The Breakfast Club - Hunting 4 Answers: The Story of Nina Cook: Part 1

Episode Date: June 8, 2025

The Black Effect Presents... Hunting 4 Answers! In this episode of Hunting 4 Answers: In 2014, the remains of Nina Cook were discovered in Memphis, Tennessee—marking a tragic end to a life filled with promise, passion, and love. Nearly a decade later, her family is still seeking justice. In Part One of this special three-part series, Hunter sits down with Nina’s siblings for a raw and intimate conversation. Together, they paint a vivid portrait of who Nina truly was—before the tragedy. Through raw, emotional interviews, they share intimate memories of their sister, reflect on the impact of her loss, and take us back to the day their lives changed forever. Anyone with information about this case should contact the Memphis Police Department at 901-545-2677 or Crime Stoppers at 901-528-CASH. This is the story of Nina Cook. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BreakfastClubPower1051FMSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Explore the winding halls of historical true crime with Holly Frye and Maria Tramarchi, hosts of Criminalia, as they uncover curious cases from the past. The legend of the Highwayman suggests men dominated the field. But tell that to Lady Catherine Farrers, known as the Wicked Lady, who terrorized England in the mid 1600s. Her legend persists nearly 400 years after her death. Highwaymen are in the hot seat this season. Find more crime and cocktails on Criminalia.

Listen to Criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Jake Hanrahan, journalist and documentary filmmaker. Away Days is my new project, reporting on countercultures on the fringes of society all across the world. Live from the underground, you'll discover no rules fighting, Japanese street racing, Brazilian favela life and much more. All real, completely uncensored. Listen to the Away Days podcast, reporting from the underbellbelly on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcasts.

A body, a suspect and a hundred years of silence. Buried Bones is a podcast about the forgotten crimes history tried to leave behind. A common misperception about serial predators is that every single time they commit a crime, they commit it the same way. The past is a way of talking if you know what to listen for. New episodes every Wednesday on the Exactly Right Network. Listen to Barry Bones on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Marsha P. Johnson is the trans icon of the queer movement, and it's time to listen to her.

I wanna be one of the world's biggest drag queens. Today, you can buy t-shirts with her face on them, but her death in 1992 was never solved. I'm dying, dying, dying. Hear how Marsha's life and legacy reshaped our world. Just get your heart ready. Listen to Afterlives on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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's episode marks the beginning of our three part series about a Tennessee woman's life that was tragically cut short in the fall of 2014. It's a case with extremely haunting circumstances that remains unsolved till this

day, and left a family desperately searching for answers a decade later. In this series, I spoke to some of those who knew her best, her three siblings. Their memories paint a picture of a vibrant life even as they continue searching for the truth behind its sudden end. This is the story of Nina Cook. In October 2014, a woman's remains were discovered in an abandoned church building in Whitehaven, a town nestled in Memphis, Tennessee. Through dental records and a recognizable surgical rod in her leg,

the remains were identified as 28-year-old Nina Cook, a vibrant young woman with budding dreams and ambitions. She did pageants, obtained her real estate license, even began her own trucking company. A dedicated, loving sister, the type to never miss sending a birthday card, and a second mother to her younger siblings was suddenly gone,

her whereabouts unknown for months. But before we dive into the timeline and circumstances surrounding Nina's untimely death, we must first understand who she was and the profound impact she had on those around her. Nina grew up in Memphis with her siblings. While each had different relationships with her, they all shared one common thread. Nina's deep love for her family.

Her older sister Lydia remembers her childhood made so much brighter because of Nina. So I would say that my relationship with my sister growing up, my childhood was so much better because she was in it. We spent a lot of time together in Memphis, but I think my dad, the most memorable times were when my dad would come and get both of us and we would travel together. So riding in the backseat of the car, getting in trouble for giggling too much, the whole way, the road trips that we would take whether it was to

Florida or Kentucky, putting on our makeup together in the bathroom, taking too long when my dad wanted us to get ready really fast, making fun of the fact that he kept making us eat wheat bread. We had tons of inside jokes and we were always getting in trouble together because we could not stop laughing. The bond between these sisters was evident to anyone who saw them together. Naina was a very affectionate person and never shy about showing love to those who meant a lot to her. I loved how affectionate she was. She was always holding my hand, always calling me boo,

rubbing my face, wanting to do my hair. So we have tons of pictures and memories together where we're walking through the mall, we're at the park no matter where we were, we were captured holding hands from the back. So we were just like two peas in a pod. One memory Lydia shared with Nina took place at a Kentucky park. One of the funniest moments we had was we were trying to get away from dad at this park. It's a huge park in Kentucky that you always take us to. And so we convinced him to pay for us to get on the paddle boats. So we're on the paddle boats, right?

And we were young. We were teenagers. We get on the paddle boat and dad's like, you know, you have X amount of time to be on these paddle boats and make sure you're back over here. We were like, okay, yeah, yeah, yeah. So we get on the paddle boats and we were, we went with the intention of taking a long time

to just really, you know, share with one another and kind of make dad a little mad. But we got stuck. We were tired and we got stuck in the middle of the lake. So we took much, much longer than we originally expected. But we were laughing so hard we could not get up enough strength to move the paddle boat to the other side and we thought we were going to have to call for help. How could a beautiful young first grade teacher be stabbed 20 times including in the bat allegedly die of suicide?

Yes, that was the medical examiner's official ruling. After a closed door meeting, he first named it a homicide. Why? What happened to Ellen Greenberg, a huge American miscarriage of justice? For an in-depth look at the facts, see What Happened to Ellen on Amazon? All proceeds to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. sitter for missing and exploited children. Explore the winding halls of historical true crime with Holly Fry and Maria Tremarchi, hosts of Criminalia, as they uncover curious cases from the past. The legend of the highwayman suggests men dominated the field, but tell that to Lady

Catherine Ferrer's, known as the Wicked Lady, who terrorized England in the mid 1600s. Her legend persists nearly 400 years after her death. Hear the story of the gentleman robber, the romantic darling of the ladies, and a tale about a wager over a sack of potatoes. But you'll have to tune in to learn who won that one. Some highwaymen were well-mannered or faked it. People were concerned about the romanticism of robbers, but most were just thugs. Highwaymen are in the hot seat this season. Call them robbers or bandits, some are legendary figures. Listen to stories about historical crimes on Criminalia Now, plus the cocktails and mocktails inspired by each.

Listen to Criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Jake Hanrahan, journalist and documentary filmmaker. Away Days is my new project, reporting on countercultures on the fringes of society all across the world. Live from the underground, you'll discover no rules fighting, Japanese street racing, Brazilian favela life and much more. All real, completely uncensored. This is unique access with straightforward underground reporting. We're taking you deep into the dirt without the usual airs and graces of legacy media.

A way that showcases what the mainstream cannot access. Real underground reporting with real people, no excuses. For the past decade I've been going to places I shouldn't be meeting people I shouldn't know. Now you can come along too. Listen to the Away Days podcast reporting from the underbelly on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. A murder happens. The case goes cold. Then over a hundred years later, we take a second look. I'm Paul Holes, a retired cold case investigator. And I'm Kate Winkler-Dawson, a journalist and

historian. On our podcast, Buried Bones, we re-examine historical true crime cases. Using modern forensic techniques, we dig into what the original investigators may have missed. Growing up on a farm when I heard a gunshot, I did not immediately think murder. Unless this person went out to shoot squirrels, they're not choosing a 22 to go hunting out there. These cases may be old, but the questions are still relevant and often chilling. I know this chauffeur is not of concern. It's like, well, he's the last one who saw our life.

So how did they eliminate him? Join us as we take you back to the cold cases that haunt us to this day. New episodes every Wednesday on the Exactly Right Network. Listen to Barry Bones on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. Those seemingly small moments, like running off in a paddle boat with your sister, have become some of the most treasured memories that Lydia has held close.

While Lydia experienced Naina as a sister and best friend, Naina's younger siblings, Kenya and Chris, knew a different side of her. After their mother passed away, Naina stepped into more of a parental role. Kenya says, Having her as an older sister was great. She did a lot for me.

I think for me, and I can't speak for Chris, but like I'm hearing Amanda talk about all the hand holding and the lovey-dovey stuff. And I think for us, we had her more as a parental figure. So it was like, she was kind of more a mom figure to us. So we didn't really get a whole lot of the handhold and all that because my mom passed away, I think I was 17. But even before then, she was not as far as present in our household, she was not there due to our own struggles. So she definitely took on that role of making sure we had what we needed clothes and making sure

we had what we needed for school and just trying to support us in any way she could showing up for stuff for school helping us buy clothes supporting us through for me through college helping with prom, things like that. Just being there, you know, to talk to, fussing at me, like Amanda said. For Chris, who was much younger, Naina was everything. Christmas was particularly special with her around. He remembers how she always embodied the spirit of the season. He remembers how she always embodied the spirit of the season. Woo. So what was my relationship like with my big sister?

In a word, I can just describe her as Santa Claus. That was my Santa Claus. Pretty much anything that I needed or wanted or didn't even know that I need, she was there, you know, very involved with my school. I mean, just one of the earliest memories I can remember from like second, third grade, fourth grade, just randomly just pop in. I went to Ottawa Elementary and just randomly she would pop in, you know, just on the last period, you know, just to let people know that was around the time, you know, dealing with the loss of a mother in like 06. You know, she took a really, really involved hand, especially in my upbringing, letting people know, you know, he does have family, he does have support. We do show up for him.

He does have support. We do show up for him. Naina didn't just provide material things. She was invested in Chris's education and future. She pushed him to excel even during summer break. I remember in her apartment, she kept a room specifically for me. So, you know, I had real French treatment going over there, you know, games. I have my Spider-Man whole set up, everything that I needed over there. So in the event that I was with her, I could study. She was really on me about my academia.

Even in summertime where I think I'm supposed to be chilling, she's like, no, you need to know about the great black inventors. I'm like, sis, great black inventors. I'm eight, I'm nine. I want to play video games. I want to go out with my friends. She's like, no, you need to know who invented this, this, that, and that. And I need a research paper from you at the end of July. Nina understood and explained some of the realities her younger brother might face and made it her mission to help prepare him as much as possible.

One of the things that she would always preach to me is that as a black man, you oftentimes would have to work twice as hard and really to just continue to push my good grades. My sister was an inspiration, much like Kenya in the sense that a lot of people don't know. I looked at her old report cards. She didn't make nothing lower than a 3.8 GPA. I spent a lot of time with her. There wasn't a weekend that I can remember from about eight to right up in the time of her passing and different things.

And she was just city to city, state to state, she would travel a lot that I wasn't with her on a weekend. How could a beautiful young first grade teacher be stabbed 20 times, including in the bat, allegedly die of suicide? Yes, that was the medical examiner's official ruling. After a closed-door meeting, he first named it a homicide. Why? What happened to Ellen Greenberg? A huge American miscarriage of justice. For an in-depth look at the facts, see What Happened to Ellen on Amazon.

All proceeds to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Explore the winding halls of historical true crime with Holly Fry and Maria Tramarchi, hosts of Criminalia, as they uncover curious cases from the past. The legend of the highwayman suggests men dominated the field. But tell that to Lady Catherine Farrar's, known as the Wicked Lady, who terrorized England in the mid 1600s. Her legend persists nearly 400 years after her death.

Hear the story of the gentleman robber, the romantic darling of the ladies, and a tale about a wager over a sack of potatoes, but you'll have to tune in to learn who won that one. Some highwaymen were well-mannered or faked it. People were concerned about the romanticism of robbers, but most were just thugs. Highwaymen are in the hot seat this season. Call them robbers or bandits. Some are legendary figures. Listen to stories about historical crimes on

Criminalia now, plus the cocktails and mocktails inspired by figures. Listen to stories about historical crimes on Criminalia now, plus the cocktails and mocktails inspired by each. Listen to Criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Jake Hanrahan, journalist and documentary filmmaker. Away Days is my new project, reporting on countercultures on the fringes of society all across the world live from the underground you'll discover no rules fighting, Japanese

street racing, Brazilian favela life and much more. All real completely uncensored this is unique access with straightforward on the ground reporting we're taking you deep into the dirt without the usual airs and graces of legacy media away day showcases what the mainstream cannot access Real underground reporting with real people no excuses for the past decade I've been going to places. I shouldn't be meeting people. I shouldn't know now you can come along to listen to the Your Way Days podcast, reporting from the underbelly on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A murder happens. The case goes cold. Then over a hundred years later, we take a second look. I'm Paul Holes, a retired cold case investigator. And I'm Kate Winkler Dawson, a journalist and historian. On our podcast, Buried Bones, we reexamine historical true crime cases. Using modern forensic techniques, we dig into what the original investigators may have missed. Growing up on a farm when I heard a gunshot, I did not immediately think murder.

Unless this person went out to shoot squirrels, they're not choosing a 22 to go hunting out there. These cases may be old, but the questions are still relevant and often chilling. I know this chauffeur is not of concern. You know, it's like, well, he's the last one who saw our life. So how did they eliminate him? Join us as we take you back to the cold cases that haunt us to this day. New episodes every Wednesday on the Exactly Right Network. Listen to Barry Bones on the iHeartRadio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The consistent theme in her loved one's memories is Nina's unwavering presence, love, and dedication. Despite having her own life and ambitions, she always made sure her family never felt alone. But beyond her role as a daughter, sister, and caregiver to her younger siblings, Nina Cook was a young woman with big dreams and passions. Kenya describes her as a driven and charismatic person who knew exactly who she was. Very confident, I would say. Very much knew who she was.

Very much a hustler in a good way. Very much driven, goal-oriented. She just was very, very charismatic. She made friends easily, very supportive, a girl's girl for sure. Yeah, I mean, I think anyone who knows her or even just meeting her, she could make you feel comfortable and just confident.

She was just a good person overall, good personality. Naina had a big personality and always kept it real to those around her. But one quality Kenya misses. I would say probably her sense of humor. At times, looking back, some of the stuff I didn't think was funny in the moment. She was very, very loving and bossy though, but in a good way. But she was definitely very opinionated and will give you her opinion unsolicited no matter what she didn't care if you liked it or not. I miss just her sassiness, how outspoken she was. And just

you knew it was coming from a good place, even if the delivery wasn't the sweetest or softest. She was very, very outspoken and a blunt person. So you definitely have to have tough skin, but she's gonna tell you the truth. Lydia recalls Nina's creativity and how she always made room to forgive. I admired her generosity, her capacity to love and forgive. She was very forgiving. She had a really big heart,

but also her tenacity and her drive. She was super driven, very creative. It was really important to her to take care of everyone around her, especially her siblings. She loved us. Sometimes she would try to act like the big sister to me. She was the big sister to Chris and Kenya. Sometimes she would try to tell me what I needed to do and how I need to live my life and how you're going to raise these kids and make sure you love on them enough. And she was, you know, she's very fierce. But her capacity to forgive and love and her generosity is probably what sticks out the most.

Something Kenya believes many people might have overlooked about Naina. Just her good intentions. She wanted to do a lot. She had a lot of goals and ideas and dreams, wanting to own her own trucking company. I don't think many people know that. She had started to develop a trucking company

called Stratosphere Carriers, and she wanted to be a freight broker. I think a lot of people probably don't know how smart and intelligent she was because she's very beautiful and so people would probably look at her and automatically assume you know superficial things. They didn't know that she's very intelligent and very smart and very business, a lot of business savvy and just very much about, you know, development and growth. So I think that gets overlooked. Nina's interests weren't only limited to business, however. Chris reveals a side of

his sister that few might have known about. The love of basketball. I don't think many people realize that she was an avid basketball fan. Even if she couldn't play, she loved the game. One of the first stories that she told me about was about a little known guy named Michael Jordan. So he played for the Chicago Bulls was about a little known guy named Michael Jordan.

So he played for the Chicago Bulls and she would tell me he was like, she was like, man, Chris, like, you know, bedtime stories. Jordan used to fly through the air. And I'm talking about what you mean? He says fly. It's like, no, he would float so high. And I'm thinking like literally this guy's flying through the air.

The infamous free throw line dunk, I don't know, y'all can look it up on YouTube where the Jordan logo was formed. She loved that memory of Michael Jordan. So I don't think many people realize how much of a sports fan she was. This picture painted by Nina's siblings reveals a multifaceted woman,

nurturing yet ambitious, beautiful yet intelligent, strict yet loving, indirect yet forgiving. With all of these recollections, it's almost impossible not to imagine Nina's future. She had ambition, drive, Nina's future. She had ambition, drive, and her desire to build something substantial. Like most, she had a vision for her future. But what happened to derail that future? And most importantly, who is responsible for her death and why. But her capacity to forgive and love and her generosity is probably what sticks out the most.

The qualities that made Nina special, her generosity, her forgiveness, her trust, may have also made her vulnerable, but we're getting ahead of ourselves. For now, we need to understand that Nina Cook wasn't just another statistic. She was a woman who left an impact on everyone around her. You know, she would give you the shirt off her back.

You know, she was such a giving and caring person. You know, there would be times randomly where she would just come check in on me, Kenya, my grandmother, you know, just dropping money off, dropping so much money off. In fact, you know that, you know, she would just give it all out to her family. Just such a giving, caring person about her family. Her all out to her family. Just such a giving, caring person about her family. Her family was really her world. In part two of this series, we'll dive into the circumstances

surrounding Nina's initial disappearance, those last conversations with loved ones, and a horrifying discovery that led to a years-long investigation. Anyone with information regarding Nina Cook's case should contact the Memphis Police Department. Their number can be found in the description box below. As we close out this episode,

don't forget to hit the follow 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 episode, leave us a 5-star rating. Thank you so much for joining us on another episode. Until next time. Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Explore the winding halls of historical true crime with Holly Fry and Maria Tremarchi,

hosts of Criminalia, as they uncover curious cases from the past. The legend of the highway man suggests men dominated the field, but tell that to Lady Catherine Farrers, known as the Wicked Lady, who terrorized England in the mid 1600s. Her legend persists nearly 400 years after her death. Highwaymen are in the hot seat this season. Find more crime and cocktails on Criminalia. Listen to Criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Jake Hanrahan, journalist and documentary filmmaker. Away Days is my new project, reporting on countercultures on the fringes of society all across the world.

Live from the underground, you'll discover no rules fighting, Japanese street racing, resilient favela life and much more. All real, completely uncensored. Listen to the away days podcast, reporting from the underbelly, on the iHeartRadio app, apple podcast or wherever you get your podcasts. A body, a suspect and a hundred years of silence. Buried Bones is a podcast about the forgotten crimes history tried to leave behind. A common misperception about serial predators is that every single time they commit a crime, they commit it the same way.

The past is a way of talking if you know what to listen for. New episodes every Wednesday on the Exactly Right Network. Listen to Buried Bones on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Marsha P. Johnson is the trans icon of the queer movement, and it's time to listen to her. I wanna be one of the world's biggest drag queens. Today, you can buy t-shirts with her face on them.

But her death in 1992 was never solved. I'm dying, dying, dying. Hear how Marsha's life and legacy reshaped our world. Just get your heart ready. Listen to Afterlives on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart Podcast.