Current:Home > ScamsPolice say a Virginia mom, her 3 kids are missing. Her husband says he's not concerned. -FutureWise Finance
Police say a Virginia mom, her 3 kids are missing. Her husband says he's not concerned.
View
Date:2025-04-19 07:34:22
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 [email protected] and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @nataliealund.
veryGood! (2673)
Related
- Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
- Skunks are driving a rabies spike in Minnesota, report says
- Judge overturns $4.7 billion jury award to NFL Sunday Ticket subscribers
- USA's Casey Kaufhold, Brady Ellison win team archery bronze medal at Paris Olympics
- Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
- Giant pandas return to nation's capital by end of year | The Excerpt
- Why Kendall Jenner Is Comparing Her Life to Hannah Montana
- For Marine Species Across New York Harbor, the Oyster Is Their World
- What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
- With this Olympic gold, Simone Biles has now surpassed all the other GOATs
Ranking
- Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
- Judge suspends Justin Timberlake’s driver’s license over DWI arrest in New York
- Books similar to 'Verity' by Colleen Hoover: Read these twisty romantic thrillers next
- Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick's Son James Wilkie Shares Rare Photo of Family in Paris
- 'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
- A Tennessee sheriff’s deputy killed a man who entered a jail after firing shots in the parking lot
- Justice Department sues TikTok, accusing the company of illegally collecting children’s data
- Giant pandas return to nation's capital by end of year | The Excerpt
Recommendation
IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
As USC, UCLA officially join Big Ten, emails show dismay, shock and anger around move
AP Decision Notes: What to expect in the Kansas state primaries
Saturn throws comet out of solar system at 6,700 mph: What astronomers think happened
South Korean president's party divided over defiant martial law speech
Anthony Volpe knows these New York Yankees can do 'special things'
JoJo Siwa Shares Her Advice for the Cast of Dance Moms: A New Era
Rachel Bilson Shares Rare Insight Into Coparenting Relationship With Ex Hayden Christensen