The Dare County Sheriff’s Office reported Monday afternoon that the body of missing Deanna Cook of Manteo has been found. No foul play is suspected.
“Sheriff Doughtie and those that worked hard to locate Mrs. Cook offer their sincere condolences to her family and friends,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release. Authorities did not say where or when Cook was found or release any further details.
The 49-year-old Manteo resident was last seen Wednesday, May 22 at the Duck-Thru on Roanoke Island. She arrived by bicycle but the sheriff’s office said she to have left the store on foot about 11 a.m.
On Thursday, seven K9 teams and multiple law-enforcement agencies conducted a search of the area where Cook was last seen, reviewed camera footage from businesses and conducted interviews with those businesses, the sheriff’s office said.
The National Center for Missing and Endangered Inc. and The Aware Foundation published alerts about Cook’s disappearance and the case was entered into North Carolina and national law-enforcement databases.
On Friday, the sheriff’s office sent alerts via the county’s emergency alerts system to the surrounding area where Cook was last seen and asked residents it in the area to check their yards, sheds and outbuildings. A multi-agency law-enforcement team conducted another search and viewed additional camera footage while Dare MedFlight conducted above-ground searches. Additional searches were also made and another grid search with multiple law enforcement agencies were conducted in the afternoon, the sheriff’s office said.
On Saturday, a very large search party made up of multiple agencies was again initiated in the early morning. A specialized search and rescue team was also brought into assist, the sheriff’s office said.
“The Dare County Sheriff’s Office thanks the citizens who have shared the press releases on Facebook and other social media, the businesses that have place posters in their establishments and all media outlets,” the sheriff’s office said.
