My September 2003 Journal by Robert Cooke

The Search for Rachel, a father's journal

Monday, September 1, 2003

I spent the day cleaning and rearranging everything we have collected over the past 20 months. I have all of Rachel's apartment contents as well as search records and items from other activities, such as the Run/Walk for Rachel T-shirts and signs. Storing everything requires some creative work.

Tuesday, September 2

In late September I will attend a meeting to discuss the formation of a national missing persons' DNA Initiative. President Bush has proposed the DNA Initiative to increase the use of DNA testing and to remove the backlog of cold cases. These cold cases involve both missing persons and unidentified human remains.

The President has given this task to the U.S. Department of Justice. This first meeting will help develop policies and practices to get the process started, allowing investigative agencies to successfully utilize every available tool in missing person cases. As one of these tools, DNA will be a particular focus.

The Department of Justice has invited me to the DNA Initiative meeting to give a victim's point of view. Representatives from The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Nation's Missing Children Organization and Center for Missing Adults will attend the meeting. DNA experts and members of law enforcement will also join us at the NCMEC headquarters for the meeting.

I received an e-mail from Cassandra (Casey) Williamson's aunt today. Her aunt told me Casey would be starting second grade this year if she hadn't been murdered last summer. That made me remember Rachel would be a junior in college this year. Shawn Hornbeck would probably be entering 7th grade. Laci Peterson would be getting used to being a new mother. Why are our kids taken away from us? How can these sick animals do this?

Wednesday, September 3

Texas EquuSearch received a call yesterday about a missing woman. She is bipolar and was last seen headed into a heavily wooded area. The woman was found by a dog team and Texas EquuSearch volunteers about 3:30 p.m. in Mayfield Creek, approximately 100 yards into the thicket. She was found in water, suffering from hypothermia, and was rushed to the emergency room at UTMB and is doing fine now. For a change, this is a happy ending regarding a missing person.

Thursday, September 4

I'm putting together a package of RACHEL'S SONG CDs to mail to Al White's Band. They have had good success selling them at their concerts, and they have some big concerts coming up. I really appreciate their help. The money raised will aid the Rachel Alert Network in sponsoring events like the women's self-defense classes.

The company who was hosting the message board on Rachel's web site was not properly backing up the messages. Last weekend the server was hit with a virus, and the records were lost. I decided to pay for a company's message board that I know is being managed and back-uped up properly. I have the message board on-line, but we had to start over with messages.

Friday, September 5

The Williamson County Sheriff's Office called today and briefed me on the status of Rachel's case. They are still following up on one lead they've had for a while. I was also told about a couple of other things they are doing.

I spoke with Chief Brown today about the women's self-defense class. The class is still on schedule for September 29 at Faith Lutheran Church in Georgetown. We are going to start publicizing the class next week

The new message board on Rachel's web site is up and running. I invite everyone to try it out.

Saturday, September 6

My wife Janet and I attended a training class sponsored by the Austin Police Department. Janet and I are both part of the APD Civil Defense Battalion. Today's training class focused on what will happen when a critical incident occurs. Funding for the program comes from Federal Homeland Security.

The Civil Defense Battalion may be called for natural disasters, plane crashes, missing person searches, a terrorist attack, and on other occasions where the normal emergency response teams need additional help. The CDB is used to supplement the police, fire-fighters, and EMS personel, not to replace them.

Next Saturday a "tabletop" simulation will be staged. This will give CDB members a chance to learn from a command center view what will happen when a real emergency occurs. Later in September the CDB will be activated to do a full practical exercise. The practical exercise will have a full command center set up, and various tasks will be given to CDB members to perform. These tasks could be search and rescue, setting up road blocks, traffic control, etc.

Sunday, September 7

I received an e-mail from Texas EquuSearch yesterday. Missing 14-year-old Cynthia Tillett has been found safe. Cynthia had been missing for over 4 weeks. She was taken to Kingwood Hospital for treatment. When more information is available about the case, I will post it here.

Monday, September 8

I created a web information page for the September 29 women's self defense class. The instructor, Chief Deborah Brown, provided her biography and a history of her M.U.S.T. seminars, which are included on the information page. To view the page, click here.

A lot of interest is developing about our bake sale at the Georgetown Christmas Stroll on Saturday, December 6. A discussion and other information is on Rachel's new message board. There is a link to the message board on the home page of rachelcookesearch.org.

Tuesday, September 9

The Rachel Alert Network officers met tonight. We discussed the upcoming women's self-defense class and the bake sale at the Georgetown Christmas Stroll. Our concentration will be on the self-defense class for now because it is the first to occur.

I started a new thread on Rachel's message board under the Other Missing Persons forum. This thread is dedicated to the families of the missing. It contains photos, links, and comments showing how we work together to try and bring our loved ones home.

Wednesday, September 10

I've been exchanging e-mails with missing Jason Knapp's mother Deb since I met her in Charlotte earlier this year. We are both very interested in forming a national organization of the families of missing and murdered persons. I want to start working on the organization in early 2004.

More ribbons are coming from the wonderful Laci Peterson ribbon- makers. They are going to put Rachel's name on this next batch of ribbons. I can't thank them enough. Everyone who attends the women's self-defense class on September 29 will receive one of the Remember Rachel ribbons.

Thursday, September 11

I ate lunch with Sabrina Allen's father Greg today. There are no new developments in Sabrina's case.

Sabrina's family is planning a benefit in October. The benefit will be announced soon. I will post information about the event here as soon as Sabrina's family announces the event.

Friday, September 12

Two bodies were found in the past week near Kent Jacobs' hometown in North Carolina. The Jacobs family is going through the same tense time we did back in April when remains were found nine miles from our home. This is something no family should have to go through.

Saturday, September 13

This morning my wife Janet and I attended another civil defense training class sponsored by the Austin Police Department. The class involved a fictitious terrorist attack on a water treatment plant. The exercise showed how APD first responds to a suspicious situation and how the process starts. Of course, the most likely criminal incidents are looked for first. Robbery and vandalism are a lot more common than terrorist attacks.

When the incident is determined to be more than a normal call, the fire department and EMS also dispatch units to the scene and a command post is formed. After evaluating the situation, the command post determines if and when any of our civil defense battalions are activated.

Sunday, September 14

I started moving the files which make up the Rachel Alert Network web site today. We are paying for the web server ourselves now, and I decided to move RAN to a less expensive server.

Several updates are taking place in various missing person cases. A lot of the updates are listed in Rachel's message board under Other Missing Persons. In just one week, 30 missing persons have been added to this section.

Monday, September 15

I've been e-mailing and meeting with people over the past month to try and get help on Rachel's case. After 20 months, it's time to bring in some different opinions. Since the Williamson County Sheriff's Office won't form a task force to find Rachel, I'm going to have to question as many experts as I can myself. This will help me decide the next path I will take.

I will not let my daughter's case go unsolved! It's not fair to Rachel. It's not fair to my family. It's not fair to the women of Central Texas. An abductor is still out there. It's time to bring that person in.

Tuesday, September 16

Today was a very busy day. My sister Elaine and I sent out a press release about the Washington DC DNA meeting I will be attending next week. KXAN News called and set up an interview for tomorrow morning.

I mailed some of Rachel's buttons to the Laci Peterson ribbonmakers today. They've had several requests for Rachel's buttons and I also want each of the ribbonmakers to have a button. A new supply of ribbons arrived yesterday, so we will have enough of the Remember Rachel Ribbons to give one to everyone who attends the women's self-defense class on September 29.

Tonight I met with Sabrina Allen's friends and family who are planning a benefit walk for her in later October. I passed on some of the experience we've learned hosting the two Run/Walk for Rachel events. More information about the Walk for Sabrina will be available soon on her web site, findsabrina.org.

Wednesday, September 17

KXAN News interviewed me today about my upcoming trip to Washington D.C. next week. The segment aired on their 6:00 p.m. news. They will repeat it during their Thursday morning news show.

One of Rachel's friends was killed in a car accident a few days ago. When I was transferring old messages from the prayforrachel.org site today, I saw a message from Tommie which she wrote in January of this year. I wish our kids would not be taken away from us at such young ages.

Thursday, September 18

I continued copying the old prayforrachel.org records on Rachel's message board. So far about twenty percent of the messages are loaded on the message board.

The IRS has requested additional information for the Rachel Alert Network non-profit application. I have to supply the information to them by October 6.

Friday, September 19

I attended the Hug a Tree presentation tonight. The class was taught by its creator Ab Taylor. Mr. Taylor created the training program after tracking a young boy lost in the wilderness. The boy panicked and removed his coat and kept moving away from the search team. After finding the boy dead, Mr. Taylor was so devastated he created a training program to teach elementary school children to stay put when they are lost.

The class teaches the child to find a tree in an open area and stay next to it. The child should carry a trash bag and a whistle with him. The trash bag folds up very small, and when a hole is torn in the bottom it can be worn to protect the child from the elements. I am now certified to teach the class to students.

I was happy to see my friend Jinese in the class. She drove up from Houston. Jinese, her search dog Meadow, and I searched all Memorial Day weekend in 2002 for Rachel. We searched down creeks, in fields, and under bridges.

Saturday, September 20

I continued my training with retired U.S. Border Patrol agent Ab Taylor. Several members of Travis County Search and Rescue, Blacksun SAR from San Antonio, and a few law officers are taking the class with me. We covered tracking techniques, which included several hours of practical tracking in two different fields. We tracked both during the day and after nightfall.

I ate dinner with my friend Jinese and Blacksun SAR members. I never got to meet the members of Blacksun when they were here searching for Rachel in January 2002. It was nice to finally be able to thank them for what they did.

Sunday, September 21

We finished our tracking course taught by retired U.S. Border Patrol agent Ab Taylor today. Yesterday we learned the basics of identifying footprints and how to follow them. Today we learned the tactic of sign cutting.

While the first tracking team follows the original tracks, other teams are sent ahead to check perpendicular roads, stream beds, and other places where tracks show up the best. This technique allows the search teams to jump ahead faster and to confine the person being searched for in a certain area.

After the class was over, a few of us stayed to watch a movie made about Mr. Taylor's career as a border patrol agent. The 1981 movie BORDERLINE starred Charles Bronson.

Monday, September 22

I worked today but didn't do much on Rachel's case. This last weekend was so busy I needed some time off.

Last Friday when Ab Taylor finished his training on the Hug a Tree program, he told us a story. After taking the Hug a Tree course, an elementary school class took a field trip to Sea World in San Diego. Even with the teachers being as careful as possible, one of the children was separated from the group. When a teacher retraced the group's steps, she found the boy. He was in the center of the park, hugging a palm tree.

Tuesday, September 23

I added a few more prayforrachel.org messages to Rachel's message board. I will continue adding a few messages each week until all of them are posted.

KLBJ/AM radio did an interview with me this afternoon about my trip to Washington. Part of the interview will be broadcast during their Thursday morning show.

I want to take some time and express my appreciation of search and rescue personnel. Most SAR members are volunteers. It doesn't matter whether they are with Texas EquuSearch, Laura Recovery Center, a NASAR chapter, a law enforcement auxiliary, or any other organization. They usually buy their own equipment, pay for their own training, and train during their own time.

Sure, a lot of water and food is donated during a search, but who paid to train and equip the experts? The experts paid for this themselves.

I've been through FUNSAR training and other training. It's not easy and it's not cheap. The FUNSAR course alone takes two entire weekends. This is over 40 hours of time spent away from families and personal lives. The more time I spend with search and rescue men and women, the more I respect them.

Wednesday, September 24

I flew into Washington D.C. today. Tomorrow's DNA Initiative meeting will actually take place in Alexandria, Virginia, at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children headquarters.

I ate dinner with my friend Kym Pasqualini, the C.E.O. of the Nation's Missing Children Organization and National Center for Missing Adults, and Dr. Emily Craig, the State Forensic Anthropologist for Kentucky. Ms. Pasqualini was the person who recommended that the U.S. Justice Department invite me to the DNA Initiative meeting.

Dr. Craig's passion is the matching of unidentified remains of people with the correct missing person. She has been very successful with this task in Kentucky. Dr. Craig is also on the federal task force which is activated when a huge disaster takes place in the U.S. Dr. Craig worked both at the Oklahoma City bombing site and at the World Trade Center site.

Thursday, September 25

I met Kym Pasqualini and Dr. Emily Craig in the lobby of the hotel and we walked together to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

After arriving, Kym introduced me to John Bish, the father of murdered Molly Bish. Molly's bathing suit and most of her remains were found a few months ago. She had been missing almost three full years.

Whenever the families of the missing meet, we usually have an instant "kinship" because we know what each other is going through. We are the only ones who really know. John and I immediately paired off and talked until the meeting started.

Deputy Assistant Attorney General Cheri Nolan of the U.S. Justice Department opened the meeting. Ms. Nolan introduced Gerald Nance, the Cold Case Manager for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Mr. Nash gave an overview of the problem of identifying bodies. The easiest way to identify a body is visual. This is usually only possible if the body is found quickly. While they still exist, fingerprints can be used for identification. When only a skeleton is present, dental and X-ray comparisons and DNA have to be used to identify the person.

Commander Robert Lowery Jr. from the St. Louis Major Case Squad gave the law enforcement perspective of missing persons and unidentified remains. Commander Lowery reported the statistics which make up the 97,516 people who are currently missing in the United States. Of that number, 62.6% are juveniles, 19% are endangered adults, 8% are missing involuntarily, 7.5% are mentally or physically handicapped, and the remainder fall into an unknown category.

Dr. Emily Craig, John Hicks, the Director of Forensic Services for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, and Dr. John Stuart, Project Manager for the National Missing Persons' DNA Database in Quantico, Virginia, gave presentations during the Death Investigation Panel. The National Missing Persons' DNA Database is commonly know as the FBI CODIS DNA Database.

The biggest problem addressed during this panel was getting all of the DNA from unidentified remains and the DNA from the families of the missing. The remains of the unidentified are stored in labs, graves, and various other areas. This makes it hard to get a complete sample of all of the DNA. A lot of missing persons are not reported, and family DNA is not submitted. The logistics of getting the DNA for all of the states into a national database was also discussed. Currently, only California and Texas have DNA databases which can feed into CODIS.

Immediately after lunch I gave my speech on what it's like to have a missing family member. John Bish also added his comments. At the time I was speaking it was hard to tell if the audience was receptive to what I was saying. After all, the room was filled with mostly scientists and law enforcement members. After my speech several people came up to me and told me how much they appreciated my words and how much people needed to hear them. I felt good about that.

The last person to speak was Daniel Armagh, the Director of Legal Resources Division of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Mr Armagh explained some of the legal problems which may be encountered with missing persons. One of them occurs when an adult leaves to start a new life and does not tell anyone. If his/her family reports him/her as a missing person and the police find him/her, what should law enforcement tell the family?

An open discussion then began, and all of the above issues were discussed. Ms. Nolan closed the meeting around 4:15 p.m.

After the meeting was closed, Kym, John, and I toured the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. We saw their call center, image construction area, international division, and many other departments.

Friday, September 26

I flew back from Washington D.C. this morning. Late yesterday I spoke with a TV producer in California. He wants to feature Rachel on his syndicated show called MISSING. I'll write more details about this later.

Kym Pasqualini, the C.E.O. of the Nation's Missing Children Organization and National Center for Missing Adults, submitted Rachel's information to READERS DIGEST. The magazine is doing a story on missing persons soon. Kym was unsure yet if Rachel will be included in the story.

FOX 7 News is interviewing my wife Janet and me tomorrow about Monday's women's self-defense and awareness class. The segment should air on their Sunday night 9:00 news. A lot of violence against females has taken place in Central Texas this month. The class Deborah Brown will teach is a positive step in helping to reduce this violence.

Saturday, September 27

I finally got caught up on my journal entries today. I didn't take a computer with me to Washington D.C. so I could spend the time meeting people.

The I.R.S. sent me a whole list of things they still need in order to process the Rachel Alert Network non-profit status. Today I finished gathering and typing most of the things they require.

FOX 7 News confirmed they will interview us tomorrow about Monday's self-defense class. They will also be filming parts of the class on Monday. People are still invited to attend the class. For more information, go to rachelcookesearch.org/must .

Sunday, September 28

I put together a package to mail to the producer of the MISSING television program in California, The package includes both video and still pictures.

FOX 7 News interviewed my wife Janet and me about the women's self-defense class. Before they interviewed us, they talked to Chief Deborah Brown. The segment was shown during their 9:00 p.m. news tonight.

Monday, September 29

The M.U.S.T. women's self-defense class went very well tonight. Although we were about 20 sort of my goal of having 100 women present, 80 women were trained. Police Chief Deborah Brown taught the women how to be aware of their environment, how to perform a few simple but effective self-defense moves, and how not to look like a victim. Chief Brown is a very dynamic speaker, and she kept everyone's attention throughout the entire three hours of the class.

Both KVUE and KEYE sent cameras out to film the first part of the class. I was able to catch the KVUE coverage on TV but missed the KEYE story.

The Rachel Alert Network and Deborah Brown want to have more of the M.U.ST. seminars. We want to cover most of Williamson and Travis counties. If you'd like a class taught in your area, please e-mail rachelalert@yahoo.com. Please include your contact information and the area in which you live. If you know of a church or other organization which has a large (150 person) meeting room,please also include that information.

Tuesday, September 30

During lunch I drove to the Texas Secretary of State's office to submit an amendment to the Rachel Alert Network Articles of Incorporation. The IRS required us to add some additional information for our federal non-profit submission. The amendment was approved by the state, and I will mail the information to the IRS tomorrow.

Another rape was report at an Austin high school today. A girl was raped in a school restroom. We need to get moving with the M.U.S.T. self-defense and awareness seminars. This kind of thing needs to stop. I truly believe Deborah Brown and her education course can greatly help reduce attacks on women.

I posted some pictures from last night's M.U.S.T class. They may be viewed here.