Cook was last seen walking away from her home on Elderwood Road in Salem, Virginia at 11:00 p.m. on January 24, 2010. She was en route to a friend's house, but the friend wasn't home at the time and it's unclear whether Cook ever arrived there. The last contact with her was a cellular phone text message sent six hours later, at 5:00 a.m. on January 26. At the time, she was at the third Salem exit southbound on Interstate-81. She has never been heard from again. She wasn't reported missing until January 31.

Cook had been married for 22 years by the time she went missing. It's uncharacteristic of her to leave without warning and abandon her young daughter. She was carrying a purse, wallet, house keys, a green duffel bag containing clothes and makeup, and a beige toiletries bag at the time of her disappearance. Since she went missing, her cellular phone and bank accounts have not been used. Her case remains unsolved.