Current:Home > MyPolice say a Virginia mom, her 3 kids are missing. Her husband says he's not concerned.-InfoLens
Police say a Virginia mom, her 3 kids are missing. Her husband says he's not concerned.
View Date:2025-01-09 17:41:36
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! (2)
Related
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Red Velvet, Please
- Arkansas Supreme Court upholds wording of ballot measure that would revoke planned casino’s license
- Abortion rights group sues after Florida orders TV stations to stop airing ad
- 'Lifesaver': How iPhone's satellite mode helped during Hurricane Helene
- 'Survivor' 47, Episode 9: Jeff Probst gave players another shocking twist. Who went home?
- Prosecutors say father of Georgia shooting suspect knew son was obsessed with school shooters
- Homeland Security grants temporary status to Lebanese already in the United States
- Christina Haack Says Ex Josh Hall Asked for $65,000 Monthly Spousal Support, Per Docs
- MLS Star Marco Angulo Dead at 22 One Month After Car Crash
- Zayn Malik Shares What He Regrets Not Telling Liam Payne Before Death
Ranking
- Brush fire erupts in Brooklyn's iconic Prospect Park amid prolonged drought
- Murder trial to begin in small Indiana town in 2017 killings of two teenage girls
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Double Negative
- Paulson Adebo injury update: Saints CB breaks femur during 'Thursday Night Football' game
- Lady Gaga Joins Wednesday Season 2 With Jenna Ortega, So Prepare to Have a Monster Ball
- A Data Center Fight Touches on a Big Question: Who Assumes the Financial Risk for the AI Boom?
- Cissy Houston mourned by Dionne Warwick, politicians and more at longtime church
- The best Halloween movies for scaredy-cats: A complete guide
Recommendation
-
Stock market today: Asian stocks decline as China stimulus plan disappoints markets
-
Ex-funeral home owner pleads guilty to assaulting police and journalists during Capitol riot
-
Horoscopes Today, October 17, 2024
-
Liam Payne's Girlfriend Kate Cassidy Shares Glimpse into Singer's Final Weeks Before His Death
-
The Daily Money: Inflation is still a thing
-
Poland’s president criticizes the planned suspension of the right to asylum as a ‘fatal mistake’
-
One Direction's Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson & Zayn Malik Break Silence on Liam Payne Death
-
NFL Week 7 picks straight up and against spread: Will Chiefs or 49ers win Super Bowl rematch?