Robert Cooke, father of Missing Rachel Cooke, Has Passed Away

Sad, sad news to report …

Robert Cooke, the father of missing Rachel Cooke, has passed away after battling a long-term illness. Robert Cooke died Wednesday in Austin, Texas, he was only 59. His daughter Rachel Cooke went missing in January 2002, near her Georgetown home when she went out for a jog near her parents’ home but never returned.  Mr. Cooke never stopped looking for his beloved daughter Rachel. Robert kept a fathers promise to his daughter until the end. On a personal note, I met Robert Cooke when searching for Natalee Holloway in Aruba and in fact we were roommates. We spent many nights talking and he told me about his daughters disappearance and I could hear in his words his love, dedication and desire to never give up the fight to find Rachel. What a nice, nice man. I will never forget our talks, sharing your personal insights of a father and giving me an understanding of what real strengths and dedication truly is. God bless you Robert Cooke, and may the peace of the Lord be with you.

Robert Cooke became very active in missing persons’ causes. He held women’s self-defense classes all over Central Texas, and Cooke helped search for many missing people.

“On the day Rachel disappeared, Robert [Cooke] made a promise to her that he would never stop looking for her, and he kept that promise,” according to his obituary.

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Father of missing teen, Rachel Cooke, passes away.

 On January 10, 2002, 19-year-old Rachel Cooke was visiting her family while on break from college.

She was running in the Northlake subdivision, northwest of Georgetown, and last seen between 11 and 11:30 in the morning, along Neches Trail, just 200 yards away from her parents’ home.

Her father, Robert, passed away at 7 a.m. after fighting an illness for several months.

“The fact that Robert was not able to die knowing what happened to Rachel is very upsetting to us,” said Elaine.

Hettenhausen says the family is waiting for the right tip they knows is out there.

Funeral arrangements are below:

Visitation – Friday, November 7, from 4-7pm at Cook-Walden Capital Parks, 14501 N. IH 35, Pflugerville, TX

Services – Saturday, November 8 @1pm at Faith Lutheran Church, 4010 Williams Drive, Georgetown

Robert has asked that those who attend wear blue or red because they are “bright colors.”

In lieu of flowers, please consider honoring Robert with a donation to a missing person organization. These are dear to his heart: The CUE Center for Missing Person, PO Box 12714, Wilmington, NC, 28405 – Project Jason, PO Box 59054, Renton, WA or texasequusearch.org.

There is still a $50,000 reward for reliable information leading to the return or location of Rachel Cooke or to the identity of any person involved in her disappearance. If you have any information, please call Williamson County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-253-7867, or visit wilcocrimetips.org.