August 29, 2025 • 26 mins
In this episode of Hunting 4 Answers: It’s been nearly 11 years since Nina Cook’s body was discovered inside an abandoned church in Memphis—and her murder is still unsolved. In the final part of this gripping 3-part series, forensic psychologist Dr. Debra Warner breaks down what the evidence and psychology suggest about Nina’s killer. Could Nina have known her murderer? Why did strong leads suddenly vanish? And is it possible her case is connected to another brutal murder just blocks away? Anyone with information about this case should contact the Memphis Police Department at 901-545-2677 or Crime Stoppers at 901-528-CASH.
This is the story of Nina Cook.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hunting for Answers is a production of The Black Effect
Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a
true crime podcast. I'm your host Hunter, and today we
conclude our three part series into the story of Nina Cook,
a twenty eight year old woman who was tragically found
(00:21):
murdered in October twenty fourteen. In episode one, we met
Nina through the loving memories of her siblings. In episode two,
we took a look into the circumstances surrounding her disappearance
and the investigation that followed after her remains were discovered
in White Haven, a neighborhood in Memphis, Tennessee. Now, in
(00:46):
this final episode, we take a deeper look into the
case with forensic psychologists doctor Deborah Warner, who shares her
insights into the case in what the limited evidence might
suggest about the per betrayer. We'll also hear her family's
plea for justice, for answers, and for Nina's life and
(01:08):
death to be seen and valued in a system that
too often turns a blind eye. This is the story
of Nina Cook. On October seventh, twenty fourteen, Nina Cook's
remains were discovered in an abandoned church building at eleven
(01:31):
seventy five East brigg Avenue in white Haven. Her body,
which was severely decomposed covered with only a soiled curtain,
told the silent story of violence. Fractures to her facial bone, sternum,
and vertebrae indicated a homicidal violence. According to the medical
(01:52):
Examiner's report. The discovery marked the end of one chapter
for her family, the not knowing of where she was,
but then began another, the search for answers about what
happened to Nina and who was responsible for her death.
(02:14):
Her family previously shared with us the type of person
Nina was. She was this very loving, generous and forgiving woman,
and according to doctor Warner, her trusting nature may have
made her vulnerable.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Predators look for certain traits in people, and they look
for things about them, you know, that will make them
make it easy for them to take advantage of them.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Right.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
But there's so many.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Pieces of her that were very interesting and unique to me.
Speaker 4 (02:46):
And I don't think we know everything about her.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
I think there's a lot of hidden secrets and until
we know some of those secrets, we're not going to
get to what really happened with her right, And but
predators have a typology and they know things, but a
lot of times they get close to somebody, it's someone
you really know. And she had such a friendly nature.
She invited people in, right, and she seemed to have
(03:17):
some trust issues with people in her life. And so
that's one of the things. When someone wants to take
advantage of you, they want to do harm to you,
they pick up on those nuances that I picked up on,
and then they ingratiate themselves to you.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Investigations like these are often races against time. In Nina's case,
the clock had been ticking for months before anyone had
even realized that she was missing.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
And what do they say, the first forty eight hours, right,
is when you really find out you can find clues.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
Right.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
But people's memories like they degrade, they change, they get altered, right,
People forget life get in the way, And that's why
those first forty eight hours are so important. But the
police didn't have that because there was such a span
and time because of her pattern of behavior that they
thought was normal. There's all kinds of things that can
(04:13):
happen that can have been there on the crime scene
that you don't know because of the time span, Right,
the person who killed her could could have left a
note and the window blew it away. Because of the
time span, right, he could have been watching waiting for
the police to come find the body.
Speaker 4 (04:28):
Who knows, but the time span he got tired.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Right, You don't know what could have happened there because
of that length of time. But there could have been
there could have been witnesses, There could have been people
who have moved away. Time takes away different ways that
you could have evidence.
Speaker 4 (04:47):
And that's the key.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Here, you know to this, and you couldn't really look
at her body in a way that you would do
a normal autopsy, right because she was so they said
she was so decomposed and identified her I think through
her dental records and she something in her leg.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
This made it even more difficult to pinpoint Nina's last
movements and build out a timeline of events leading up
to her murder. Her older sister, Lydia said, there were
a lot of challenges and red tape from the very beginning.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
I didn't understand. I thought the police could do anything,
so I didn't understand why we couldn't get more answers.
Why her email couldn't be accessed. Why chicks in like
the green dot card things couldn't be traced. I understood
(05:44):
because I went to some of the businesses myself, and
at the time a lot of them only held recordings
for thirty days, maybe ninety days, and we were far
behind from the time that they found her body to
the time that the investigation began.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Although there were certain obstacles, the investigation from authorities seemed
promising at first. Nina's younger sister, Kenya, recalls a brief
period where police were actually putting forth a real effort.
How do you feel as if the investigation was handled
from authorities from that point moving forward?
Speaker 5 (06:28):
From that point moving forward? Similar to wood Lydia's express
it was very, very communicative. I remember in the beginning
going down to the station, to the investigations bureau and
you know, talking to the sergeant, getting you know, information,
(06:49):
giving information details, and just trying to come up with
next step.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
The family provided everything they possibly could to police about Nina,
her relationships, her social media, anything that might help reconstruct
the timeline of her final days and weeks.
Speaker 5 (07:11):
Clues. We were looking at her social media to kind
of see where she was or what she posted things
like that, And like Amanda said, this was October and
so we were a few months behind. So it was
a lot that we could not get access to. But
in the beginning it did really feel like we were making.
Speaker 4 (07:33):
Some lead way.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
There was talk about DNA. I watched enough crime shows
right to know that you can find, you know, answers
with just the smallest shread of evidence. The hope was
that people would talk, they would see her story, calls
(07:54):
would flood in. Unfortunately, things died down really quickly.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
However, one particularly puzzling piece of evidence did emerge during
the investigation prepaid debit cards that had been loaded with money.
Speaker 4 (08:19):
So the debit cards.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
One of the things that brought alarm bells was if
she had these businesses, if she had all of these
things that she was doing, why would you do that
you load those when you don't want to pay portrayal?
So there's something to who those went to, why she
bought that. That was very interesting. That may help find
the lead.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
But with that, do we even know that it was
Nina who loaded the money onto those cards? Because what
if someone like pretended to be her and then loaded
the money on the cards.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
You know absolutely that is a great hypothesis. I mean
it could be.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
And because we don't.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
Know, more and more time started going by, the days
turned to weeks and weeks to months, the urgency from
authorities just wasn't there anymore. Calls weren't being returned as promptly,
and updates became more and more scarce.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
And I think in the investigation, when her story didn't
look picture perfect, it didn't seem news worthy enough to
pull on the heartstrings, it felt like her life didn't matter,
(09:48):
and things began to be swept under the rug.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
It's a troubling reality. Studies have consistently shown to disparities
in how cases are covered in media and pursued by
law enforcement based on factors like race, socioeconomic status, and
perceived lifestyle choices of the victim.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
And when you have someone with biases, I mean, they're
right there, right, And it's the things that you automatically
think about a person from your life experience. Right in
this particular case, that could have happened. I'm not saying
it didn't, but this case was already cold.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
One question that hasn't been definitively answered is did Nina
note the person who killed her, Did she trust them
or was this a random stranger. Analyzing the details of
the crime scene, Doctor Warner shares her perspective on the
(10:48):
potential relationship between Nina and her killer.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Most likely, I think it's someone that she knew. And
the reason I say that is that he up and
she had facial fractures. So a lot of times when
you have a fractures in a face, or you have
a gunshot in the face, you have something where someone
had to see you. That's personal, right, So there was
(11:15):
a rage that happened. There was something that this person
perceived that made him angry or her angry, because we
don't know the gender really, right, but there's something that
was perceived here that made them angry. And then they
also cared about her somewhere because they covered them up.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
There's another disturbing element to consider in Nina's case. Around
the same period, another woman was found murdered in similar circumstances,
just streets away from where Nina was discovered. Doctor Warner
analyzed this potential connection.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
I do know about the other case that was out there.
That case was a little bit different, right, and so yes,
you did have that the person was beaten in the face,
and then it was right near the same place, and
that Nina and this person ran in the same circles.
That also leads us to say there was some other
lifestyle that was going on here.
Speaker 4 (12:15):
So yes, they could be connected.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Likely we don't know, right, but if they were, the
first one may have been like, oh my god, I
killed this person, I cared about her, let me cover
her up. The second one wasn't covered up, and they
were left there, So either they didn't know them as
well or they didn't care about them as much, right,
But then all of a sudden, you don't see it again.
That's the part that I'm looking at. You don't see
(12:42):
it again. So what happened? Did the person die? Were
they incarcerated? Or was this connected? And then that's over
and now this person has removed themselves.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
The more time that went by, the more discouraging it became.
Things just weren't panning out in the investigation. No leads,
no answers, just a sense of not knowing what happened
to their beloved sister and that her killer was still
out there somewhere.
Speaker 5 (13:14):
Unfortunately, I don't think we got any clues or tips
through like the hotline, like the Rewards hotline. We were
trying to get some information, see if anybody could give
some anonymous tips, but we were not successful with that.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
I know things probably take time, and I believe that
the sergeant who was working with us put in really
great efforts. He was supportive and communicative for a while,
(13:49):
but then I think he was on the verge of retiring.
And I'm sure there's processes and high crime city, all
these things. Perhaps her story was one that was easily
placed on the back burner.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
The state of Nina's remains presented another big challenge for
the case. With her body being found so severely decomposed,
that meant that certain types of forensic evidence was simply
no longer available.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
So because of the state of her body, I did
understand that and the timeframe, I did understand that we
were at a disadvantage. But I had so much hope
(14:48):
that we would have more resolved than we did, and
just more support. I thought my phone would be ringing
off the hoop trying to get answers and people reaching
out and wanting to share her story, and also, you know,
(15:13):
fine justice.
Speaker 4 (15:14):
But it just wasn't.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
Oh, everything dried up, and I didn't hear back from
many one until now.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
Now it's been almost eleven years since Nina's death. So
much time has gone by and nothing has brought closure
or resulted in her killer being brought to justice. There's
been no suspects, no arrests, and no answers. So what
type of person could evade justice for so long?
Speaker 2 (15:54):
So this person is likely incarcerated or dead. It doesn't
seem like the that she was running in at that
time had people who were you know, on certain parts
of society, right, so this something, something was occurring in
her life, that this is a person that may not
right be with us anymore or have been taking out
(16:16):
of regular society.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
The investigation into Nina's death had stalled, with no new evidence,
no witnesses coming forward, and no technological breakthroughs. Her case
became one of the thousands of unsolved cases left without answers.
Her family is pleading for anyone with information to come forward,
(16:41):
for law enforcement to ramp up their efforts, and for
the public's attention to her case.
Speaker 5 (16:49):
Who wanted to see the person responsible be held accountable
and you know, turned in in them to you know,
pay for or.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
What I did.
Speaker 5 (17:00):
Honestly, it's important to share her story because her life matters,
you know, it mattered to us, to her family, to
her friends, everybody that loved her. She didn't deserve what
happened to her. She had so much more life to live,
so many more dreams to accomplish, so many things to
(17:21):
do and see.
Speaker 4 (17:22):
She was a traveler. She didn't get to.
Speaker 5 (17:24):
See the world. I would just say, you know, if
you know something, if you remember anything, anything that could
give us some clues, some direction, to please come forward,
even if you think it's insignificant. You know anything that
you remember, any pictures, any time, stamps, just any information
(17:49):
would be helpful to help us, and just as far
as law enforcement, just to hopefully pick it back up.
Don't give up, don't let it remain a cold case,
like we really deserve to know the truth.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Nina's younger brother, Chris, hopes that sharing her story will
spark new attention to the case.
Speaker 6 (18:13):
Well, for me, I hope that it reignites the fire
and the fight for everybody that knew her, anybody who
was in the same circles, to come forward. I know
some time has passed, but I'm really just hoping that
you know, somebody with some valuable information would come forward.
(18:33):
I would just like people to think about, you know,
what if this was your sister, What if this was
your mother, What if this was somebody close to you?
You know, you would stop at nothing. And this is
something that is still very near and dear to a
lot of people's hearts.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
When we talk about violence against black women in America,
the numbers tell a story that's impossible to ignore. According
to a recent study published in Then sit Medical Journal,
between nineteen ninety nine and twenty twenty, black women were
murdered at an average rate nearly six times higher than
(19:11):
white women. Their findings also revealed that nearly forty five
percent of Black women in America will experience stalking, physical abuse,
or sexual violence in their lifetime, and when it comes
to homicide, the danger often comes from someone they know.
(19:31):
An estimated fifty one percent of black female adult homicides
are tied to intimate partner violence. According to doctor Warner,
taking note of the small things is more critical than ever, so.
Speaker 2 (19:48):
Like if you're dating someone, pay attention to how they
treat the waitress, pay attention to how they talk to
their dog, pay attention to all those nuances or your
gut going off saying, well, that was kind of odd.
Don't ignore that, because your gut is one of the
things that keeps you like it keeps you safe. There's
(20:08):
a point to it. There's why you have intuition. Intuition
is a big.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
Thing for Lydia. Seeking justice for Nina is just one
part of the mission. She hopes that sharing her sister's
story can help prevent another tragedy.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
I think something that's really important for me in sharing
her story, is not just for justice, but if we
can save someone else, if we can prevent this from
(20:43):
happening to someone else by drawing them in with our love,
checking in more often, knowing who they're surrounding themselves with
is important.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
Doctor Warner sheds light on the unique trauma faced by
families of unsolved homicides.
Speaker 4 (21:12):
There's no closures.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
It's like forever having an open bandage on your arm,
because that wound never closes, no matter how much you
sew it up, no matter how much you try. You
get different colors tape, and you go to see every
doctor that says they're gonna fix you. It's there right
because they don't know the cause to your wound.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
I would say, just like Chris did. She was everything
for us and she mattered. She mattered, and her story
of resilience, of love, of generosity, the capacity that she
(21:57):
had to forgive, her drive, her unfulfilled dreams. It doesn't
stop because someone decided that they wanted to take that
away from us. Her dreams live on.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
I want the family to know all of what they're
doing is normal. I know they're looking for answers and
thinking that they missed something. They may not have missed anything,
and you know, the distrust and all of the thoughts
that are going into their mind about what they could
have done, or what people should be doing, or all
of that, that is all normal. Their life was changed.
(22:42):
It was changed when they found out and understood she
was dead right and at that moment they had life
with her and they had life without her. And life
without her for them is a lot harder because something's missing.
But everything they're doing is on the speed of in
the range of how do I cope, how do I grieve?
(23:04):
And how do I honor her memory? And there's nothing
wrong with that.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
A story marked by a great loss, but also hope
for closure, a hope that someone somewhere knows something and
will come forward, hope that law enforcement will renew their efforts,
and above all, a hope that one day Nina will
finally receive the justice she deserves.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
Social media is an amazing platform. I mean, there's like
two brothers out there who might be getting out of
prison because of social media.
Speaker 3 (23:41):
Right.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
Well, yeah, and that's a big deal. So imagine if
you begin to just post and post and post about
this case on different platforms. People's memories job by seeing things,
by hearing things, and they say, you know what, I
remember there was some guy who hung around that church
and he just never left, and that there's a lead,
and then you're running and then you're going, right, So
(24:02):
what I would use the technology that we have now
and the media that's out there now to help me.
Speaker 3 (24:10):
Right.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
So, say a big network doesn't want to take this on,
that's okay, because now anyone, anyone can take this out
to the airwaves, right and keep talking about it.
Speaker 4 (24:21):
Maybe that's your passion, Maybe that's your thing.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
You never know how people are going to line up
and connect and give you some peace to keep going.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
Unfortunately, solving Nina's case won't bring her back It won't
erase the pain her family has endured these past years,
but it would provide answers accountability in some sense of closure.
Speaker 6 (24:47):
Because she did have a lot of people that loved
her family, friends included, and so really that's what I'm
hoping for, a spark of renewed, riveted action towards solving this.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
Anyone with information about Nina Cook's case should contact the
Memphis Police Department or crime Stoppers. You can find their
contact information in the description box below. I want to
extend my deepest thanks to Nina Cook's family for sharing
her story and to doctor Deborah Warner for her insights
(25:22):
into the case. I hope they're able to get justice
for Nina and to get the closure they deserve. As
we close out this episode, don't forget to hit the
follow button to stay updated on Nina's case and others
like it. Be sure to subscribe to Hunting for Answers
on YouTube, where you can watch the video version of
(25:42):
this episode, and follow us on Instagram and TikTok from
our true crime content and case updates. Also, if you're
watching us on YouTube, drop your thoughts on this case
in the comments below. Thank you so much. For joining
us on another episode until next time. Hunting for Answers
(26:07):
is a production of the Black Effect Podcast Network. For
more podcasts from the Black Effect Podcast Network, visit the
iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your
favorite shows.
Hunting for Answers is a production of The Black Effect
Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a
true crime podcast. I'm your host Hunter, and today we
conclude our three part series into the story of Nina Cook,
a twenty eight year old woman who was tragically found
(00:21):
murdered in October twenty fourteen. In episode one, we met
Nina through the loving memories of her siblings. In episode two,
we took a look into the circumstances surrounding her disappearance
and the investigation that followed after her remains were discovered
in White Haven, a neighborhood in Memphis, Tennessee. Now, in
(00:46):
this final episode, we take a deeper look into the
case with forensic psychologists doctor Deborah Warner, who shares her
insights into the case in what the limited evidence might
suggest about the per betrayer. We'll also hear her family's
plea for justice, for answers, and for Nina's life and
(01:08):
death to be seen and valued in a system that
too often turns a blind eye. This is the story
of Nina Cook. On October seventh, twenty fourteen, Nina Cook's
remains were discovered in an abandoned church building at eleven
(01:31):
seventy five East brigg Avenue in white Haven. Her body,
which was severely decomposed covered with only a soiled curtain,
told the silent story of violence. Fractures to her facial bone, sternum,
and vertebrae indicated a homicidal violence. According to the medical
(01:52):
Examiner's report. The discovery marked the end of one chapter
for her family, the not knowing of where she was,
but then began another, the search for answers about what
happened to Nina and who was responsible for her death.
(02:14):
Her family previously shared with us the type of person
Nina was. She was this very loving, generous and forgiving woman,
and according to doctor Warner, her trusting nature may have
made her vulnerable.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Predators look for certain traits in people, and they look
for things about them, you know, that will make them
make it easy for them to take advantage of them.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Right.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
But there's so many.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Pieces of her that were very interesting and unique to me.
Speaker 4 (02:46):
And I don't think we know everything about her.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
I think there's a lot of hidden secrets and until
we know some of those secrets, we're not going to
get to what really happened with her right, And but
predators have a typology and they know things, but a
lot of times they get close to somebody, it's someone
you really know. And she had such a friendly nature.
She invited people in, right, and she seemed to have
(03:17):
some trust issues with people in her life. And so
that's one of the things. When someone wants to take
advantage of you, they want to do harm to you,
they pick up on those nuances that I picked up on,
and then they ingratiate themselves to you.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Investigations like these are often races against time. In Nina's case,
the clock had been ticking for months before anyone had
even realized that she was missing.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
And what do they say, the first forty eight hours, right,
is when you really find out you can find clues.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
Right.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
But people's memories like they degrade, they change, they get altered, right,
People forget life get in the way, And that's why
those first forty eight hours are so important. But the
police didn't have that because there was such a span
and time because of her pattern of behavior that they
thought was normal. There's all kinds of things that can
(04:13):
happen that can have been there on the crime scene
that you don't know because of the time span, Right,
the person who killed her could could have left a
note and the window blew it away. Because of the
time span, right, he could have been watching waiting for
the police to come find the body.
Speaker 4 (04:28):
Who knows, but the time span he got tired.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Right, You don't know what could have happened there because
of that length of time. But there could have been
there could have been witnesses, There could have been people
who have moved away. Time takes away different ways that
you could have evidence.
Speaker 4 (04:47):
And that's the key.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Here, you know to this, and you couldn't really look
at her body in a way that you would do
a normal autopsy, right because she was so they said
she was so decomposed and identified her I think through
her dental records and she something in her leg.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
This made it even more difficult to pinpoint Nina's last
movements and build out a timeline of events leading up
to her murder. Her older sister, Lydia said, there were
a lot of challenges and red tape from the very beginning.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
I didn't understand. I thought the police could do anything,
so I didn't understand why we couldn't get more answers.
Why her email couldn't be accessed. Why chicks in like
the green dot card things couldn't be traced. I understood
(05:44):
because I went to some of the businesses myself, and
at the time a lot of them only held recordings
for thirty days, maybe ninety days, and we were far
behind from the time that they found her body to
the time that the investigation began.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Although there were certain obstacles, the investigation from authorities seemed
promising at first. Nina's younger sister, Kenya, recalls a brief
period where police were actually putting forth a real effort.
How do you feel as if the investigation was handled
from authorities from that point moving forward?
Speaker 5 (06:28):
From that point moving forward? Similar to wood Lydia's express
it was very, very communicative. I remember in the beginning
going down to the station, to the investigations bureau and
you know, talking to the sergeant, getting you know, information,
(06:49):
giving information details, and just trying to come up with
next step.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
The family provided everything they possibly could to police about Nina,
her relationships, her social media, anything that might help reconstruct
the timeline of her final days and weeks.
Speaker 5 (07:11):
Clues. We were looking at her social media to kind
of see where she was or what she posted things
like that, And like Amanda said, this was October and
so we were a few months behind. So it was
a lot that we could not get access to. But
in the beginning it did really feel like we were making.
Speaker 4 (07:33):
Some lead way.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
There was talk about DNA. I watched enough crime shows
right to know that you can find, you know, answers
with just the smallest shread of evidence. The hope was
that people would talk, they would see her story, calls
(07:54):
would flood in. Unfortunately, things died down really quickly.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
However, one particularly puzzling piece of evidence did emerge during
the investigation prepaid debit cards that had been loaded with money.
Speaker 4 (08:19):
So the debit cards.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
One of the things that brought alarm bells was if
she had these businesses, if she had all of these
things that she was doing, why would you do that
you load those when you don't want to pay portrayal?
So there's something to who those went to, why she
bought that. That was very interesting. That may help find
the lead.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
But with that, do we even know that it was
Nina who loaded the money onto those cards? Because what
if someone like pretended to be her and then loaded
the money on the cards.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
You know absolutely that is a great hypothesis. I mean
it could be.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
And because we don't.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
Know, more and more time started going by, the days
turned to weeks and weeks to months, the urgency from
authorities just wasn't there anymore. Calls weren't being returned as promptly,
and updates became more and more scarce.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
And I think in the investigation, when her story didn't
look picture perfect, it didn't seem news worthy enough to
pull on the heartstrings, it felt like her life didn't matter,
(09:48):
and things began to be swept under the rug.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
It's a troubling reality. Studies have consistently shown to disparities
in how cases are covered in media and pursued by
law enforcement based on factors like race, socioeconomic status, and
perceived lifestyle choices of the victim.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
And when you have someone with biases, I mean, they're
right there, right, And it's the things that you automatically
think about a person from your life experience. Right in
this particular case, that could have happened. I'm not saying
it didn't, but this case was already cold.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
One question that hasn't been definitively answered is did Nina
note the person who killed her, Did she trust them
or was this a random stranger. Analyzing the details of
the crime scene, Doctor Warner shares her perspective on the
(10:48):
potential relationship between Nina and her killer.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Most likely, I think it's someone that she knew. And
the reason I say that is that he up and
she had facial fractures. So a lot of times when
you have a fractures in a face, or you have
a gunshot in the face, you have something where someone
had to see you. That's personal, right, So there was
(11:15):
a rage that happened. There was something that this person
perceived that made him angry or her angry, because we
don't know the gender really, right, but there's something that
was perceived here that made them angry. And then they
also cared about her somewhere because they covered them up.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
There's another disturbing element to consider in Nina's case. Around
the same period, another woman was found murdered in similar circumstances,
just streets away from where Nina was discovered. Doctor Warner
analyzed this potential connection.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
I do know about the other case that was out there.
That case was a little bit different, right, and so yes,
you did have that the person was beaten in the face,
and then it was right near the same place, and
that Nina and this person ran in the same circles.
That also leads us to say there was some other
lifestyle that was going on here.
Speaker 4 (12:15):
So yes, they could be connected.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Likely we don't know, right, but if they were, the
first one may have been like, oh my god, I
killed this person, I cared about her, let me cover
her up. The second one wasn't covered up, and they
were left there, So either they didn't know them as
well or they didn't care about them as much, right,
But then all of a sudden, you don't see it again.
That's the part that I'm looking at. You don't see
(12:42):
it again. So what happened? Did the person die? Were
they incarcerated? Or was this connected? And then that's over
and now this person has removed themselves.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
The more time that went by, the more discouraging it became.
Things just weren't panning out in the investigation. No leads,
no answers, just a sense of not knowing what happened
to their beloved sister and that her killer was still
out there somewhere.
Speaker 5 (13:14):
Unfortunately, I don't think we got any clues or tips
through like the hotline, like the Rewards hotline. We were
trying to get some information, see if anybody could give
some anonymous tips, but we were not successful with that.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
I know things probably take time, and I believe that
the sergeant who was working with us put in really
great efforts. He was supportive and communicative for a while,
(13:49):
but then I think he was on the verge of retiring.
And I'm sure there's processes and high crime city, all
these things. Perhaps her story was one that was easily
placed on the back burner.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
The state of Nina's remains presented another big challenge for
the case. With her body being found so severely decomposed,
that meant that certain types of forensic evidence was simply
no longer available.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
So because of the state of her body, I did
understand that and the timeframe, I did understand that we
were at a disadvantage. But I had so much hope
(14:48):
that we would have more resolved than we did, and
just more support. I thought my phone would be ringing
off the hoop trying to get answers and people reaching
out and wanting to share her story, and also, you know,
(15:13):
fine justice.
Speaker 4 (15:14):
But it just wasn't.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
Oh, everything dried up, and I didn't hear back from
many one until now.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
Now it's been almost eleven years since Nina's death. So
much time has gone by and nothing has brought closure
or resulted in her killer being brought to justice. There's
been no suspects, no arrests, and no answers. So what
type of person could evade justice for so long?
Speaker 2 (15:54):
So this person is likely incarcerated or dead. It doesn't
seem like the that she was running in at that
time had people who were you know, on certain parts
of society, right, so this something, something was occurring in
her life, that this is a person that may not
right be with us anymore or have been taking out
(16:16):
of regular society.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
The investigation into Nina's death had stalled, with no new evidence,
no witnesses coming forward, and no technological breakthroughs. Her case
became one of the thousands of unsolved cases left without answers.
Her family is pleading for anyone with information to come forward,
(16:41):
for law enforcement to ramp up their efforts, and for
the public's attention to her case.
Speaker 5 (16:49):
Who wanted to see the person responsible be held accountable
and you know, turned in in them to you know,
pay for or.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
What I did.
Speaker 5 (17:00):
Honestly, it's important to share her story because her life matters,
you know, it mattered to us, to her family, to
her friends, everybody that loved her. She didn't deserve what
happened to her. She had so much more life to live,
so many more dreams to accomplish, so many things to
(17:21):
do and see.
Speaker 4 (17:22):
She was a traveler. She didn't get to.
Speaker 5 (17:24):
See the world. I would just say, you know, if
you know something, if you remember anything, anything that could
give us some clues, some direction, to please come forward,
even if you think it's insignificant. You know anything that
you remember, any pictures, any time, stamps, just any information
(17:49):
would be helpful to help us, and just as far
as law enforcement, just to hopefully pick it back up.
Don't give up, don't let it remain a cold case,
like we really deserve to know the truth.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Nina's younger brother, Chris, hopes that sharing her story will
spark new attention to the case.
Speaker 6 (18:13):
Well, for me, I hope that it reignites the fire
and the fight for everybody that knew her, anybody who
was in the same circles, to come forward. I know
some time has passed, but I'm really just hoping that
you know, somebody with some valuable information would come forward.
(18:33):
I would just like people to think about, you know,
what if this was your sister, What if this was
your mother, What if this was somebody close to you?
You know, you would stop at nothing. And this is
something that is still very near and dear to a
lot of people's hearts.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
When we talk about violence against black women in America,
the numbers tell a story that's impossible to ignore. According
to a recent study published in Then sit Medical Journal,
between nineteen ninety nine and twenty twenty, black women were
murdered at an average rate nearly six times higher than
(19:11):
white women. Their findings also revealed that nearly forty five
percent of Black women in America will experience stalking, physical abuse,
or sexual violence in their lifetime, and when it comes
to homicide, the danger often comes from someone they know.
(19:31):
An estimated fifty one percent of black female adult homicides
are tied to intimate partner violence. According to doctor Warner,
taking note of the small things is more critical than ever, so.
Speaker 2 (19:48):
Like if you're dating someone, pay attention to how they
treat the waitress, pay attention to how they talk to
their dog, pay attention to all those nuances or your
gut going off saying, well, that was kind of odd.
Don't ignore that, because your gut is one of the
things that keeps you like it keeps you safe. There's
(20:08):
a point to it. There's why you have intuition. Intuition
is a big.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
Thing for Lydia. Seeking justice for Nina is just one
part of the mission. She hopes that sharing her sister's
story can help prevent another tragedy.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
I think something that's really important for me in sharing
her story, is not just for justice, but if we
can save someone else, if we can prevent this from
(20:43):
happening to someone else by drawing them in with our love,
checking in more often, knowing who they're surrounding themselves with
is important.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
Doctor Warner sheds light on the unique trauma faced by
families of unsolved homicides.
Speaker 4 (21:12):
There's no closures.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
It's like forever having an open bandage on your arm,
because that wound never closes, no matter how much you
sew it up, no matter how much you try. You
get different colors tape, and you go to see every
doctor that says they're gonna fix you. It's there right
because they don't know the cause to your wound.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
I would say, just like Chris did. She was everything
for us and she mattered. She mattered, and her story
of resilience, of love, of generosity, the capacity that she
(21:57):
had to forgive, her drive, her unfulfilled dreams. It doesn't
stop because someone decided that they wanted to take that
away from us. Her dreams live on.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
I want the family to know all of what they're
doing is normal. I know they're looking for answers and
thinking that they missed something. They may not have missed anything,
and you know, the distrust and all of the thoughts
that are going into their mind about what they could
have done, or what people should be doing, or all
of that, that is all normal. Their life was changed.
(22:42):
It was changed when they found out and understood she
was dead right and at that moment they had life
with her and they had life without her. And life
without her for them is a lot harder because something's missing.
But everything they're doing is on the speed of in
the range of how do I cope, how do I grieve?
(23:04):
And how do I honor her memory? And there's nothing
wrong with that.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
A story marked by a great loss, but also hope
for closure, a hope that someone somewhere knows something and
will come forward, hope that law enforcement will renew their efforts,
and above all, a hope that one day Nina will
finally receive the justice she deserves.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
Social media is an amazing platform. I mean, there's like
two brothers out there who might be getting out of
prison because of social media.
Speaker 3 (23:41):
Right.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
Well, yeah, and that's a big deal. So imagine if
you begin to just post and post and post about
this case on different platforms. People's memories job by seeing things,
by hearing things, and they say, you know what, I
remember there was some guy who hung around that church
and he just never left, and that there's a lead,
and then you're running and then you're going, right, So
(24:02):
what I would use the technology that we have now
and the media that's out there now to help me.
Speaker 3 (24:10):
Right.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
So, say a big network doesn't want to take this on,
that's okay, because now anyone, anyone can take this out
to the airwaves, right and keep talking about it.
Speaker 4 (24:21):
Maybe that's your passion, Maybe that's your thing.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
You never know how people are going to line up
and connect and give you some peace to keep going.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
Unfortunately, solving Nina's case won't bring her back It won't
erase the pain her family has endured these past years,
but it would provide answers accountability in some sense of closure.
Speaker 6 (24:47):
Because she did have a lot of people that loved
her family, friends included, and so really that's what I'm
hoping for, a spark of renewed, riveted action towards solving this.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
Anyone with information about Nina Cook's case should contact the
Memphis Police Department or crime Stoppers. You can find their
contact information in the description box below. I want to
extend my deepest thanks to Nina Cook's family for sharing
her story and to doctor Deborah Warner for her insights
(25:22):
into the case. I hope they're able to get justice
for Nina and to get the closure they deserve. As
we close out this episode, don't forget to hit the
follow button to stay updated on Nina's case and others
like it. Be sure to subscribe to Hunting for Answers
on YouTube, where you can watch the video version of
(25:42):
this episode, and follow us on Instagram and TikTok from
our true crime content and case updates. Also, if you're
watching us on YouTube, drop your thoughts on this case
in the comments below. Thank you so much. For joining
us on another episode until next time. Hunting for Answers
(26:07):
is a production of the Black Effect Podcast Network. For
more podcasts from the Black Effect Podcast Network, visit the
iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your
favorite shows.
Host
Hunter Gilmore
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