Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Hubby claims 'open marriage' after wife disappears. Where is Cheryl Coker?

Episode Date: January 23, 2020

An Ohio man going through a “messy” divorce with a missing mom lands on investigators' radar.William “Bill” Coker is the sole suspect in the disappearance of 46-year-old Cheryl Coker, of Riverside. Police say the beloved mom of two daughters is likely deceased.Joining Nancy Grace to discuss: Ashley Willcott: Judge and trial attorney, Anchor on Court TV James Shelnutt : 27 years as Atlanta Metro Major Case detective, SWAT Officer (RET) Attorney   Karen Smith: Forensics Expert. Bare Bones Consulting   Dr. Tim Gallagher: Medical Examiner for the State of Florida   Dr Daniel Bober: Forensic Psychiatrist Levi Page: Investigative reporter, CrimeOnline.com   Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to an iHeart Podcast. Cheryl Coker seemingly disappears. This is what we know. 7.15 a.m. she takes her daughter to school. She returns at 7.35. She posts on Facebook. Now, according to the Riverside Police, at 7.45 a.m., everything's fine, but significantly, all social media, everything with Cheryl, Cheryl Coker, stops. What happened to Cheryl Coker?

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Riverside detective Travis Abney says this case has quickly become urgent. I would say it's definitely not normal. This is an odd case, to say the least. Wednesday night, Detective Abney says the department recovered Coker's car in a parking lot off Burkhart and Spinning Road. Coker's 2016 Toyota Highlander was found near Clancy's Tavern. The car? Locked. Her belongings were still inside. All of her personal belongings did remain inside the vehicle. The car was parked in the parking lot of the parking lot. The car was parked in the parking lot of

the parking lot. The car was parked near clancy's tavern. The car locked belongings are still inside all for personal belongings did remain inside the vehicle. Her purse, cell phone, wallet, I. D. Credit cards, etc. Which. Added to

the suspicion to say the least coker is a mother of 2 and her family says the circumstances just don't add up. No one in the family has heard from Coker since she dropped off her daughter on Tuesday morning. She had also missed work that day, which again, very odd, not a character. And according to her family, she's never done anything like this before. Seems to be a very good mother from what we've been told. And again, all this is out of character, according to the family. What happened to Cheryl Coker? Joining me in all-star panel to break it down, put it back together again, Ashley Wilcott, judge, trial lawyer, Anchor Court TV, at AshleyWilcott.com. James Shelnut, Metro Major Case, SWAT officer, now lawyer. Forensics expert, founder of Bare Bones Consulting, Karen Smith.

Forensic psychiatrist joining me out of the Florida jurisdiction. You can find him at Instagram at Dr. Daniel Bober. But right now to CrimeOnline.com investigative reporter, Levi Page. Tell me, Levi, about the surroundings. What happened when Cheryl Coker goes missing? So, Nancy, it's October 2nd, 2018, and she dropped her daughter off at 730 in the morning at school. And she was on social media for a period of time until 745 a.m., and then there's no more posts on social media. Her husband is at home and he says that he hears her in the shower, but that he's asleep and he never sees her. And that when he wakes up, she's gone. Okay, wait, wait, wait, wait, slow it down. She was in the shower.

According to the husband, he said that he heard her in the shower, but he never physically saw her in the home that morning. but he heard her in the shower he says that he was asleep asleep okay trying to establish a timeline is the number one priority of police at this juncture take a listen to our friend Cheryl McHenry WHIO TV 7 News October 2nd detectives say Cheryl left her house on Christie Avenue about 715, dropped off her daughter at Stebbins High School, then got back home around 735. She spent the next few minutes sharing posts on Facebook. At about a 745 that morning, pretty much everything electronically with her just stopped. Three hours later,

surveillance video shows Cheryl's SUV driving into the Kroger parking lot at Spinning and Burkhart, less than a mile from her home. It isn't clear who was driving. At the pit of my stomach, something hurt, and I knew something wasn't right. Margie Keenan called Riverside Police to report her sister missing after Cheryl's daughter couldn't reach her. She would never, never be gone without calling her 15-year-old daughter. But the family wasn't alarmed until Cheryl's SUV was found the next night with her purse and cell phone inside. You are hearing our friend Cheryl McHenry trying to establish a timeline. So this is what we know. At 7 45 a.m. everything's fine but significantly

all social media, everything with Cheryl, Cheryl Coker stops. And I'm assuming that that means cell phone activity, emails, and texts. You know, to ask you, Wilcott, judge and trial lawyer, you got to take that in perspective, though. It's got to be relative. For instance, somebody that lives on their phone, and then they suddenly go radio silent at 745 in the morning, that's significant. However, it's somebody that tries not to be on their devices like myself. It may not be a big deal, Ashley. That's right. That's absolutely right. The same stands for social media. If someone's always posting things on social media and then all of a sudden they're quiet and you see nothing, there may be cause for alarm. I think what's

significant is what you said, and that is the family was not concerned until her vehicle was found. And so the other things didn't seem to alert them or alarm them or worry them until her vehicle was located. You're right. Following up on what Ashley Wilcott just said, take a listen to our friends at WDTN-TV. This is Kristen Eskow. Cheryl Coker's daughter tells me she used the Find My iPhone app on her phone to try to track down her mother's cell phone and that led her to this parking lot behind me on Burkhart Road where she found her mother's car with that cell phone and purse locked inside. She tells me that discovery alone was disturbing since her mother doesn't often

visit the businesses on this side of the strip mall. She's always been there for both me and my THE STREETS. THE STREETS ARE HARD TO FIND. THE STREETS ARE HARD TO FIND. THE STREETS ARE HARD TO FIND. THE STREETS ARE HARD TO FIND. THE STREETS ARE HARD TO FIND. THE STREETS ARE HARD TO FIND. THE STREETS ARE HARD TO FIND. THE STREETS ARE HARD TO FIND. THE STREETS ARE HARD TO FIND. THE STREETS ARE HARD TO FIND. THE STREETS ARE HARD TO FIND.

THE STREETS ARE HARD TO FIND. THE STREETS ARE HARD TO FIND. THE STREETS ARE HARD TO FIND. THE STREETS ARE HARD TO FIND. THE STREETS ARE HARD TO FIND. THE STREETS ARE HARD TO FIND. THE STREETS ARE HARD TO FIND. THE STREETS ARE HARD TO FIND.

THE STREETS ARE HARD TO FIND. THE STREETS ARE HARD TO FIND. THE STREETS ARE HARD TO FIND. THE STREETS ARE HARD TO FIND. THE STREETS ARE HARD TO FIND. THE STREETS ARE HARD TO FIND. THE STREETS ARE HARD TO FIND. THE STREETS ARE HARD TO FIND. THE STREETS ARE HARD TO FIND. THE STREETS ARE HARD TO FIND. her mother, 46-year-old Cheryl Coker. Police say Coker was last seen the morning of October 2nd, dropping her other daughter off at school. Marissa says she last saw her mom the night before she went missing. I was over there for about three hours. We were having a good time listening to music and everything. Surveillance video shows her mother's car driving around this

shopping center on Burkhart Road the day she was last seen before parking near Clancy's Tavern. Well, this is what we know. I thought that the car had pulled into a parking lot at a Kroger grocery store about a mile from her home, but now we're learning it was closer to Clancy's Tavern. I kept wondering, why don't you see her get out of the car? Because the driver of her vehicle was unidentified. But take a listen to this. Coker's car was discovered right here in this parking lot that I'm standing in, and it was picked up by these security cameras right here behind me driving into the lot. However, the cameras did not pick up who exactly was inside the car and what happened to them. Cheryl Coker's car was discovered in a parking lot near Clancy's THE CAR WAS INSIDE THE CAR. THE CAR WAS INSIDE THE CAR. I WAS IN THE CAR. I WAS IN THE CAR.

I WAS DRIVING INTO THE LOT. THE CAMERAS DID NOT PICK UP WHO WAS INSIDE THE CAR AND WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM. THE CAR WAS DISCOVERED IN A PARKING LOT NEAR CLANCY'S TAVERN. HER CELL PHONE AND PURSE WERE

STILL INSIDE THE CAR BUT SHE WAS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND. WE WERE IN THE BACK UNLOADING A TRUCK. SO IT HAPPENED RIGHT OUT FRONT. COKER'S ARRIVAL TO THE SHOPPING PLAZA WAS PICKED UP BY THE SECURITY CAMERAS. ONE CAMERA WAS SET TO RECORD CONSTANTLY. ONE CAMERA, WHICH WAS ACTUALLY CLANCY'S CAMERA, WAS SET TO ONLY MOTION RECORD.

SO WHEN THE CAR PULLED IN, THERE'S A FEW SECONDS WHERE THEY DON'T GET OUT OF THE CAR AND THERE'S NO MOVEMENT ON THE SCREEN, THE RECORD IS SHUT OFF. IN THIS SURVEILLANCE VIDEO, COKER'S CAR CAN BE SEEN DRIVING DOWN SPINNING ROAD

BEFORE ENTERING THE BACK OF THE PARKING LOT AND PULLINGILL IN THE PARKING LOT. WHEN I FIND A CAR PARKED ON THE SCREEN, THE RECORD IS SHUT OFF. IN THIS SURVEILLANCE VIDEO, COKER'S CAR CAN BE SEEN DRIVING DOWN SPINNING ROAD BEFORE ENTERING THE BACK OF THE PARKING LOT AND PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE AND STOPPING.

BUT BECAUSE THERE WASN'T ENOUGH MOTION ON THE SCREEN, THE MOTION ACTIVATED CAMERAS DON'T PICK UP WHO LEFT THE CAR. WOW. I DID NOT REALIZE THAT. I did not realize that. Well, Karen Smith, forensics expert, founder of Bare Bones Consulting, number one, when I find a car parked way at the end of the parking lot, the furthest away from the door, right there, that raises a red flag to me. Because let's just say it's in the evening and you're going into a tavern. woman driving want to park as close as she could

to where she's going grocery store you want to park as close to the doors you can because you're going to be dragging groceries out or with a buggy now parking way far at the the furthest parking spot that's a red flag to me but i did not know that surveillance cameras don't have enough motion by just someone getting out of the car and walking away. The surveillance camera picked up the car coming in, but when no one immediately got out, when they did get out, that wasn't enough to alert the motion detector. Right. You know, I don't know how motion cameras work, but the car is a very large item. So maybe the camera picked that up. I don't even know how far away it was from the tavern.

But you are right, Nancy. Women and, you know, vulnerable people like us are not going to park at the furthest away. Even when you buy a brand new car, yeah, you might park in a space that has one space on each side of it because you don't want it to be dinged, but you're right. You don't want to be in that vulnerable position. What really has me hanked up, Nancy, is what was in this car. Person or cell phone were found inside. That car needed to be gone through with a fine-tooth comb. I am talking DNA swabs from the handles, DNA swabs from the steering wheel, from the gear shifts, from the seats, hair samples, any kind of chemical luminescence of blood or anything that may indicate that a crime took place in that car, that the car was used for transport of any type of crime scene, any type of, God forbid, a body or anything that has to do with it.

Because frankly, that's all they have right now, as far as I understand. Okay, another interesting fact. Take a listen to what else we know about the timeline, according to HIO-TV7. Did you ever see Cheryl come back after dropping off? No, but I got up for a few minutes and she was in the shower, but I didn't see her. And this would have been after she dropped Michaela off? Yes. Okay, so then you didn't see her at that point. Then did you go back to sleep? Yes. And then when you woke back up, she was gone?

Yes. And her car was obviously then gone as well. Yes. So who do you think that is on camera at the Kroger lot parking that car and then walking away? I don't know. Someone she mad. Someone's mad because she was meeting people and probably wanted me to thank her.

She was a... I don't know. I'm just guessing. crime stories with nancy grace did you ever see cheryl come back after dropping off no but i got out to for a few minutes and she was in the shower, but I didn't see her. And this would have been after she dropped Michaela off? Yes. Okay, so then you didn't see her at that point.

Then did you go back to sleep? Yes. And then when you woke back up, she was gone? Yes. And her car was obviously then gone as well. Yes. So who do you think that is on camera at the Kroger lot parking that car and then walking away? I don't know.

Someone she met. Someone she met because she was meeting people. Probably wanted me to think what she was doing. I don't know. I'm just guessing. Meeting people? To Levi Page, CrimeOnline.com investigative reporter, what do you mean she's meeting people? She just took her daughter to school first thing in the morning.

According to him, the dad, she comes back and takes a shower. What do you mean meeting people? What, at the Kroger parking lot? Well, this is gonna make your head explode, Nancy. In that same interview with WHIO in Dayton, Ohio, he said that his wife was engaging in, quote, risky behavior. Well, here we go. Take a listen to WHIO. Do you have any idea what happened to Cheryl? She was behaving in some pretty risky behavior right before she disappeared. I mean, you know, I haven't really been willing to put that out there because I didn't want to hear about it.

The question that police would ask you or our audience would ask you, did you have anything to do with Cheryl's death? Did you kill her? No, I didn't. I did not. And you have any- Given that, when you came back from Florida, the very next day was the day that she apparently was the last time anyone saw her.

Is that correct? So did you get to see her in between the time you came back and the time that she took Michaela to school that day? I seen her the night we came back. Okay, and then she left to school the next day, and you went over to the house after that? No, I was here. You were? So she's at home at 7.45 a.m. because we know she posts on Facebook.

After that, everything goes radio silent. No phone, no text, no posting, nothing. Then something very bizarre is uncovered. Take a listen to WHIO TV 7. In the months leading up to her disappearance, there were a number of key developments in her personal life. Cheryl filed for divorce on September 21st, seeking custody and alimony. Cheryl knew her husband had a girlfriend. Police have questioned both. They've both been very cooperative with us at this point. And then there were suspicious texts. Bill Coker's girlfriend told police Cheryl texted her on August 28th, asking that if Cheryl were to die or wasn't in the picture,

would she pursue a permanent relationship with Bill? It was reportedly sent by Cheryl, but we're not 100% convinced that she actually did send it. Another text from Bill to Cheryl on September 24th. Thanks for putting the nail in my coffin. And that same day, a text from Cheryl to a co-worker. I will be in tomorrow if I'm not dead. And remember the trip to Florida

Bill Coker had taken with his daughter? Police confirm he took his girlfriend too, something Cheryl's best friend says Cheryl could not have known. And I think that mama bear would have came out if she would have known that And I think that mama bear would have came out if she would have known that other woman was going. Wow. It's becoming trickier and trickier as the evidence mounts to Levi Page that that's not normal to leave a message. I'll be at work if I'm still alive.

Levi, what can you tell me about that text? Yes, that is what she sent to her co-workers, Nancy, and she worked as a crash specialist and was always on time and she often worked from home and she always worked from home. She never skipped work, very rarely called in sick, was very responsible. So the night she, the day that she vanished, it was odd that she didn't check in with her coworkers and let them know, hey, I'm working from home or did not show up physically to work. And then to send a text message like this

had a lot of her coworkers worried. And Nancy, her husband, William Coker, had said that they had, quote, an open marriage, but that's not what her friends and family said. They say that she did not approve of him having an affair while they were married or having a girlfriend. Ashley Wilcott, every time I hear about an open marriage, why is it always the man that wants the open marriage, not the woman? That's just anecdotal. I don't have any statistics backing that up, but here you have the husband saying we had the open marriage, not the woman. That's just anecdotal. I don't have any

statistics backing that up, but here you have the husband saying we had an open marriage and the wife doesn't know anything about it. Right. So, you know, I always wonder though, honestly, you know, as well as I do, I'm sure there are women out there that want an open marriage, but it sure does seem like if nothing else. No, actually I've never, I've never met a single woman that wants an open marriage. They may want the husband to do the laundry or cook supper once in a while. You know one. Okay. I'm glad to hear that. You know, you are a judge and a trial lawyer. You meet hundreds of people a week in your line of business and you know, one woman that claims to want an open marriage. We know that just days before, days before Cheryl goes missing,

she's the one that files for divorce from Bill Coker, her husband of 19 years. Telling her friends her husband has seen her. What do we know about that, Levi Page? Yes, we know that she wanted him to quit seeing this girlfriend, and he refused to do so, and she was basically forced to get a divorce. That doesn't sound like an open marriage to me. I think the definition of an open marriage is both people in the marriage can have people on the side, and there's no divorce, and they continue on with their marriage

like normal yeah good point you got me over the barrel on that one i should have noticed that james shelnut if they have an open marriage and she's all for it then why does she file for a divorce yeah i don't buy it either i mean i think i would believe i mean open marriage means that everybody's open to it not just one party It sounds like she was closed to the idea instead of open to it. You know what I always say? If my husband mentions open marriage, then it's open casket for him. For anybody that knows anything about this case, tip line 937-681-2301. three zero one. Crime stories with Nancy Grace. According to public records, Cheryl Coker had filed for divorce 11 days earlier, ACCORDING TO PUBLIC RECORDS, CHERYL COKER HAD FILED FOR DIVORCE 11 DAYS EARLIER. BUT HER DAUGHTER TELLS ME DESPITE

THAT, THE 46-YEAR-OLD CRASH TECHNICIAN WOULDN'T JUST RUN OFF OR CUT OFF CONTACT WITH HER FAMILY. SHE WOULDN'T JUST DITCH WORK TOO. SHE LOVED WORK AND SHE LOVED BEING WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND STUFF LIKE THAT.

SO WITH NONE OF US HEARING ANYTHING IT'S VERY CONCERNING. COKER TELLS ME HER FAMILY IS GRATEFUL FOR THE SUPPORT THEY'VE RECEIVED FROM THE COMMUNITY FOR HELPING RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT THEIR

FAMILY'S DECISIONS. SHE SAYS SHE'S HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO HELP THEM OUT. SHE SAYS SHE'S HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO HELP THEM OUT. and friends and stuff like that. So with none of us hearing anything, it's very concerning. Coker tells me her family is grateful for the support they've received from the community for helping raise awareness about her mother's disappearance. She says she's hopeful the search ends with a positive outcome. It's very hard, and especially being after a week, not knowing anything, not hearing anything. It's very hard to keep those good spirits and stuff, even though you try so hard to do that. You are hearing our friends at WDTN-TV,

Kristen Eskow. Cheryl Coker seemingly disappears. Joining me, Ashley Wilcott, judge, trial lawyer, Anchor Court TV, at ashleywilcott.com. James Shelnut, Metro Major Case SWAT officer, now lawyer. Forensics expert, founder of Bare Bones Consulting, Karen Smith. Forensic psychiatrist joining me out of the Florida jurisdiction. You can find him at Instagram at Dr. Daniel Bober, CrimeOnline.com investigative reporter, Levi Page. In a case that gets gets dare I borrow from Alice in Wonderland again curiouser and curiouser the fact to you Ashley Wilcott that she files for divorce just before she goes missing that that's got to mean something oh it does and I'm going to steal an expression from you there is so no such thing as a coincidence in this particular set of facts. I do not believe that coincidentally she disappeared right after she filed for divorce. 10 45 a.m okay remember she drops the daughter off 7 15 michaela a.m husband says he hears her

in the shower we know she's posting from facebook at about 7 45 three hours later surveillance video shows her suv entering a parking lot of an eatery we now now it's clancy's Tavern, less than a mile away. Her SUV was found later that night, doors locked, phone, credit cards, and other personal belongings inside. If she was going to eat or get groceries, how come all of her stuff was in the car? To Karen Smith, how would you go about processing the car? Well, the first thing that you do, Nancy, before you do anything is you photograph it inside and out. You don't open the doors. You take DNA swabs of those door handles, all of them, even the rear one.

You open the doors one by one, and you take DNA swabs from the interior, the steering wheel, the gear shift, the armrest, everywhere that somebody would touch. You photograph the rear view mirror. You take any fingerprints that you can find off of clean, smooth surfaces, all of those things, cigarette butts, soda cups, soda cans, glasses, anything that's in that car needs to be bagged, tagged, and processed. If there's any foreign DNA, any foreign fingerprints, that'll give you a lead. Now, if they come back, I don't know, but if they come back to the husband, that may or may not be inculpatory evidence against him. But what you need to look for as well is any evidence that a crime took place in that car. You need to get cadaver dogs out there, have the car sniffed look for any evidence of blood or any fluids in the back of the trunk

are there any blankets any tarts any string anything that could be used to bind something where was the car is there any kind of tracking device on the car sometimes on star you can track where the car went now here's one thing that's curious about me, Nancy. It was parked a mile away from the house. She's not going to walk home. Somebody who parked it there, were they able to walk back to where they came from? That's not very far to walk. Just something that hit me when you said that. Yeah, one mile only from the house.

And now we see, he says, I hated hated to say it but then says it on tv she was engaging in risky behavior let's take a listen to our friends at wd tn tv news it's been 29 days now since cheryl coker first disappeared and these search warrants we've obtained cover everything from a divorce to thousands of dollars missing. And now Riverside police are aggressively looking for answers. Now, after filing search warrants for two vehicles, a cell phone, and Coker's home, Riverside police say they are aggressively investigating her disappearance. Search warrants filed by Riverside PD say police are investigating a kidnapping. An affidavit shows police want to

see text messages and online communication between Coker and a person of interest who 2 News is choosing not to name. The affidavit details a separate text message conversation with a co-worker in September. In it, she says her husband had been served divorce papers, then says, so I will be in tomorrow if I'm not dead. According to an affidavit, a woman tells police Coker's husband was blindsided by the divorce. Another person in the affidavit called it a messy divorce. Okay, that's not all. Question, why not just clear his name by taking a polygraph? Listen.

We're now treating this as a homicide investigation. There's a lot of information that we cannot discuss. A homicide, but still no body in the missing persons case that's gripped the Miami Valley since October. William Coker, Cheryl's husband, is our one and only suspect at this time. Police say William Coker has been largely indifferent to the investigation, showing little interest in finding out what happened to the woman he married 19 years ago. So one time in four and a half months we've been contacted by Mr. Coker in regards to Cheryl's whereabouts, you know, concerning whether or not she's even alive, where she at. We have asked Mr. Coker to take a polygraph.

At this current time, after multiple requests for a polygraph, Mr. Coker is reluctant to do so at this time. Well, I know it can't come in at trial under the Fifth Amendment right to remain silent, but Ashley Wilcott, judge and trial lawyer, I'm always suspicious when a husband won't take a poly when his wife goes missing. Yeah, I am too. I'm suspicious when anyone won't take a polygraph when they're asked to involving anyone's disappearance or death. Why not take it? Honestly, it may not be admissible, but if he really wasn't involved, didn't do anything, no harm, no foul. Take the test. Karen Smith, forensics expert, Bare Bones Consulting. What type of search should have been conducted at the home?

Anything and everything, Nancy. I know that's a wide swath to cover, but honestly, you know, I don't know what this home looked like. Nobody that goes in there, and that's one of the challenges we have, is we don't know what normal looks like to this family. But sometimes you can tell if things are abnormal. Were there any papers that were out, these divorce papers? Was he going over them? Were there unsigned papers? Does it look like a struggle? Was anything overturned? Does it look like things have been cleaned? Do you smell bleach? That's a big clue. And I'm not trying to I'm not trying to hang the guy. All I'm saying is, is that he has nothing to hide.

The search warrant should turn up literally nothing as far as he's concerned, just like the polygraph. Crime stories with Nancy Grace. THEIR HOME. THEY ARE NOT IN THEIR HOME. THEY ARE IN THEIR HOME. THEY ARE IN THEIR HOME. CRIME STORIES WITH NANCY GRACE. DESPITE SEARCHING FROM 8 A.M. TO ABOUT 5 THIS AFTERNOON, THEY DID NOT UNCOVER ANYTHING TODAY BUT

THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THEY ARE STOPPING OR QUITTING. IN FACT, TOMORROW THEY WILL BE RIGHT BACK OUT IN VANDALIA AGAIN TIGHTENING THE CIRCLE OF THE AREA THAT THEY WILL BE SEARCHING TO Tomorrow they will be right back out in Vandalia again, tightening the circle of the area that they'll be searching to see where Cheryl Coker might be. Cheryl Coker has been gone for almost a year. Today, EquiSearch leaders are more confident than ever that they will find her after conducting a large search effort in an undisclosed location in Vandalia. We're one step away. I think we're in the right church, but we've got to find the right pew.

You guys make sure you search that area real good because a car could easily fit through there. Saturday's search wasn't without its challenges. It's kind of brutal out here. But the volunteers continue to search for hours, unwilling to give up on finding their neighbor. They have one of their own that's missing. They take this stuff personally, and they want to find her for the family. You are hearing our friends at WDTN-TV. Levi Page, what can you tell me about the search? Nancy, we know that on Halloween 2018, police released information about the search warrants

that they conducted in this case. They had two search warrants for the Toyota Highlander that Cheryl Coker drove, the 2017 Toyota Tacoma that her husband drove. We know that there was a search warrant for her husband's cell phone, court orders to search the bank records of both Cheryl and William Coker. There was a court order to search records held by William Coker's place of employment, two court orders for cell records for two separate phone numbers, and they had a search warrant for the residents of their home. And in it, they talk about what they're looking for, any items used to conceal or dispose of a body in any and all materials, electrical stimuli, chemicals, topicals, indigestibles, or inhalants that could render a human unresponsive or unconscious.

Wow. That sounds like a lot of legal documents as well. What can you tell us about the search for her body. Nancy, we know that Texas EquiSearch, which is a high profile search team that has volunteered in a lot of cases that we know of, like Natalie Holloway, Stacey Peterson, they volunteered their time to search in this case and they have found in, you know, muddy searches that they've done evidence. Now, they're not saying what exactly they found, but they said that they did find evidence and turned it over to law enforcement, and law enforcement told them not to speak specifically about what they did find. We are also learning that police say they have a suspect, but James Shelnut, Metro Major case and lawyer, no arrest or formal charges have been made. Why?

I think that they've had a hard time linking this beyond a circumstantial case. And although in many states people can be convicted on circumstantial evidence, I think they're wanting just a little bit more of this case. I believe wholeheartedly that the detectives and even the district attorney's office believe they know exactly who killed her, but I think they're wanting just a little bit more. Take a listen to our friends at WDTN-TV. Coker's husband William has been named the homicide suspect by Riverside Police, but has been neither arrested nor charged with the crime. Since the case is ongoing, the search team must be careful even if they do find something. So we want to make sure that we're we're doing things the right way so if something is found that through the judicial system we're doing things right so nobody gets off on on any

technicalities. But they're not leaving any stone unturned in their search to bring closure to the Coker family. When we do something, we're absolutely doing it crossing the T's and dotting the I's. I can almost guarantee you this isn't the last time you'll see me. We know that extensive searches have taken place to find her body. Still nothing. No arrest. Now, police have gone out on a limb, and they say that they have a suspect in the case. They are naming her husband as a suspect, but that does not an arrest or an indictment make.

What about it, Ashley Wilcott? Yeah, it doesn't. So, you know, there are different standards of evidence and how much information they have. And part of what I think has happened in this case, and I'm not saying I agree or disagree, but kind of a court of public opinion, because everybody says he did it, he did it, he did it. All right. So as a judge, I've got different standards. If I'm going to sign an arrest warrant, there has to be probable cause for finding that the person I'm signing the arrest warrant for committed the crime. And if I don't see that evidence, if there's not enough evidence connecting that person to having committed the crime, in this case, him killing his wife or being involved with the disappearance since the body hasn't been found, then I can't sign an arrest warrant. And then after that, the next step is, all right, you have them arrested, but then you also have to have enough evidence to take them to trial to prove the crime against them. Listen. Even though Coker's body has never been found, that's despite the public helping search since April and police naming her husband

a homicide suspect in February. A business's surveillance video the I-team has previously obtained from the morning Coker disappeared shows her SUV pull into the Kroger parking lot less than A BUSINESSES SURVEILLANCE VIDEO THE I-TEAM HAS PREVIOUSLY OBTAINED FROM THE MORNING COKER DISAPPEARED SHOWS HER SUV PULL INTO THE KROGER PARKING LOT LESS THAN A MILE FROM HER HOUSE. THE VIDEO SHOWS A PERSON DRESSED IN ALL BLACK GETTING OUT OF KOKER'S SUV. THAT'S CLOSE TO THE TIME SOMEONE CALLED 911 SAYING THEY SAW A SUSPICIOUS MAN DRESSED IN BLACK WALKING IN HER NEIGHBORHOOD. man dressed in black walking in her neighborhood. Later that night, surveillance footage captures Bill Coker at Kroger getting groceries. As he's leaving, police said Bill Coker appears to have a visible injury on his arm. Investigators believe that is significant to the case. Police say that they now believe Cheryl Coker was murdered. They have named her husband Bill Coker as their main suspect. He denies wrongdoing. Do you have any idea what happened to Cheryl?

She was behaving in some pretty risky behavior right before she disappeared. I mean, you know, and I haven't really been willing to put that out there because I didn't want to hear about it. The question that police would ask you or our audience would ask you, did you have anything to do with Cheryl's death? Did you kill her? No, I didn't. I did not. I've never in my entire life hurt anyone. Given that, when you came back from Florida, the very next day was the day that she apparently was the last time anyone saw her. Is that correct?

Yes. So did you get to see her in between the time you came back and the time that she took Michaela to school that day? I seen her the night we came back. Okay, and then she left to take you to school the next day, and you went over to the house after that? No, I was here. You were still living in that home.

As of right now, no arrest and no formal charges. How badly will it hurt the case, James Shelnut, that there is no body? You know, Nancy, not having a body is an issue. Not having it is definitely an issue. However, there have been cases across the country where defendants have been convicted of murder without a body being ever found. Take a listen to this. Despite searching from 8 a.m. to about 5 this afternoon, they did not uncover anything today, but that does not mean that they're stopping or quitting. In fact, tomorrow they will be right back out in Vandalia again, tightening the circle of the area that they'll be searching to see where Cheryl Coker might be.

You're hearing our friends at WDTN-TV News. That was Aaliyah Williamson. We wait as justice unfolds. Tip line 937-681-2301. Nancy Grace, Crime Stories, signing off. Goodbye, friend. You're listening to an iHeart Podcast.