreclosure ; so maybe they had to wait on the bank ?

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Japandaaa....do you know what happened with Joan's ex and her daughter? Do we know where they are living now? I'm just wondering what prompted LE to focus on the house now, but I'm thankful they are.

 

[Japandaaa]

I'm not exactly sure where they are. I know I stopped seeing the daughter towards the end of Spring. I heard ( from a neighbor ) that she had went to live with the ( ex ? ) husband's sister. I also heard that he went there after June as well. The guy I talked to that use to work with her ( ex ? ) husband said he kept talking about Iowa and how he had to go there ASAP ; so I'm wondering if Iowa is where the aunt ( his sister ) lives ?

 

[MBLover]

That's sad...little girl doesn't know where her mother is...has to leave her home and her friends and move half way across the country to live with someone who is probably almost like a stranger...her Dad stays behind to wrap up loose ends(?) and then leaves for there as well.

I hope Joan's daughter is adjusting to her new surroundings - wherever that may be.

 

[vrg5kxm]

Hello,

I am a concerned neighbor and I can see the house from our front yard. I am in shock also that the local media has not been on top of this. The 1st I heard of a missing person was probably back in July when we noticed a search party on the dead end. The detectives were not very talkative but we did find out they were searching the woods on the dead end. When I left my house that day you could see the search party from the Interstate in the woods of several different neighborhoods. I can't believe that the police never questioned the surrounding houses if she left on foot, I stay up past 11:00 almost every night and always have the front door open and would love to have known all this was going on. The man who lived in the house seemed to always keep to himself until after we thought she had left him and moved out. Then we noticed he began to be more social with the neighbors. Now the house has been vacant until yesterday, which all the neighbors seemed to have taken notice of the police vehicles and a blood hound searching the back yard and a shed with several C.S.I. inside and outside of the house.

 

[MBLover]

Welcome to the group Vrg! Glad to have you here as well.

No LEO (Law Enforcement Officer) canvassed the neighborhood? Or the houses nearby? Oh my...

When you say the house was vacant until yesterday...do you mean that new people moved in or that it was like the police "moved in" with their searching?

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Welcome vrg.....we sure appreciate your local perspective....I started to re-read the thread yesterday after the increase in activity here. This certainly makes me wonder if LE ever actually checked this house out at all after Joan disappeared or if they even did a cursory walk-through at that time. I keep wondering what caused the increase in interest over there now....if they had been cautious of the ex and his story in the beginning, I would think LE would have been all over the house the moment he moved out, but they waited quite a while after he moved out of there. Am praying for a break on this for Joan's sake.

 

[MBLover]

Hey Blondie - I have to wonder... If the house was foreclosed upon...I wonder if whoever might have been doing clean up for the bank might have stumbled upon something? Or maybe new tenants did when they got into the house?

 

[vrg5kxm]

The house has been vacant for a couple of months, I have noticed 1 lady who may be from the bank come and check on the house a couple of times. The most action at the house was the day before yesterday when the police were at the location doing what look like some type of search inside and out. There was a notice posted on the front door yesterday which I was told is probably a foresclosure notice from the bank. I have lived in Salem all my life and this neighborhood for almost 10 years. The neighbors are good about keeping each other informed if we know something is going on but this for some reason was going on and no one seems to know anything. If my spouse had dissappeared I would have felt comfortable reaching out to the neighbors and posting missing person signs in the neighborhood and at the 2 stores nearby which is the Chevron and the Apple Market. Do you know if the police ever questioned the Green Hill Inn. It's a small hotel that I have notice people stay for long periods of time or actually live there. Several of them walk over to the Apple Market for groceries. It just seems like more people would have been talking about this.

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Hey Blondie - I have to wonder... If the house was foreclosed upon...I wonder if whoever might have been doing clean up for the bank might have stumbled upon something? Or maybe new tenants did when they got into the house?

I'm thinking you're probably right and I hadn't thought about something being stumbled upon....I had been leaning towards a tip coming in to LE. That's a real possibility as it sounds like the house is just now in the process of being put up for sale/rental. At least there's some movement here...it's about time. As I was re-reading thru Joan's thread yesterday, it reminded me of how many women from that area have disappeared and in such a small space of time. Some ended up in water and were ruled suicide (questionable)....I'm hoping there is some irrefutable evidence here to prove what actually happened to Joan, otherwise this will be another case that languishes in the missing persons file I'm afraid.

 

[MBLover]

MOO and OMO... If LE is checking out the house and property...then I think they must have in mind a suspect... I never believed Joan left that house (not of her own accord)...not late at night...while it was misty/raining and very cold - especially on foot. That did not make any sense in the least...to me... And who is to know if that was the night Joan "left"... She may well have been missing before that. It would be interesting to know when exactly she was last seen and by someone other than the ex...

I've always thought - if the "b/f" was out of town and Joan was visiting with her daughter this would buy time with the person who did something to Joan....

I've also wondered if the people at the OS (Omelette Shoppe - ETA: this is on Wildwood Rd) were questioned...that place is usually busy and people are coming and going at all hours of the day and night...if Joan had left and left on foot with no one picking her up...she would more than likely have walked by the OS. IMHO a person on foot with a duffle bag out in the freezing cold and rain would have been noticed walking. That's a pretty busy area after leaving Joan's neighborhood - if she went left when coming out of it and was headed towards the intersection of W. Main and Wildwood Rd.

For those non-locals - I-81 has an entrance and exit onto Wildwood - Wildwood makes a "T" intersection with W. Main St. A left takes you into Salem a right takes you into Roanoke County and on towards Elliston/Shawsville. Lots to walk to when making a left out of Joan's neighborhood...but less as you go along if she made a right out of her neighborhood.

 

[MBLover]

I'm thinking you're probably right and I hadn't thought about something being stumbled upon....I had been leaning towards a tip coming in to LE. That's a real possibility as it sounds like the house is just now in the process of being put up for sale/rental. At least there's some movement here...it's about time. As I was re-reading thru Joan's thread yesterday, it reminded me of how many women from that area have disappeared and in such a small space of time. Some ended up in water and were ruled suicide (questionable)....I'm hoping there is some irrefutable evidence here to prove what actually happened to Joan, otherwise this will be another case that languishes in the missing persons file I'm afraid.

You're right Blondie. I will never believe that Kelly Catalano's death was suicide...none of it makes any sense. Nor will I ever believe that Jill Edmond's death was suicide either - especially from what I have learned off WS boards. There is also the girl missing now from Orange Co.

I don't believe that Joan wandered off and committed suicide either nor do I feel like she walked away from her life.

I have been afraid that Joan's case was cold because there has been no media coverage here in this area since those first initial newstories.