What happened to Troy Cook?
More than two decades after his son disappeared in Truro a father still looks for answers
Tom Cook recently got his first tattoo at 66 years old. It is a dedication to his children and future grandchild — including his son Troy, who vanished without a trace over 23 years ago.
The tattoo depicts a dreamcatcher around the tree of life — is nod to his sons’ Indigenous heritage. A falling leaf has Troy’s name, representing him being lost. Another leaf has younger son Michael Cook’s name, and the name of Mike’s child will go on the third leaf. Cook hopes the image will spark conversations on his missing son, a topic he has kept at the forefront over the past two decades.
“That just shows he’s so devoted, you know?” said Dakota Betts, who is like a nephew to Tom.
Betts has many tattoos and was shocked that Tom wanted one. “That, to me, says he wants people to ask him. It’s a conversation about Troy … In any which way he can get any answer, he tries.”
DISAPPEARED
As a young adult, Troy decided to move into his own apartment on Willow Street in Truro, N.S.
“I said ‘No problem, I’ll help you set up an apartment,’” said Cook. “He was 19 and he just want(ed) to spread his wings. You know, he had a good social life.”
Troy lived there for less than a month. Being very close with Cook, he was still coming home lots to do laundry and have meals. Cook always left care packages at his place.
After Troy spent a night at home in Kemptown, Cook dropped Troy off at the apartment in Truro around 10 a.m. on Thursday, June 11, 1998. He never saw the driveway or if Troy went through the door and continued to an appointment at the garage.
At about 10:30 a.m., someone made a call to Atlantic Superstore claiming to be Troy, saying he would not be able to work his shift there that evening. The employee who answered thought it was Troy but could not say it was with absolute certainty, noting he sounded sick and strange.
The call was made from a phone booth by the Tim Hortons on Pictou Road and Wright Avenue in Bible Hill. No security cameras captured footage.
Troy planned to met Cook on Friday at a restaurant. When he didn’t show up, the family called Atlantic Superstore and learned he hadn’t checked in there.
When they could not find him at the apartment, either, they contacted the RCMP and were redirected to the Truro Police Service.
Cook and Betts say it would have been odd for Troy to call in sick shortly after Cook dropped him off, and Troy seemed well during his visit with family. He never mentioned plans to go anywhere.
The only thing missing from his apartment was his driver’s license.
“He lived at home for 19 years, never, never in trouble, never gave me an ounce of trouble,” said Cook.
“He was only in an apartment for a month, he was still coming home.”
‘JUST A TYPICAL TEENAGER’
Troy was a social butterfly who “just drew people in,” bringing girlfriends home and striking up conversations and frequenting Chevy’s, a local bar.
He did not have access to a car since his was broken at home.
“Why would he go back the way we came … we timed it to walk, he couldn’t walk it within that time, so he had to get a drive from somebody,” said Cook. “So, there were plans made with somebody to do something. Either he knew the person or just got acquainted.”
Cook does not believe Troy was involved in crime and thinks he could have just gotten in with the wrong person.
“If he had any kind of debt he’d come to me first … he wasn’t into drugs,” said Cook. “He smoked a little weed and stuff like that. But nothing heavier. He was just a typical teenager.”
Despite the passage of time and lack of clues, Cook is insistent upon one point.
“Somebody knows something in this town,” he says.
SUPPORT SYSTEM
Cook is still recovering from brain tumours following surgery in 2016, when he also suffered a stroke on the operating table, as well as undergoing radiation for any remaining cancer.
Sometimes it’s hard to remember things and he suffers from constant headaches. He now lives in Truro after the smoke from an electrical fire ruined the belongings in his Kemptown home.
Cook was too sick to be active for the anniversary of Troy’s disappearance and his birthday on June 16, but still wants to make sure Troy is not forgotten.
Betts met Cook when he was 12 through a mutual friend. Though they have no blood connection, the 27-year-old and 66-year-old Cook have developed a familial bond. It started with odd jobs like mowing the lawn, then Cook took Betts go-karting and taught him how to drive and the value of money.
“The things my parents couldn’t do for me,” said Betts.
Betts is expecting his second child, and the middle name of Betts’ new baby is going to be named after Tom. As a father, he knows he also would not stop searching for his child as Cook continues to do.
“I couldn’t imagine being a father not doing exactly what he’s doing,” he said.
STILL SEEKING ANSWERS
Tom is dedicated to finding out what happened to his boy. When he had a car, he always kept posters inside of it and has always been open to a conversation – doing anything to raise awareness about Troy.
He makes sure to reach out to others whose loved ones have also gone missing. And in today’s age, social media makes a difference, said Betts.
“The best way to get (it) out (is) if I talk to somebody I don’t know, and they’ll start talking to people,” said Cook.
Cook thinks his son would have grown up to be an announcer or a musician, maybe even a politician today – a public face. He had a good voice and played electric guitar.
And his searching will continue in the hopes of finding some clue as to his eldest son’s disappearance. All he wants is closure. Each time he hears about unidentified remains being discovered, Cook said, it drives him insane.
“I’m retired now. I’m 66. I want to find him before I’m in the ground … been over 23 years now. No wonder my head’s aching.”
There is a $150,000 reward under the Nova Scotia Justice Department’s major unsolved crimes program for information that leads to an arrest and conviction of those responsible for his disappearance.