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Host 1
This is an iHeart podcast.
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Nina's Family Member 1
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Nina's Family Member 2
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Nina's Family Member 2
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Nina's Family Member 2
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Nina's Family Member 2
Dsw.Com 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 continue our three part series into the life and murder of 28 year old Dinah Cook, a young woman from Memphis, Tennessee. Whose life was cut tragically short in October of 2014. In the first part of the series, we met Nina through the eyes of her siblings, Lydia, Kenya and Chris. They painted a portrait of a woman who was ambitious, loving, and fiercely protective of her family. But today, we step into darker territory. We examine the circumstances surrounding Nina's disappearance, the last conversations, and the gruesome discovery that would forever change the lives of those who loved her. This is the story of Nina Cook. When does a beloved family member's absence transform from a passing concern into a growing fear? At what point does she's just busy become something's wrong? For the family of Nina Cook, this transformation happened slowly and then all at once. Before we can understand Nina's disappearance, we need to revisit the last times those close to her saw or spoke with her. These final encounters, ordinary at the time, would later be examined for clues, for warning signs, for anything that might explain what was to come.
Host 1
I think when you speak to. When you speak to a loved one, you don't expect it to be the last time that you talk to them. So I don't remember the last conversation that I had with her because I didn't know that it would be the last. I've tried to replay that and think about it in my mind, but I don't recall. What I probably remember last is my last visit coming down to Memphis.
Nina's Family Member 2
Although Lydia may not remember the exact conversation, she does remember her last visit with Nina vividly, in celebration.
Host 1
And Nina couldn't make it, but she promised me that she would see me the next day. So we met up at my Uncle Bobby's house. And the first thing she did was she came in with a big smile, as she always did, and she wanted to hold my hand and sit on my lap. So our last pictures are of us cozy together on the sofa, holding hands as always. And we laughed and she hugged all my babies. I didn't want to let her go.
Nina's Family Member 2
For Chris, Nina's younger brother, his last memory of his sister comes from a casual family gathering at their grandmother's house.
Nina's Family Member 3
Yes, I do now. That had to have been springtime. And the last time that I saw her, we were just all chilling at my grandmother's house. And, man, you know, she was just very dressed to the nines. She had recovered pretty nicely. You know, they talk about the rod in her hip. She did have a little bit of a car accident, and she had recovered nicely and she was getting dressed up to the nines.
Nina's Family Member 2
The surgical rod in Nina's leg would later play a crucial role in identifying her remains. But it's what happened next that Chris holds most dear, A moment that would become the final memory of his sister.
Nina's Family Member 3
I was in my grandmother's room, laying on my bed. Laying on my grandmother's bed, rather. And, you know, she kind of just came in very softly touched my face, you know. You know, it's. It's something that, you know, like Amanda said, you never think that this is going to be the last time you're going to see or hear from somebody. You know, the last thing that I remember my sister saying to me, which is the first thing that I knew and I always knew, you know, she told me that she loved me. You know, her last words to me was, I love you. And, you know, it's, it's. It's hard to kind of think about that as the last registered memory that you have of your. One of your greatest inspirations. And that was what it was. And it was so soft and so sweet and literally, I remember her walking out to leave and going to get on her stride and conquer the world and her little confident walk that she had with the hips swaying and, you know, that was it. That was the last time that I talked to her. She seemed very calm, very poised, and gave me that I love you.
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Nina's Family Member 2
Younger sister, also recall seeing Nina at their grandmother's house shortly before her disappearance.
Nina's Family Member 1
So when I found out, it was really more so my family just kind of like, oh, we haven't heard from. We call her Gina in my family, too. We hadn't heard from Gina in a little bit. I recall my last time seeing her was around maybe early June or so. I mean, she came by my grandmother's house and I saw her.
Nina's Family Member 2
None of Nina's loved ones remember her expressing any concerns or fears during these last interactions?
Nina's Family Member 1
No, I don't recall any fears being expressed. No. She came around the family. She was fine. We had fun. We talked. I think around that time, I probably had just had my daughter not too long before, maybe a year or two before she was missing. So she was trying to be in my daughter's life and just making sure she stayed connected with the family. But I didn't sense any fear or any threat or, you know, that she was in danger or anything like that.
Nina's Family Member 2
Family gatherings, expressions of love, staying connected to family. Everything seemed to be fine. There were no dramatic goodbyes, no warnings, and no sense that anything was wrong, which makes what happened next all the more disturbing. The exact timeline of when Nina went missing is difficult to pinpoint. There was no single moment when an alarm was raised. Instead, her absence and lack of communication drew concern that gradually grew louder. Nina was known to travel often, so it wasn't unusual for her to be out of touch for short periods of time. However, this time was different.
Nina's Family Member 1
When we didn't hear from her around her birthday, which is in September. That's when my side of the family for sure started, you know, getting a little bit more worried, like Lydia said. And I was actually not the one to submit the missing persons because I think for me as well, we were just kind of like, oh, yeah, she's out of town. It wasn't uncommon for her to go out of town and we not hear from her for a couple of weeks or she's in the studio working on music, or she'd be in Atlanta or.
Nina's Family Member 2
Just wherever, since Nina was always on the go. And at the time, her family had no reason to suspect the worst.
Nina's Family Member 1
So I don't think the worst Came to mind automatically. I know it didn't for me. So I did not fill out the missing person report because I just knew that we were going to hear from her again and she would pop up when she's ready. She was not. She was known to kind of go do her own thing, and then we hear from her when she was finished or, you know, felt like talking or whatever, so.
Nina's Family Member 2
But there was one day that should have brought word from Nina. Her birthday. No matter where she was or what she was doing, she would always speak to her family on or around her birthday.
Host 1
Of course, I called and talked to dad about it, and dad said.
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Host 1
Last time he had heard from her was Father's Day. He had already mailed off her birthday card, and he was waiting to hear back from her, because she would always call when she got her birthday card.
Nina's Family Member 2
Father's Day was in June. Nina's birthday was in September. The realization that no one had seen, seen, or heard from Nina in months finally began to sink in. Lydia remembers getting the call from Kenya about how Nina seemed to be missing.
Host 1
Kenya called me, and I remember I was helping my mom out at the hair salon, and I am always optimistic. So at the mention of her possibly being missing, I'm like, no, you know, we'll hear from her. Birthday's coming up. She's just traveling. You know how Nina is. We'll talk to her soon.
Nina's Family Member 2
As the days turned to weeks and September gave way to October, the silence became increasingly difficult to ignore. Eventually, a missing person report was filed, and the official missing persons investigation was launched. But no one could have imagined where the investigation would lead.
Host 1
Let's take the necessary step. Steps in case there is something wrong. But I could not. I couldn't allow my mind to go there. So I think I just kind of compartmentalized things and was just like, it's one of those days, you know, she's gonna call, you know, of course we'll find her. These type of things don't, you know, happen to us.
Nina's Family Member 2
In October 2014, Kenya received an unexpected visit from the police that would change everything for me.
Nina's Family Member 1
And then in October is when I actually found out that it really was something wrong. And so on that day is when I got a knock at the door from the police department. And they gave me the contact number for the sergeant and basically said that they had, you know, they wanted me to talk to the sergeant. They felt like they had found a body, and they just kind of wanted to confirm. And so that was my first real notification that she had passed I believe.
Host 1
It was October once Kenya called me and said that they had identified her body and that they had found her. That was really hard because it became real and something that we now have to face and deal with. And you're wondering why and how I had to share that news with my dad and for it to be solidified through dental records. And the ride that she had in her leg from the accident, it wasn't. It wasn't something that I could deny. I just. I just broke down. I don't know how you, how you deal with something like that.
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Nina's Family Member 2
Leg, along with the dental records, was the final confirmation Nina Cook was gone. On October 7, 2014, nine of Cook's remains were discovered in a vacant church building at 1175 E. Trigg Ave. In Memphis. The property had been foreclosed and empty since October 2013. A church caretaker made the grim discovery and called 911 Nana's body was found lying on the floor, covered by a soiled curtain and in an Advanced state of decomposition. Her remains were largely skeletonized, with only a torn piece of red underwear still adhering. Appeared to her. Scattered around her puzzle pieces. A pen, a penny, a toy shoe, and fragments of jewelry, including a heart necklace. According to Nina's autopsy report, the medical examiner documented perimortem fractures to her facial bones, sternum, and vertebrae, concluding the cause of death was homicidal violence. Though the specific means remained impossible to determine after so much time had passed by. A missing persons report had only been filed two weeks earlier. Though family hadn't heard from Nina for approximately three months, the window of time between her disappearance and the time she had been discovered had its effects, leaving behind unanswered questions about her final moments. With the discovery of Nina's remains, the missing person case transformed into a homicide investigation. Memphis police began the difficult task of piecing together what happened to Nina Cook. Kenya recalls the early days of the investigation when the quest for answers had more energy.
Nina's Family Member 1
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, giving information, details, and just trying to come up with next steps.
Nina's Family Member 2
The family provided whatever information they could, trying to reconstruct Nina's final days in weeks leading up to her untimely death.
Nina's Family Member 1
So, yeah, being told about possibly running DNA through the system to see if there was a match and, you know, talking about the crime scene and just giving our statements and trying to recount and recall who we remember her being in communication with, you know, people that she knew, people that she went to school with, anyone that she dated or just anything that we could come up with to try to find clues.
Nina's Family Member 2
Social media provided one potential source of information, A digital trail that might offer insight into Nina's last movements.
Nina's Family Member 1
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 some leeway.
Host 1
I think any family member that deals with a tragic loss, they want answers, they want help, they want support from law enforcement, from media to bring justice to your family member. When things first started out, I felt like everyone was going strong. We're going to find the answers. There was talk about DNA. I watched enough crime shows, right, to know that you can find, you know, answers with just the smallest shred of evidence. The hope was that people would talk, they would see her story calls would flood in. Unfortunately, things died down really quickly.
Nina's Family Member 2
Despite the initial spark of interest in Nina's case, the investigation faced significant challenges and roadblocks.
Host 1
So I didn't understand why we couldn't get more answers, why her email couldn't be accessed, why checks in, like the green dot card, Things couldn't be traced. I understood because I went to some of the businesses myself, and at the time, a lot of them only held recordings for 30 days, maybe 90 days, and we were far behind. From the time that they found her body to the time that the investigation.
Nina's Family Member 2
Began, the condition of Nina's remains also presented forensic challenges for the investigation.
Host 1
So because of the state of her body, I did understand that and the time frame. I did understand that we were at a disadvantage, But I had so much hope that we would have more resolve than we did and just more support. I thought my phone would be ringing off the hook trying to get answers and people reaching out and wanting to share her story and also, you know, find justice, but it just wasn't. Everything dried up, and I didn't hear back from anyone until now.
Nina's Family Member 1
Unfortunately, I don't think we got any, like, 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. We did not have that much concrete evidence at all.
Nina's Family Member 2
As the investigation continued to unfold, or lack thereof, Lydia and the rest of Nina's loved ones felt like her case wasn't being treated fairly or given the priority it deserved.
Host 1
And I think in the investigation, when her story didn't look picture perfect, it.
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Didn'T.
Host 1
Seem newsworthy enough to pull on the heartstrings. It felt like her life didn't matter, and things began to be swept under the rug.
Nina's Family Member 2
Lydia's frustration grew as she encountered roadblock after roadblock in her own quest for information and the truth behind what happened to her sister.
Host 1
I heard a lot of. There wasn't enough of this. I couldn't do that. I couldn't. I wanted to get into her post office box at the University of Memphis. I wanted to get camera footage. I wanted DNA evidence. I wanted, you know, different people to be spoken to or interviewed more thoroughly.
Nina's Family Member 2
Despite the decline in resources in t' Nina's case, Lydia says the lead investigator did make genuine efforts, even when other authorities began to turn their time elsewhere.
Host 1
And 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, 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.
Nina's Family Member 2
Over a decade later, the questions surrounding Nina's death remain largely unanswered. Who would want to harm her? What were the circumstances leading up to her final moments, and what happened between June and October of 2014? In part three of this series, we'll examine the broader implications of Nina's case, how it fits into patterns of unsolved cases involving women of color, the challenges of Cold's case investigations, and the family's ongoing journey for justice, and answers. Anyone with information regarding Nina Cook's case should contact the Memphis Police Department or Crime Stoppers. Their number can be found in the Description box below. As we close out this episode, don't forget to hit the Follow button button to stay updated on this case and others like it. Subscribe to Hunting for answers on YouTube to watch the visuals to this episode and follow us on Instagram and TikTok for more true crime updates. And if you enjoyed this story, leave us a five star rating. Thank you so much for joining us on another episode. Until next time, Foreign Hunting for Answers 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.
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The Breakfast Club: Hunting 4 Answers – The Story of Nina Cook: Part 2
Release Date: June 22, 2025 | Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts
In the gripping second installment of "Hunting 4 Answers," The Breakfast Club delves deeper into the tragic story of Nina Cook, a vibrant 28-year-old from Memphis, Tennessee, whose life was abruptly ended in October 2014. Building on the foundation laid in Part 1, where Nina was portrayed through the loving eyes of her siblings—Lydia, Kenya, and Chris—this episode ventures into the dark circumstances surrounding her disappearance and untimely death.
The narrative opens with Lydia recalling her final moments with Nina:
[04:14] Host 1 (Lydia): "I think when you speak to a loved one, you don't expect it to be the last time that you talk to them. So I don't remember the last conversation that I had with her because I didn't know that it would be the last."
Lydia vividly describes her last visit to Memphis, emphasizing the warmth and closeness between the sisters:
[05:12] Host 1 (Lydia): "The first thing she did was she came in with a big smile, as she always did, and she wanted to hold my hand and sit on my lap."
Chris, Nina’s younger brother, shares his last memory, highlighting Nina's resilience and positive spirit despite her recent car accident:
[06:09] Host 1 (Chris): "She did have a little bit of a car accident, and she had recovered nicely and she was getting dressed up to the nines."
As time progressed, Nina's frequent travels meant that occasional absences were typical. However, the family's growing concern began when Nina failed to reach out on her birthday in September:
[14:29] Host 1 (Lydia): "When we didn't hear from her around her birthday, which is in September. That's when my side of the family for sure started, you know, getting a little bit more worried."
Lydia explains the delay in filing a missing person report, stemming from the hope that Nina would return as usual:
[15:09] Host 1 (Lydia): "I did not fill out the missing person report because I just knew that we were going to hear from her again and she would pop up when she's ready."
Tragically, in October 2014, the gravity of the situation became undeniable. Kenya recounts the harrowing moment the family learned of Nina's death:
[18:11] Host 1 (Kenya): "They felt like they had found a body, and they just kind of wanted to confirm. And so that was my first real notification that she had passed, I believe."
The confirmation came through dental records and the identification of a surgical rod in Nina's leg, remnants from her prior accident.
Following the discovery, the Memphis police initiated a homicide investigation. The family was actively involved, providing all available information to aid the search:
[26:31] Host 1 (Lydia): "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, giving information, details, and just trying to come up with next steps."
Efforts included examining social media activity and seeking any digital footprints that could shed light on Nina's final days.
Despite initial momentum, the investigation faced significant hurdles. The deteriorated state of Nina's remains limited forensic analysis, and the delay in filing the missing person report meant crucial evidence was lost:
[29:08] Host 1 (Kenya): "I didn't understand why we couldn't get more answers, why her email couldn't be accessed, why checks in, like the green dot card, things couldn't be traced."
Lydia expressed frustration over the lack of public interest and support, feeling that Nina's case was not given the attention it deserved:
[32:00] Host 1 (Lydia): "I heard a lot of... it felt like her life didn't matter, and things began to be swept under the rug."
Despite these challenges, the family remained steadfast in their quest for justice, continually seeking avenues to uncover the truth.
Over a decade later, many questions about Nina Cook’s death remain unanswered. The family grapples with understanding who might have wanted to harm her and the circumstances leading up to her final moments. As the episode concludes, listeners are left anticipating Part 3, which promises to explore broader implications, patterns in unsolved cases involving women of color, and the family's ongoing journey for answers.
[34:01] Host 1 (Kenya): "In part three of this series, we'll examine the broader implications of Nina's case, how it fits into patterns of unsolved cases involving women of color, the challenges of Nina's case investigations, and the family's ongoing journey for justice, and answers."
"Hunting 4 Answers: The Story of Nina Cook: Part 2" paints a poignant picture of a family's enduring love and relentless pursuit of justice amidst the shadows of tragedy. Through heartfelt recollections and a meticulous examination of the investigation's shortcomings, The Breakfast Club underscores the profound impact of Nina Cook's loss and the urgent need for answers that continue to elude her loved ones.
For those seeking more information or wishing to contribute to the case, the episode encourages reaching out to the Memphis Police Department or Crime Stoppers. Stay tuned for the final part of this compelling series.