Rachel Louise Cooke

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Williamson County Sheriffs Office (TX)

Missing From:

Georgetown, Texas

Summary:

Rachel Cooke, a 19-year-old college student from San Diego Mesa College, disappeared on January 10, 2002, while jogging near her family home in Georgetown, Texas. The FBI has put forward a reward of up to $100,000 for information that could lead to determining Cooke's whereabouts. The case remains unsolved.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Disappearance:

Rachel was last seen by her family at 8:00 a.m. on January 10, 2002, when her mother left for work. Cooke was still asleep at this time, on the couch. She is believed to have started her run at approximately 9:30 a.m. and was last seen between 11:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. near Neches Trail, which is just 100 to 200 yards from her family's residence. The last sighting of Cooke placed her a mere 200 yards from her home, clad in a gray running outfit and a green sports bra, sporting Asics running shoes and a yellow Walkman with headphones. When her father noticed her mobile phone, purse, and other personal items were still in the house, it was considered unusual for someone her age, even at the time.

Additional Details:

Early searches produced no solid leads despite involving the Texas Rangers and EquuSearch. In August 2006, Michael Keith Moore confessed to Cooke's murder. He stated he attacked Cooke while jogging, knocked her unconscious, drove her somewhere and raped her. After murdering her, he wrapped her body in a tarp, weighted it with rocks and threw it into Matagorda Bay. He agreed to plead guilty to Cooke's murder in November 2006 in exchange for a sentence of life in prison, but in court Moore reneged and pleaded not guilty in Cooke's case. Moore told the media he had been toying with authorities when he confessed to killing Cooke, and that he got special treatment in prison in exchange for his cooperation. He stated he had nothing to do with her disappearance and the police should have known that. At the time of Rachel Cooke's disappearance, several witnesses recalled seeing a late-model white car driving in the neighborhood, possibly a Chevrolet Camaro or Pontiac Trans Am. The unidentified driver was described as a young man with a dark complexion, possibly of Hispanic descent, with slicked-back black hair. In April 2018, investigators announced a possible break in this case. It is a Pontiac Trans Am that was located in Dallas. It is linked to three persons of interest in this case. Preliminary tests indicate a possible presence of blood that was positive on an item in the passenger floorboard and the passenger door molding of the white 1998 Pontiac Trans Am. Further testing is being conducted at this time. The car ultimately contained no useful evidence. Foster also acknowledged that investigators are at a disadvantage in this case, without the modern-day tools they have for solving crimes today such as security camera footage and the ability to track people using cell phone technology. The Williamson County Sheriff's Office is reaching out to a man who was known to have been an associate of Cooke's in 2002 and might hold critical information. Investigators are currently utilizing advancements in technology, such as DNA testing, in this case.

Case Last Updated:

Aug 04, 2026