Who Killed Andreau Cook?

“My life would have been a lot better if my dad hadn’t been taken from me.”

Andreau Cook was a genuinely good man and an amazing father. He owned and operated TJ’s Espresso which was named after his two small children. He loved them so much that he would hold them in his lap every morning after off work at his overnight shift at Safeway. He was oftentimes so exhausted from working at Safeway and at the espresso stand that he would fall asleep with one or both of them in his lap in a rocking chair at his mother’s house every morning. These are the short-lived, precious moments that every parent looks back on and misses as they watch their children grow up. Andreau Cook never had the chance to watch his children grow up as his life was senselessly taken. This senseless act of violence changed the lives of his entire family and those around them in immeasurable ways that only those who have experienced such a sudden and violent loss can know and understand. No child should have to grow up without their father and no family should have to live and suffer with that unfillable void.

On the morning of April 5th, 1996, Andreau Cook, a 22-year-old father of two vanished without a trace from TJ’s Espresso, an espresso stand that he owned on the corner of S 144th St and Pacific Hwy S. The stand stood in the corner of a BP Gas (now Chevron) parking lot right next to Larry’s Market (now Saar’s Market). Responding officers and detectives noted a small amount of blood and signs of a struggle inside of the coffee stand. Cook’s vehicle, a tan 1984 Chevrolet Camaro was missing and was usually parked right next to the stand. The vehicle was discovered several hours later in Renton behind the Fred Meyer on 108th Ave SE. It was unoccupied and had been set ablaze. Two days later, Cook’s body was discovered by cyclists in a ravine under an overpass where it had been thrown from on Route 410 just east of Enumclaw. The medical examiner would ultimately rule the cause of death to be homicide from blunt force trauma to his head. Tukwila Major Crimes Unit (MCU) detectives have diligently worked the case in the days, weeks and years since this horrific crime was committed to bring justice to Cook’s family members.

Andreau Cook was last seen alive just before 6:00AM at his espresso stand the morning of April 5th, 1996. At some point between then and 6:40AM, he vanished, leaving the stand empty and unattended.

-Did you stop for coffee or gas that morning and see anything or notice that no one was there?

-Were you a regular customer of TJ’s Espresso and or knew Cook or his wife Wendy?

-Do you know someone who mentioned the case in the days and weeks following it that seemed to have intimate knowledge of the case or mentioned anything concerning or odd?

-Did you hear something from someone or in passing about the case that you believe would help our investigators?

Every single person that knew Cook would tell you that he was a good man and a wonderful father to his two small children. He worked hard at an overnight stocking job at Safeway in Eastgate (Bellevue) and oftentimes would help work at the espresso stand in the afternoons/evenings. The espresso stand Cook had started approximately four months prior to his murder. He had purchased the stand for his wife Wendy who usually worked at the stand.

Time changes things and technology has come a long way. The capabilities of DNA technology, social media and more all lend to assisting investigators with solving cases that are sometimes even decades old such as this one. Help us bring justice to Cook’s family members whose lives were forever changed. Even if you hadn’t even been born yet, didn’t live in the area, had never heard of this case and or had no ties to this case, you can help us out by sharing this post and bringing focus back to this case and getting justice for Andreau Cook.

Cook loved his children, loved trains, loved the Seattle Mariners and loved his family. Help us bring the justice his family deserves. If you know something, saw something, heard something or have any information related to this case, please email Detective Schlotterbeck at M.Schlotterbeck@tukwilawa.gov