Lauren Cook, a mother from Virginia, has been missing for two weeks along with their three young children, but her husband claims he has “no reason to be concerned” about their disappearance.
Jordan Cook asserted on Monday that he has spoken to his 30-year-old wife and that their seven children, who range in age from 2 to 7, are not missing despite being listed on the website of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Jordan Cook told ABC13 that his wife and kids are not “missing,” despite what had been reported. “I have no reason to worry about their safety or well-being,” the speaker said.
“I have heard from my wife, and I’m sure she and my children are doing well,” he continued. “At this time, we ask that the privacy of our family be respected.”
aThe Franklin County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia responded to the husband’s remarks by posting a clarification on its Facebook page on Tuesday, stating that in order to remove Lauren Cook and her children from the list of “missing persons,” a law enforcement agency must make “in-person contact with them to confirm that they are okay and not under duress.”
The four-person family will continue to be listed as “missing” in regional and national databases up until that point.
Despite Jordan Cook’s claim, Franklin County Sheriff’s Sgt. Megan Huston has confirmed that the search for his wife and kids is still going on.
She said to USA Today on Tuesday, “If the husband has had contact with Lauren since then, we aren’t aware of it.”
Additional information has been released by the sheriff’s office regarding the missing persons investigation, which was started on September 13 after the mother of three skipped a scheduled court appearance in Franklin County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.
The sheriff’s office posted on Facebook that “this court date had already been rescheduled from a previous date of September 5th, 2023, where Lauren did not appear.” The purpose of the hearing was left unclear.
Following interviews with family members, it was discovered that Lauren Cook has not been in touch with anyone since claiming to be in New York visiting other relatives on September 5 or 6.
The mother and her children were last seen on Thursday in Litchfield, Illinois, more than 700 miles from their home in the sleepy town of Ferrum, Virginia, according to sheriff’s investigators.
Huston had previously claimed that Lauren Cook’s bank account had not recently been used and that her phone had not been pinging since September 7 in Lexington.
According to reports, Jordan and Lauren Cook cohabitate and have joint legal custody of their three kids, Benjamin, 7, Hannah, 5, and Elijah, 2.
Franklin County has no records of any domestic abuse between the couple or 911 calls for their house.
The missing mom may be traveling in a blue 2013 Chrysler van with Virginia tags.
Officials in Franklin County urged anyone who knows where the woman and her children may be to contact law enforcement.
