Family seeking answers on what happened to missing Joan Cook

ROANOKE COUNTY (WSLS 10) - Roanoke County Police believe they are closing to solving a five year old mystery.

Joan Cook went missing on January 24, 2010. 

Carl Byer, Joan Cook's sister says the past five year have been difficult on her family, not knowing what happened to Cook.

"There are times when she's the first person you wanna call and then you don't have that person you call anymore," Byer explained.

Roanoke County Police said Cook's husband Michael Cook reported her missing. Police say their last trace of Cook was a text message from her cellphone saying "I love you," to a friend the day after she was last seen on January 25.

Byer thinks someone including Cook's husband may have seen something. 

"I think there might have been a fight, an argument, a disagreement," says Byer. "I can't really say he harmed her. All I could say is what I think and he was the last person to see her."

Police also believe a family member or someone close to the family knows what happened. Commander David McMillan says he thinks time is on their side now to solve this case.

"With witnesses time usually helps us, because they have time to think about it to learn more and then make decisions to come forward," says McMillan.

Byer says Cook left behind a seven year old daughter who is now asking questions of where her mom is today. She is hoping to know what happened before another year passes without her older sister.

Friends and family will be holding an event with organization Help Save the Next girl to raise awareness about the disappearance.