Current:Home > ScamsPolice say a Virginia mom, her 3 kids are missing. Her husband says he's not concerned. -Stellar Wealth Sphere
Police say a Virginia mom, her 3 kids are missing. Her husband says he's not concerned.
View
Date:2025-04-19 14:55:45
Police are searching for a Virginia woman and her three children considered missing for about two weeks, though her husband has told a local TV station that his family is fine.
Lauren Elizabeth Cook, 30, was last seen with her three children at the the family's Ferrum home in southwest Virginia at the end of August, and she last spoke with her mother around Sept. 5, according to the Franklin County Sheriff's Office.
Her children are: 2-year-old Elijah, 5-year-old Hannah and 7-year-old Benjamin.
Here's what we know:
Police hunt for ex-NFL player:Ex-NFL player Sergio Brown missing after his mother killed near Chicago-area home
Unsuccessful communication
When Cook's mother last spoke with her daughter on the phone, she said that she and the children were in New York visiting family, sheriff's Sgt. Megan Huston told USA TODAY on Tuesday.
She said that Cook's bank account has had no recent activity and that her cellphone last pinged on Sept. 7 in Lexington, Virginia, about 90 miles northeast of the home she shares with her husband and children in Ferrum, a rural area in the Blue Ridge Mountains with about 2,100 residents.
"Communication efforts with Lauren have been unsuccessful," the sheriff's office posted on its Facebook page on Sept. 13, releasing photos of the family and asking the public for help to find them.
As of Tuesday all three children were listed on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's website.
They may be traveling in a 2013 blue Chrysler van with a Virginia license plate, the non-profit said.
Cops say man faked death to avoid court:'Missing' kayaker faked Louisiana drowning death to avoid child-sex charges
Father: 'I have no reason to be concerned'
Jordan Cook, Lauren Cook's husband and the father of their children, could not be reached by USA TODAY on Tuesday.
But he told WSET-TV that he has heard from his wife since she's been considering missing.
"Contrary to what has been reported, my wife and children are not 'missing,'" the husband said in a statement to the outlet. "I have no reason to be concerned about their safety or well-being. I have heard from my wife, and I'm sure she and my children are doing well. We ask that our family's privacy be respected at this time."
'Still entered as missing'
Despite Jordan Cook's comments, Huston said that the search for the mother and children continues.
"If the husband has had contact with Lauren since then, we aren’t aware of it," Huston said Tuesday. "Lauren Cook and the three children are still entered as missing. Law enforcement (wherever it may be) has to lay eyes on her and the children in order for them to be removed as missing from the system."
Anyone with information about the missing family is asked to contact the Franklin County Sheriff's Office or their local law enforcement agency.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior correspondent for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @nataliealund.
veryGood! (34)
Related
- Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
- Horoscopes Today, September 11, 2023
- Josh Duhamel and Wife Audra Mari Duhamel Expecting First Baby Together
- Cybersecurity ‘issue’ prompts computer shutdowns at MGM Resorts properties across US
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Amy Poehler, Jimmy Fallon's tense 'SNL' moment goes viral after 'Tonight Show' allegations
- Elon Musk says he denied Ukraine satellite request to avoid complicity in major act of war vs. Russia
- Hostess stock price soars after Smucker reveals plans to purchase snack maker for $5.6B
- Why members of two of EPA's influential science advisory committees were let go
- Michigan Catholic group wins zoning fight over display of Stations of the Cross
Ranking
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Putin says prosecution of Trump shows US political system is ‘rotten’
- Over 2,000 people feared dead after flooding in Libya, official says
- ManningCast 2023 schedule on ESPN: 10 Monday night simulcasts during season
- Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
- Harris, DeSantis, Giuliani among politicians marking Sept. 11 terror attacks at ground zero
- Evidence insufficient to charge BTK killer in Oklahoma cold case, prosecutor says
- Mexico’s former foreign minister threatens to leave party over candidate selection process
Recommendation
Residents worried after ceiling cracks appear following reroofing works at Jalan Tenaga HDB blocks
Fighting intensifies in Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp despite attempted truce talks
Ian Wilmut, a British scientist who led the team that cloned Dolly the Sheep, dies at age 79
High interest rates mean a boom for fixed-income investments, but taxes may be a buzzkill.
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
NFL in 'Toy Story'? Atlanta Falcons vs. Jacksonville Jaguars game gets animated broadcast
Grimes Speaks Out About Baby No. 3 With Elon Musk
'Challenges are vast': Here's how to help victims of the earthquake in Morocco