Above Images: Cooper, circa 1999
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
Missing Since: May - July 1999 from Rochester, New York Classification: Endangered Missing Date of Birth: July 30, 1976 Age: 23 years old Height and Weight: 5'5, 185 pounds Distinguishing Characteristics: Native American male. Black hair, brown eyes. Cooper's nickname is Chewy. He has acne scars and a scar on his left cheek and his lip. He also has several tattoos, including a cat, a Joker, the word "Indio" and the name "JH Ryan."
Details of Disappearance
Cooper was last seen in Rochester, New York sometime between May and July of 1999. He left behind a three-year-old son, and his girlfriend was pregnant with their daughter. Most of his family lived on the nearby Cattaraugus Indian Reservation. His mother died of cancer in 2010, eleven years after his disappearance.In March 2011, James Kendrick and Pablo Plaza were charged with murdering Cooper. The defendants, who were Cooper's cousins, were two of eleven individuals charged with a variety of drug- and weapons-related offenses. Kendrick, Plaza and two others are also charged with murdering Francisco Santos, who disappeared from Rochester in 1998. His body was found in May 1999 on the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation. Authorities believe Kendrick had been the ringleader of a drug trafficking enterprise since 1993. The defendants could face the death penalty if convicted of Santos and Cooper's murders.
Cooper's body has never been located. Foul play is suspected in his case due to the circumstances involved.
Investigating Agency
Source Information
Updated 3 times since October 12, 2004.
Last updated June 2, 2012; picture added.
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Rochester Police Department
585-428-7114
The Democrat and Chronicle
WHEC 10
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Doe Network
NamUs