Nancy Cooper-Massive Search Underway for Missing N.C. Woman
 

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gwen PostPosted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 2:47 pm

Nancy Cooper-Massive Search Underway for Missing N.C. Woman

Sunday, July 13, 2008

CARY, N.C. — A massive search was launched on Sunday to find a missing North Carolina woman last seen when she left her home to go running, WRAL.com reported.

Nancy Cooper, 34, reportedly went for a routine jog early Saturday morning, but never returned home to meet friends as planned
.

Volunteers and police mobilized a search team with the help of the National Guard and police canines.

"We have had assistance from the National Guard that have flown routes for us in helicopters." Cary Police Capt. Michael Williams told WRAL.

Though Cooper's exact running route is unknown, volunteers reportedly scoured running trails and a golf course by foot and by bicycle — and plastered flyers with Cooper's picture on buildings and street signs.

"That was a little odd," neighbor Diana Duncan told WRAL upon learning of Cooper's disappearance. "She doesn't stand you up. She'll always call."

Authorities described Cooper — an avid runner who was training for a half-marathon — as a caucasian woman, approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing about 120 pounds. She has hazel eyes and brown hair, and was last seen wearing a T-shirt, running shorts and light blue running shoes, according to WRAL.com.

"She has two beautiful little girls who I love so much," Duncan said. "We her so much; we all do. We just have to keep looking on."



http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,381421,00.html
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gwen PostPosted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 10:35 am

Search continues for missing Cary jogger

Cary, N.C. — The search continued Monday morning for a missing Cary jogger.

Nancy Cooper, 34, of Wallsburg Court, went running at 7 a.m. Saturday but did not return home.

"That was a little odd," said neighbor Diana Duncan. "She doesn't stand you up. She'll always call."

Duncan said that Cooper did not take her car, keys or identification when she went out.

A search party on Sunday combed Cooper's running route, which was believed to be the Lochmere Lake and Regency Park areas. Volunteers also plastered flyers with Cooper's photo on buildings and street signs.

"Officers (are) out here on foot ... We've had a K-9 out here," Capt. Michael Williams said. "We have had assistance from the National Guard that have flown routes for us in helicopters."

Divers also searched Lochmere Lake on Sunday as a precautionary measure, officers said.

Cooper was training for a half marathon and is a member of Lochmere Swim and Tennis Club.

"She has two beautiful little girls who I love so much," Duncan said. "We love her so much; we all do. We just have to keep looking on."

Cooper's husband said he and his wife were having marital issues, but he wouldn't discuss them further. He said this had been a very difficult time for his family.

He asked that everyone continue to spread around his wife's photo.

Cooper, originally from Canada, is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs about 120 pounds. She has hazel eyes and brown hair that goes just past her shoulders.

She was last seen wearing a T-shirt, running shorts and light blue running shoes.

Anyone with information about Cooper’s whereabouts is asked to call the Cary Police Department at 919-469-4016.






http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/3199834/
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LISA PostPosted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 10:00 pm

Body found in Wake County


Cary, N.C. — A body was found Monday evening in Wake County, and police said they were looking into the possibility that it was the body of a missing Cary woman.

At about 7:30 p.m., a man walking his dog reported seeing a person floating in a pond near Holly Springs Road and Fielding Drive.

That location is not far from where a mother of two reportedly went missing from.

Jessica Adams, a friend of Nancy Cooper, reported her missing at 2:15 p.m. when she failed to show up for a visit, police said at a news conference Monday evening.

Brad Cooper told police his 34-year-old wife went out for a jog around 7 a.m. Saturday but did not return by 9 a.m. as planned.

When asked why Brad Cooper had not called police about his wife, Cary police Chief Pat Bazemore said, "We don't know why the husband didn't report her missing."

Police sent the woman's body found Monday evening to the state medical examiner in Chapel Hill for identification.

Police described Cooper as being 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing about 120 pounds, with hazel eyes and brown hair that goes just past her shoulders. She was last seen wearing a T-shirt, running shorts and light blue running shoes.

Bazemore said that Brad Cooper was being cooperative and had agreed to let the police search the couple's house and cars. She confirmed that he had told police that they were experiencing marital problems.

Brad Cooper made his first public statement at an evening news conference, but did not answer any questions. He thanked all the volunteers and said he hopes anyone with information would come forward.

Cooper's father, mother and identical twin sister traveled from Canada to assist in the search.

"We have been here today to help find Nancy," Cooper's father, Garry Rentz said. "We believe she will be brought home soon. And we thank the community for the support that they've given and ask they continue in their effort to find our daughter."

About 200 people joined search parties that covered the areas of Lochmere Lake and Regency Park, which were believed to be routes Cooper regularly jogs. They also posted more than 2,000 fliers.

"The police have asked us to look a little bit further off the trail," search organizer Mike Morwick said Monday. "Yesterday, we covered every trail in the Lochmere Regency area. We're just going further, we're looking further into the brush to see if there's anything that might raise suspicion."

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/3206686/




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Arubalover PostPosted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 4:35 pm

I think the police know it is her but are not playing their hand. They may want the husband to feel secure, thinking he is not a suspect.




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Schmerty PostPosted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 6:07 pm

News conference held 5.15pm
Body has been Identified as that of Nancy Cooper. Husband declined to be part of news Conference.Mother Father Sister Brother & Brother-in-law present, They came down from Canada!!
Skipping along my own path.



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LISA PostPosted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 7:17 pm

Thank You, Schmerty.

i was scared it was her all along.




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gwen PostPosted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 7:31 pm

Jogger Found Dead Just Miles From Home
Police Say Husband Has Not Been Named as a Suspect in Wife's Disappearance

By EMILY FRIEDMAN
July 15, 2008

Nancy Cooper, the 34-year-old married mother of two who disappeared after going for a jog Saturday morning, has been found dead, police said in a press conference today.

"The search for our Nancy is over," said Cary Police Chief Pat Bazemore. "Early today the state medical examiner told us that it was Nancy who was found last night just miles from her home."

Cooper's body was found on the bank of a storm water retention pond by a local Cary, N.C., man who was walking his dog at 7:30 p.m. Monday, according to authorities.

"Nancy was murdered and our investigation is now a homicide," said Bazemore, who added that authorities have not named a suspect or a person of interest in the case.

"We do not believe this was a random act of violence,"
said Bazemore.

Bazemore declined to give details on the specific cause of death.

While Cooper's parents, brother and identical sister were all present at the press conference, her husband, Brad Cooper, was not.

"Brad Cooper was supposed to be here and he is not," said Bazemore. "At the last minute he did decline and chose not to come this evening."


When asked what Brad Cooper's reaction was to the news of his wife's death, Bazemore said, "He's devastated."

Authorities declined to comment on reports that Brad Cooper had allegedly purchased bleach the night before his wife's disappearance.

Earlier today, Deanna Boone, interim deputy public information officer for the town of Cary, N.C., told ABCNews.com that the area in which the body was found is within a "five-mile radius" of where the stay-at-home-mom lived in an upscale community.

Cooper, 34, was last seen by her husband, Brad Cooper, before she left to go for a jog early Saturday morning. Friends told local reporters that Cooper, who had attended a dinner party Friday evening, was training for a half-marathon.

Authorities declined to comment on reports that Brad Cooper had allegedly purchased bleach the night before his wife's disappearance.

Earlier today, Deanna Boone, interim deputy public information officer for the town of Cary, N.C., told ABCNews.com that the area in which the body was found is within a "five-mile radius" of where the stay-at-home-mom lived in an upscale community.

Cooper, 34, was last seen by her husband, Brad Cooper, before she left to go for a jog early Saturday morning. Friends told local reporters that Cooper, who had attended a dinner party Friday evening, was training for a half-marathon.

Authorities declined to comment on reports that Brad Cooper had allegedly purchased bleach the night before his wife's disappearance.

Earlier today, Deanna Boone, interim deputy public information officer for the town of Cary, N.C., told ABCNews.com that the area in which the body was found is within a "five-mile radius" of where the stay-at-home-mom lived in an upscale community.

Cooper, 34, was last seen by her husband, Brad Cooper, before she left to go for a jog early Saturday morning. Friends told local reporters that Cooper, who had attended a dinner party Friday evening, was training for a half-marathon.

But it wasn't Cooper's husband who first reported the jogger missing. Authorities said that a friend who had planned to meet Cooper later in the day on Saturday became concerned when she failed to show up.

"Her friend Jessica Adams called 9-1-1 on Saturday at 2:51 p.m.," said Boone.

Brad Cooper has not been named as a suspect in his wife's disappearance, said Boone, who added that no person of interest or suspect has been named in the case.

Boone told ABCNews.com that Cooper had been cooperating with authorities. She said that she didn't know the state of his marriage, but added that "that would all be part of the investigation."

Cooper's husband, who works at Cisco Systems, spoke to reporters from the News & Observer just after police finished searching his two BMWs and seizing a Louis Vuitton purse.

Brad Cooper admitted that he and his wife were having "marital problems," according the paper, but added that he didn't think it was so bad that his wife would leave him.

The couple's two daughters, ages 2 and 4, have been staying with their father and family – Cooper's parents and identical sister, according to Boone.

When approached by an ABC News affiliate WTVDat his home Monday, Brad Cooper said that he had been searching "by the lake" for his wife. He declined to be interviewed on camera and ABCNews.com was unable to contact him.

Cooper is described by police as being 5 feet 9 inches tall, about 120 pounds with brown eyes and brown hair and said it was likely she would be wearing athletic apparel – including light blue running shoes.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/Story?id=5378538&page=2
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SavannahStar PostPosted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 7:42 pm

Watched NG....she has the husband guilty of murder already. Of course. Should I be surprised?

ROLFMAO
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Schmerty PostPosted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 9:35 pm

SS ,I watched the news conference today & though the police chief was very careful I don't think it will be long before DH is arrested.
Skipping along my own path.



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SavannahStar PostPosted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 5:11 am

Schmerty wrote:
SS ,I watched the news conference today & though the police chief was very careful I don't think it will be long before DH is arrested.


Well that's not the point....sure he could well be guilty.....it's just watching Nancy Grace go ballistic on air is such a riot......

She's not even a serious journalist/TH/attorney anymore....she's just a caricature, really. A screaming, raging, joke.

This little smilie always made me think of NG --> Angry
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LISA PostPosted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 9:53 am

North Carolina Mom's Husband Says He's 'Devastated,' Grandparents Take Custody of Kids

Thursday, July 17, 2008
FOX NEWS

The husband of a slain North Carolina mom said he's "devastated" by his wife's murder as investigators announced that custody of the couple's children had been transferred to their maternal grandparents.

Cary, N.C., Police Chief Patricia Bazemore told reporters Thursday that Nancy and Brad Cooper's two daughters, Bella, 4, and Katie, 1 1/2, had been handed over to Nancy's parents, Garry and Donna Rentz, and her twin sister, Khrista Lister, late Wednesday.

“I want to stress that this custody issue is a private civil matter between Nancy’s family and Brad. It was not initiated by the Town of Cary Police Department, and it was not a part of our investigation into Nancy’s murder," Bazemore said. "That said, any information that comes from this civil matter will be considered by investigators as we move forward in this case.”

When asked about how the children are doing, Lister said, "They're doing really well."

The custody change comes as Brad Cooper's attorney issued a statement late Wednesday night saying that the 34-year-old father will continue to assist authorities in "bringing the killer or killers to justice" in his wife Nancy Cooper's murder investigation.

"Brad is devastated by the news of Nancy's death," the statement read. "To avoid jeopardizing the investigation, he will not be answering any questions from the press."

Bazemore said Thursday that investigators are continuing their search, a day after warrants were served on the Coopers' house and two vehicles. Six bags of evidence were taken from the home on Wednesday afternoon.

"Investigations are as much about ruling things out as about ruling things in," Bazemore said. "We have still not named a suspect or a person of interest. Everyone in this case continues to be cooperative with us."

She would not take questions from the media on the investigation's progress. Instead, she turned the press conference over to Nancy's family, who spoke about their memories of the young mother.

"This is the single most important, heartrending tragedy that has ever befallen our family," Donna Rentz said.

They remembered Nancy as a loving mother, a great friend and avid runner who had completed distance races.

The Rentzes traveled from Canada over the weekend to assist in the search for their daughter, as did her twin, her brother Jeff Rentz and her brother-in-law Jim Lister. Both Cooper and her husband are originally from Canada.

Authorities launched a murder investigation Tuesday after the 34-year-old's body was found in a Wake County, N.C., cul-de-sac, near where her husband said she'd gone jogging.

The mother of two small girls went for a routine run early Saturday morning but did not come home to meet friends as planned, her husband said.

Bazemore said Tuesday that medical examiners confirmed the identity of the body found the previous evening by a man walking his dog miles from Cooper’s home.

Brad Cooper told detectives that his wife went jogging around 7 a.m. Saturday but did not return by 9 a.m. as planned. The couple reportedly was having marital problems, but friends told FOX News they did not think Brad Cooper had anything to do with her death.

A friend of Nancy Cooper reported her missing at 2:15 p.m. Saturday when she didn't show up for a get-together. Police said Monday they did not know why her husband wasn't the one to alert authorities that his wife had disappeared.

Bazemore declined to comment on whether or not Cooper’s body had suffered defensive wounds and would not confirm or deny reports that Brad Cooper had purchased bleach at a local convenience store just hours before his wife’s body was found.

The family asked residents of Cary Thursday to tie white ribbons around their mailboxes and trees to remember the slain mother.


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,384622,00.html




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tulsad PostPosted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 12:01 am

Grandparents Take Custody of Slain North Carolina Mom's Kids

Grandparents Take Custody of Slain North Carolina Mom's Kids, Allege Dad Had Affair

Thursday, July 17, 2008

The family of a slain North Carolina woman were given custody of her children late Wednesday after alleging in court documents that her husband had been having an affair.

Nancy Cooper's parents, Garry and Donna Rentz, claimed Brad Cooper was having an affair when she was murdered and had belittled her in front of their two young daughters, according to the family's custody complaint filed Wednesday and cited by the Raleigh News & Observer.

The complaint, characterized by investigators as a private matter, also alleges Brad Cooper withheld money from his wife, took the girls' passports to bar her from traveling to Canada, is emotionally unstable, threatened suicide in the last year and "poses a danger to the physical safety of the minor children."


Click here to read the petition.

Cary, N.C., Police Chief Patricia Bazemore announced Thursday that Nancy and Brad Cooper's two daughters, Bella, 4, and Katie, 1 1/2, had been handed over to Nancy's parents and her twin sister, Khrista Lister, late the previous night.

"I want to stress that this custody issue is a private civil matter between Nancy’s family and Brad. It was not initiated by the Town of Cary Police Department, and it was not a part of our investigation into Nancy’s murder," Bazemore said. "That said, any information that comes from this civil matter will be considered by investigators as we move forward in this case."

The custody transfer was an emergency petition filed by Nancy's parents and sister and granted by a judge on Wednesday.

At a press conference Thursday the family refused to elaborate on Brad and Nancy Cooper's relationship.

"We're not going to comment on that," Lister said.

But in court papers, Nancy Cooper's family said she'd recently hired a lawyer to deal with potential separation from her husband and custody issues.

When asked how the children are doing, Lister said, "They're doing really well."

The custody change comes as Brad Cooper's attorney issued a statement late Wednesday saying the 34-year-old father will continue to assist authorities in "bringing the killer or killers to justice" in his wife's murder investigation.

"Brad is devastated by the news of Nancy's death," the statement read. "To avoid jeopardizing the investigation, he will not be answering any questions from the press."

Bazemore said Thursday that investigators are continuing their search, a day after warrants were served on the Coopers' house and two vehicles. Six bags of evidence were taken from the Lochmere subdivision home on Wednesday afternoon, and a judge ordered Brad Cooper to submit blood and saliva samples for DNA testing.

"Investigations are as much about ruling things out as about ruling things in," Bazemore said. "We have still not named a suspect or a person of interest. Everyone in this case continues to be cooperative with us."

She would not take questions from the media on the investigation's progress. Instead, she turned the press conference over to Nancy's family, who spoke about their memories of the young mother.

"This is the single most important, heart-rending tragedy that has ever befallen our family," Donna Rentz said.

They remembered Nancy as a loving mother, a great friend and avid runner who had completed distance races.

The Rentzes traveled from Canada over the weekend to assist in the search for their daughter, as did her twin, her brother Jeff Rentz and her brother-in-law Jim Lister. Cooper and her husband are originally from Canada.

Authorities launched a murder investigation Tuesday after the 34-year-old's body was found in a Wake County, N.C., cul-de-sac, near where her husband said she'd gone jogging.

The mother of two small girls went for a routine run at 7 a.m. Saturday morning but did not come home by 9 a.m. to meet friends, as had been the plan, her husband said.

Nancy Cooper's parents do not believe she went running, according to court papers. They said Brad Cooper was the last person to see her alive.

Medical examiners confirmed the identity of the body found the previous evening by a man walking his dog miles from Cooper’s home, Bazemore said.

The couple reportedly was having marital problems, but friends told FOX News they did not think Brad Cooper had anything to do with her death.

A friend of Nancy Cooper reported her missing at 2:15 p.m. Saturday when she did not show up for a get-together. Police on Monday said they did not know why her husband wasn't the one to alert authorities that his wife had disappeared.

Bazemore declined to comment on whether or not Cooper’s body had suffered defensive wounds and would not confirm or deny reports that Brad Cooper had purchased bleach at a local convenience store just hours before his wife’s body was found.

The family asked residents of Cary on Thursday to tie white ribbons around their mailboxes and trees to remember the slain mother.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,384622,00.html
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wvgirl PostPosted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 12:11 am

SavannahStar wrote:


Well that's not the point....sure he could well be guilty.....it's just watching Nancy Grace go ballistic on air is such a riot......

She's not even a serious journalist/TH/attorney anymore....she's just a caricature, really. A screaming, raging, joke.
This little smilie always made me think of NG --> Angry



Laughing She's a scream! Mostly when I hear her voice, I just want to smack her. I'd rather what the SNL version of her. Laughing




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tulsad PostPosted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 12:30 am

wvgirl wrote:



Laughing She's a scream! Mostly when I hear her voice, I just want to smack her. I'd rather what the SNL version of her. Laughing


WVG - your av is just adorable! She is growing up so fast! Very Happy
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LISA PostPosted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 2:38 am

Family of slain NC woman plan return to Canada

Saturday, July 19, 2008
By MIKE BAKER, Associated Press Writer

RALEIGH, N.C. —

The parents of a North Carolina mother found slain near her home tearfully asked Friday for the culprit to show "a shred of decency" by confessing, while her husband's attorney said he's an innocent man who wants to grieve in private.

Nancy Cooper's body was found Monday at a construction site about three miles from her home in Cary, a Raleigh suburb. Her husband, Bradley Cooper, told police that she went jogging on Saturday and he had not seen her since.

No suspects have been named, but a custody move for the couple's two young daughters has revealed deep tension between the wife's family and her husband.

Bradley Cooper's attorney, Seth Blum, said Friday that he has repeatedly answered questions from police and allowed them to search his home and vehicles. Authorities have said he has been cooperative.

The wife's parents won temporary custody of the children, claiming in court filings that the husband was having an affair, was emotionally unstable and posed a danger to the girls. They claimed he recently threatened to commit suicide, was verbally abusive and prevented his wife and daughters from going to Canada by taking away the children's passports.

The wife's family didn't discuss those claims in emotional news conferences this week. They focused on memories and praise for the mother and daughters.

The wife's father, Garry Rentz, said the girls have not even asked for their father. He said his family's pain would only subside if her killer came forward and confessed.

"I think this is an act of extreme cowardice _ whoever the person was who did this," Rentz said. "And I think if they had a shred of decency in their body, they would come forward and acknowledge their guilt."

The husband's attorney, meanwhile, took an apparent swipe at her family: "Attending press briefings does nothing to catch a killer."

"Brad Cooper is a man in mourning," Blum said. "Different people grieve in different ways. Mr. Cooper wishes to mourn privately."

Blum declined to answer questions about the custody battle, asking that those decisions be kept private.

Family members planned to take the girls to Canada this weekend and meet with a psychologist who was a friend of Nancy Cooper to get advice on how to explain the situation to the girls: One is 4 years old and the other turns 2 next week.

"We have not told them, and they have not mentioned to us that they know," Rentz said. "So, we are going to walk very gingerly into this area."

After a private memorial service Friday night, the family will host a public memorial service Saturday afternoon in Raleigh. They'll have a second service in Edmonton.

Family members planned to return next week before a Friday court hearing to decide a more long-term custody arrangement for the girls.

Police declined to discuss the case Friday. Chief Pat Bazemore said they planned no other public updates on the case until they name a suspect or make an arrest.

"Would I like it to be over tomorrow morning? Yes, I would," Rentz said. "Am I uncomfortable that it's not? No, and we'll allow people to take their time."

(This version CORRECTS Corrects first name of husband to Bradley, sted Stanley.)

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press

http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Jul19/0,4670,NCJoggerKilled,00.html




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LISA PostPosted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 3:41 am

Judge seals search warrants in Cooper case

Raleigh, N.C. — A Superior Court judge has sealed a search warrant relating to the murder investigation of a Cary woman, saying the release of the information could jeopardize the state's case or a defendant's right to a fair trial.

The order, dated July 16, requires the document, which police needed to search Nancy Cooper's home and vehicle and to get forensic evidence from her husband, Brad Cooper, be sealed for 30 days.

It could be released Aug. 16 if Cary police or the Wake County District Attorney's Office don't move to have it remain secret.

A man walking his dog found the body of Nancy Cooper, 34, a week ago just outside the Cary town limit in an undeveloped subdivision.

Brad Cooper told police his wife went jogging the morning of July 12 but never returned; a friend reported Nancy Cooper missing when she didn't show up to a planned meeting.

By law, affidavits to obtain a search warrant must contain a detailed explanation of probable cause, and they usually have specifics about what police believe happened to the victim.

Sealing search warrants allow authorities to investigate a case without disclosing information that would allow public speculation about the case.

Authorities have not named a suspect or a person of interest in the case, but have said they don't believe the slaying was random.

Brad Cooper has been cooperative with investigators, Cary police Chief Pat Bazemore said last week. On Friday, his attorney, Seth Blum, defended his client against "wild speculation" that Brad Cooper was involved.

"(Brad Cooper) has been very, very clear with police: He did not kill his wife," Blum said.

Police passed out fliers over the weekend, which is a standard investigative tool, and said Monday they have been following up on information they have received as a result.

Reporter: Amanda Lamb
Web Editor: Kelly Gardner
Copyright 2008 by WRAL.com. All rights reserved

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/3242277/




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gwen PostPosted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:11 pm

'Maybe Husband Has Done Something'
Friend in 911 Call Worries That Cooper's Husband Had Role in Her Disappearance

By EMILY FRIEDMAN
July 22, 2008

The best friend of murdered North Carolina jogger Nancy Cooper told authorities that she was concerned Cooper's husband may have played a role in her disappearance, according to 911 tapes released today by Cary, N.C., police.

Jessica Adams called police just before 2 p.m. on the afternoon of July 12 to report Nancy Cooper missing after her friend failed to show up at her house.

"Her husband and her are in the middle of a divorce," Adams told the 911 dispatcher. "She supposedly went out for a run at 7 a.m. and nobody has heard from her."

"Because of the situation with the divorce I was wondering if you could help," Adams is heard saying on the tape.

Adams told authorities that Cooper's husband, Brad Cooper, had told her that his wife had gone for a run with a friend but had never come home.

"Maybe her husband has done something," said Adams. "God forbid."

When asked by the dispatcher if Cooper had ever been violent with his wife, Adams said she wasn't sure but there was quite a bit of "tension" in their relationship.

Breaking into tears, Adams added, "I wouldn't be surprised, I hate to say it."

Just two days later, another 911 call was received by authorities, this time from a man who had spotted a body while walking his dog just miles from where the Coopers lived.

When asked by the dispatcher whether the body was "beyond help," the male caller responded, "I think she's dead."

"The reason I noticed [the body] is all the vultures around it," the caller, who was not identified, added.

Brad Cooper's attorney released a statement to local media following the release of the 911 tapes, according to North Carolina's News & Observer.

"Cases must be decided on evidence, not insinuation," lawyers Howard Kurtz and Seth Blum said in the statement, according to the paper. "Selectively releasing prejudicial information in this fashion is reckless, misleading and just plain wrong."

Last week, Cooper's attorneys defended his innocence in a press conference, asserting that the grieving father of two "did not kill his wife."

Brad Cooper "is not a suspect, not a person of interest, and he has been very, very clear with the police: He did not kill his wife," said attorney Seth Blum, according to the News & Observer. "The bizarre and unsupported theories floating around television and the Internet have made it impossible for us to sit quietly and to say nothing."

Blum described his client as a "very private man" who is not "accustomed to the hot glare of the media spotlight," the paper reported.

"Brad Cooper is also a man in mourning," said Blum. "He's lost his wife. He is grieving. Different people grieve in different ways. Mr. Cooper wishes to mourn privately. He does not want to do it at press conferences."

Speculation about Cooper's involvement in his wife's death has grown since the jogger's disappearance; it peaked last week when custody of the Coopers' two young children was taken away from the husband after his wife's family said he posed a danger to the children.

The parents and sister of Nancy Cooper won custody of the children after alleging that her husband was abusive toward his wife and kids before she was killed, according to a custody petition obtained by ABCNews.com.

According to the petition filed in Wake County, N.C., Wednesday by Cooper's mother and father, Donna and Garry Rentz, and her identical twin sister, Krista Lister, Brad Cooper would routinely deny his wife money needed for grocery shopping and was unfaithful to her in the months leading up to her murder.

Brad Cooper "engaged in a pattern of emotional abuse," "frequently yelled at Nancy Cooper and belittled her in the presence of the minor children," and was unfaithful to her in the months leading up to her death, according to the petition.

When her husband would allegedly withhold financial support from Cooper, the mother would become so desperate for cash that she was forced to borrow money from family members, according to the petition . Cooper's family also claims that Brad Cooper is "mentally unstable" and threatened to commit suicide in the winter of 2008.

Brad Cooper has not been named a suspect or a person of interest in his wife's murder, police said.


http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=5427575&page=1
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gwen PostPosted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 11:41 am

Dead Jogger's Husband: I Cheated
Brad Cooper Asserts His Innocence, Admits Infidelity


By EMILY FRIEDMAN
July 24, 2008

The husband of murdered North Carolina jogger Nancy Cooper is finally speaking out about the state of his marriage, admitting he cheated and claiming that his wife did, too.

"Three years ago, I made a mistake while married to Nancy," Brad Cooper said in an affidavit filed Wednesday in Cary, N.C., and obtained by ABCNews.com.

"I had a single indiscretion and slept with another woman one time," said Cooper. "I deeply regretted [and still regret] that it happened."

While Cooper does not disclose the name of the woman in question, an affidavit filed by his wife's friends identifies her as Heather Heider-Metour, but does not delve deeper into how Cooper met her or the details of their relationship.

ABCNews.com was unable to contact Heider-Metour for comment.

Family and friends of Cooper's wife have been pointing fingers at her husband since the jogger disappeared just after 7 a.m. on July 12 and was found murdered two days later. They claim Cooper was abusive to his wife and even threatened suicide at one point -- claims Cooper adamantly denies in his affidavit.

Police have not named Cooper, 34, as a suspect or a person of interest in his wife's homicide.

In his affidavit, Cooper also alleges that his wife admitted to having an extramartial affair around the same time that he says he revealed his own indiscretions.

"Nancy admitted that she also had an extramarital relationship while married to me, four years ago," Cooper said in the document. "Nancy insisted that she did nothing wrong, that her relationship with the other man only happened once, it wasn't sexual and that no one even knew his name."

The Coopers were attending marriage counseling, according to the affidavit, but in April 2008 Cooper's wife prepared a separation agreement. At the time of her murder, Cooper had not yet signed the agreement.


Custody Battle Gets Heated
In addition to addressing the state of his failing marriage, Cooper wrote extensively about his ability to care for his two daughters, Bella, 4, and Katie, 2, who have since been in the care of his wife's family after they were awarded emergency custody last week.

The 12-page affidavit goes into extensive detail about Cooper's love for his daughters, asserting that he feeds the girls "well-balanced meals" and even gave his wife a day off on the weekends -- known by the family as "mommy's day off" -- during which he'd care for kids.

Cooper recites the children's schedule meticulously, making a point of what an involved father he was to the girls.

The husband adds that while his children have been taken away from him since his wife's death, the separation papers drafted before the murder made clear that he was to share custody of the daughters.

"Nancy and her attorney agreed that I was a fit and proper parent to have the care, custody and control of the children," Cooper says in the affidavit.

The husband paints an ugly picture of his wife's family, who will petition for permanent custody of the girls in a hearing on Friday. He claims that his mother-in-law, Donna Rentz, has "fallen asleep at the wheel on at least two occasions" and has had "as many as seven major car accidents."

Alice Stubbs, the lawyer representing Nancy Cooper's family, declined to comment on Brad Cooper's affidavit when called by ABCNews.com.

In an affidavit filed Wednesday by Jessica Adam, one of Nancy Cooper's best friends who reported the jogger missing last week, Brad Cooper is described as "socially inept, selfish, moody and unpredictable."

In a 911 call released earlier this week, Adam was heard telling the operator, "Maybe her husband has done something."

Adam elaborates on her suspicion in the affidavit, saying that she was "immediately concerned that Brad had done something to her" when her friend failed to show up at her house for a prearranged get together.

Adam also alleges that Cooper had been recording his wife's telephone conversations, "repeatedly denied money to Nancy," and was "emotionally callous and verbally cruel" to his wife throughout their marriage.

But in his own affidavit, Cooper, who has stayed out of the spotlight throughout the investigation and was absent even from his wife's memorial service, addresses these allegations head-on, claiming that had it not been for his wife's unruly spending habits, a strict family budget would never have been needed.

"Our credit card debt was unmanageable, and Nancy could not control her shopping sprees," stated Cooper, who estimated that his credit card debt had reached approximately $45,000 due in part to his wife's adoration for an "$8,000 painting, designer clothing, Tiffany jewelry" and expensive bottles of wine.


Where Was Brad on Morning of Wife's Disappearance?
While authorities have commended Cooper on his cooperation throughout the investigation, members of the community have not been shy in insinuating that Cooper may have had something to do with his wife's disappearance, allegations that Cooper himself addressed in his affidavit.

In the affidavit Cooper says that he attended a neighborhood barbeque with his wife the night before her disappearance, but returned home to put his kids to bed while his wife stayed at the party until midnight.

The next morning, said Cooper, he went out to buy milk for his daughters and, upon arriving home, was asked by his wife to go back to the store to pick up additional items.

"I started to get ready for the girls to get up and noticed we were out of laundry detergent and could not do laundry, so Nancy asked me to go back out to get some," said Cooper.

"The detergent I purchased did not include bleach," said Cooper, responding to rumors that he had been spotted on a local surveillance tape buying cleaning supplies the day of his wife's disappearance. "I did not buy bleach."

As for criticism that it was Nancy's friend and not him who reported his wife missing, Cooper said that he had been out canvassing the neighborhood and by the time he returned home to call the police -- once he was certain something was wrong -- Adam had already done so.

"I had been about to call the police myself to report her missing," said Cooper. "Once I knew the police had been called, there was no longer any point in calling them again."

Cooper claims that his absence during the search for his wife was due to requests by authorities who said that if he searched he would be "hindering the investigation."

Custody of the children for the upcoming year is set to be decided Friday by a judge in Cary, N.C.



Brad Cooper, the husband of murdered North Carolina jogger and mother of two Nancy Cooper, admitted in an affidavit filed Wednesday that he had cheated on his wife.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/Story?id=5441613&page=2
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gwen PostPosted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 9:09 am

Custody Awarded to Dead Jogger's Family
Lawyers for Both Parties Reached a Settlement Before the Custody Hearing

By EMILY FRIEDMAN and JASON STINE
July 25, 2008

Custody of the two young children of murdered North Carolina jogger Nancy Cooper was turned over to the mother's family under a settlement reached today in Raleigh, N.C.

Brad and Nancy Cooper's two daughters, Bella, 4, and Katie, 2, will live with their mother's parents, Garry and Donna Rentz, and her sister, Krista Lister, in Alberta, Canada, until another custody hearing on Oct. 13.

Rentz' and Brad Cooper's lawyers reached a custody settlement before appearing in court for a hearing that was scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. today. At approximately 3:15 p.m., lawyers from both parties announced to a packed courtroom that a settlement had been reached
.

Under the agreement, Cooper will be allowed two weekends of visitation with his daughters, during which he will be able to have the girls for four hours per day. A member of Nancy's family will be present throughout these visits, said Wake County District Court Judge Debra Sasser.

Cooper will also be allowed four phone calls or Web cam chats with his daughters per week, but each call may not exceed 15 minutes – giving the father a total of one hour of phone time per week with his kids.

Both parties are also prohibited from disparaging each other or talking to the press in the upcoming 75 days until the next custody hearing takes place. The daughters are also not to be exposed to the media, according to the settlement.

Alice Stubbs, a lawyer representing Nancy Cooper's family, spoke briefly to reporters upon exiting the courtroom.

"We're just grateful to have a settlement," said Stubbs.

The agreement comes on the heels of an already bitter custody dispute stemming from the murder of Cooper, who was found dead near her upscale home on July 14. Since their mother went missing, Bella and Katie were being cared for by the Rentzes after they filed an emergency custody petition.

Since then, authorities have not named a suspect or person of interest in the homicide, and have not disclosed the cause of death.

Cooper, 34, was last seen by her husband at 7 a.m. Saturday morning before going for a jog, police said, and was also spotted by friends the night before at a neighborhood dinner party.

But when a friend who had planned to meet Cooper later on Saturday became concerned when the stay-at-home mother of two failed to show up, she alerted police.

And while family and friends of Cooper's wife have been pointing fingers at Cooper's husband since her disappearance, police have not named him as a suspect or person of interest in the homicide and have stressed his continuing cooperation with the investigation.

In an affidavit filed Wednesday, Cooper addressed allegations that his failing marriage may have involved him in his wife's homicide.

"Three years ago, I made a mistake while married to Nancy," Brad Cooper said in an affidavit filed Wednesday in Cary, N.C., and obtained by ABCNews.com.

"I had a single indiscretion and slept with another woman one time," said Cooper. "I deeply regretted [and still regret] that it happened." Cooper also alleges in the affidavit that his wife admitted to having an extramarital affair around the same time that he says he revealed his own indiscretions.

"Nancy admitted that she also had an extramarital relationship while married to me, four years ago," Cooper said in the document. "Nancy insisted that she did nothing wrong, that her relationship with the other man only happened once, it wasn't sexual and that no one even knew his name."

The Coopers were attending marriage counseling, according to the affidavit, but in April 2008 Cooper's wife prepared a separation agreement. At the time of her murder, Cooper had not yet signed the agreement.


Nancy Cooper, 34, was found murdered Monday evening near her home in an upscale, North Carolina community. Police have yet to name a suspect or a person of interest in the homicide.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=5452107&page=1
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DocTar PostPosted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 10:26 am

How sad! What precious little girls, who have to grow up now, without their mother.




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gwen PostPosted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 10:40 am

DocTar wrote:
How sad! What precious little girls, who have to grow up now, without their mother.


It is sad. Why not divorce instead of murder? Guess the men don't want to have to pay, but it seems they would know that they will get caught and pay eventually, Makes no sense to me...
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gwen PostPosted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 4:45 pm

Judge Weighs Whether to Unseal Search Warrants in Nancy Cooper Murder Case

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Two media outlets went to court Thursday to lobby that search warrants be unsealed in the murder case of North Carolina jogger and mother of two Nancy Cooper.

Lawyers for Capitol Broadcasting Co., the parent company of FOX affiliate WRAL News in Raleigh, N.C., and The News & Observer Publishing Co. argued before Superior Court Judge Donald W. Stephens why they want the warrants made public
.

The outlets requested the hearing earlier this week.

Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby was fighting against the motion on the grounds that it "could, and most likely would, impede the ability of officials to professionally conduct the investigation and properly prosecute any offender against whom charges were warrant," according to WRAL.

The judge heard arguments for about an hour Thursday; court adjourned at 3:30 p.m. EDT with no immediate decision
.

Nancy Cooper, 34, was killed earlier this month, her scantily clad body found in a cul-de-sac near her Cary, N.C., home. She disappeared on July 12, when her husband said she'd gone jogging. Her body was found by a man walking his dog two days later.

Police typically elaborate on why they want to comb a certain location in a search warrant and sometimes describe what they think might have befallen the victim.

Authorities executed such warrants for the house and two vehicles belonging to Nancy Cooper and her 34-year-old husband, Brad Cooper. They also took DNA samples from Brad Cooper.

Police have not named a suspect or person of interest in the young woman's killing. She and Brad Cooper had reportedly been on the brink of separation.

Three warrants are at issue: the July 16 search of the Coopers' house and vehicles along with the DNA sample taken from Brad Cooper, the July 21 search of Brad Cooper's office at Cisco Systems Inc. in the Research Triangle Park campus, and a July 25 search of an unspecified location, WRAL reported.

The warrants will be unsealed 30 days from the date they were returned — or about mid- to late-August — should Stephens side with the media outlets, according to the TV station. But prosecutors will have the option to request that they be sealed for another 30 days.

Last week, Nancy Cooper's Canadian parents and twin sister reached an agreement with her husband allowing them to keep custody of the couple's two children for 75 days, until Oct. 13, when the custody arrangement will again be considered.

The deal came just before a District Court judge was to hear testimony in the bitter custody battle over 4-year-old Bella and 2-year-old Katie.

Brad Cooper and Nancy's parents agreed to place Web cameras inside their houses and promised not to discuss the murder or insult each other in front of the girls.

Lawyers for Brad Cooper accused Nancy Cooper of having an extramarital affair and her family of implicating him in her murder. They asked that the autopsy findings be released.

Nancy Cooper's family attorney filed several affidavits late Wednesday containing statements from friends and neighbors claiming Brad Cooper was emotionally abusive, controlling, absent and socially awkward.

They also accused him of having several extramarital affairs.

Police have indicated they believe the crime was isolated. They say Brad Cooper has been cooperative in the investigation.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,395543,00.html
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SavannahStar PostPosted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 4:55 pm

gwen wrote:


It is sad. Why not divorce instead of murder? Guess the men don't want to have to pay, but it seems they would know that they will get caught and pay eventually, Makes no sense to me...


I'm not convinced he killed her, Gwen. Odd story....we don't really know too much yet.
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gwen PostPosted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 7:20 pm

SavannahStar wrote:


I'm not convinced he killed her, Gwen. Odd story....we don't really know too much yet.


I'm not positive either, SS. There reall hasn't been that much coverage on this. Guess this family is not crazy enough for the media,,,
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gwen PostPosted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 9:58 am

Judge Denies Request to Unseal Search Warrants in Nancy Cooper Murder Case
Thursday, July 31, 2008

A Superior Court judge denied the request by two media outlets that search warrants be unsealed in the murder case of North Carolina jogger and mother of two Nancy Cooper.

Lawyers for Capitol Broadcasting Co., the parent company of FOX affiliate WRAL News in Raleigh, N.C., and The News & Observer Publishing Co. argued before Superior Court Judge Donald W. Stephens why they want the warrants made public.

The outlets requested the hearing earlier this week.

Stephens said in his order called the release of the information premature and would "likely risk and jeopardize the success of the investigation," WRAL reported.

Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby was fighting against the motion on the grounds that it "could, and most likely would, impede the ability of officials to professionally conduct the investigation and properly prosecute any offender against whom charges were warrant," according to WRAL.

Nancy Cooper, 34, was killed earlier this month, her scantily clad body found in a cul-de-sac near her Cary, N.C., home. She disappeared on July 12, when her husband said she'd gone jogging. Her body was found by a man walking his dog two days later.

Police typically elaborate on why they want to comb a certain location in a search warrant and sometimes describe what they think might have befallen the victim.

Authorities executed such warrants for the house and two vehicles belonging to Nancy Cooper and her 34-year-old husband, Brad Cooper. They also took DNA samples from Brad Cooper.

Police have not named a suspect or person of interest in the young woman's killing. She and Brad Cooper had reportedly been on the brink of separation.

Three warrants are at issue: the July 16 search of the Coopers' house and vehicles along with the DNA sample taken from Brad Cooper, the July 21 search of Brad Cooper's office at Cisco Systems Inc. in the Research Triangle Park campus, and a July 25 search of an unspecified location, WRAL reported.

The warrants will be unsealed 30 days from the date they were returned — or about mid- to late-August — should Stephens side with the media outlets, according to the TV station. But prosecutors will have the option to request that they be sealed for another 30 days.

Last week, Nancy Cooper's Canadian parents and twin sister reached an agreement with her husband allowing them to keep custody of the couple's two children for 75 days, until Oct. 13, when the custody arrangement will again be considered.

The deal came just before a District Court judge was to hear testimony in the bitter custody battle over 4-year-old Bella and 2-year-old Katie.

Brad Cooper and Nancy's parents agreed to place Web cameras inside their houses and promised not to discuss the murder or insult each other in front of the girls.

Lawyers for Brad Cooper accused Nancy Cooper of having an extramarital affair and her family of implicating him in her murder. They asked that the autopsy findings be released.

Nancy Cooper's family attorney filed several affidavits late Wednesday containing statements from friends and neighbors claiming Brad Cooper was emotionally abusive, controlling, absent and socially awkward.

They also accused him of having several extramarital affairs.

Police have indicated they believe the crime was isolated. They say Brad Cooper has been cooperative in the investigation.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,395543,00.html
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