07/15/10: James Cooley, 22, Ottumwa, IA

James Cooley

James Cooley, 22, was last seen by neighbors about 4 a.m. on Thursday, July 15, 2010 sleeping in a chair on the front porch of his family's home in Ottumwa, Ia. Later that morning, James's mother, Teri, received a call from her son's boss; James hadn't reported to work for his 8 a.m. shift. When she checked the front porch, James was gone.

"I went out there to check the chair...he wasn't there. I called his boss back and I said, 'He must be walking because he doesn't have a [driver's] license and he's not here.' So I called back about 9:00 a.m. She said he never showed up," Mrs. Cooley told KTVO News.

Teri Cooley told KTVO that her son was frustrated because he had a lot of fines to pay, but had no money. There has been no activity on his bank account since July 2.
Cooley's body was recovered from the Des Moines River in Van Buren County on Sunday afternoon, July 18. Authorities would not speculate on the cause of death.

"We will continue the investigation into his disappearance initially until we do get results of an autopsy to determine what the actual cause of death was," said Chief Jim Clark of the Ottumwa Police Department.



About James Cooley

James Trevor Cooley was born June 24, 1988, in Jacksonville, N.C., to Timothy and Teri Steele Cooley. He was a graduate of Ottumwa High School in 2007, and an employee of Sonic. He enjoyed cooking, hunting, fishing, Frisbee Golf, skateboarding and hanging out with friends.

James Cooley's obituary reads:

Surviving are his mother, Teri Cooley of Ottumwa; his father, Major Timothy (Kimberli) Cooley of Jacksonville,N.C.; grandparents, Richard and Virginia Steele and Patsy Cooley, all of Ottumwa; two sisters, Terina (Kyle) Nauman of Ames and Tori (Ian Hager) Cooley of Cedar Rapids; a nephew, Tyler Nauman; a half sister, Autumn Cooley of Jacksonville, N.C.; a stepsister, Morgan McVey of Jacksonville, N.C.; aunts and uncles, Joni (Roger) Cary of Ottumwa, Beth (Alan) Lampe of Windsor Heights, Randy (Sue) Cooley of Marshalltown and several cousins.

He was preceded in death by a grandfather, Robert Cooley and a stepsister, Meagan McVey.

Memorial services will be 1 p.m. Thursday at Willard St. United Methodist Church with Rev. Charles Luers officiating.

Visitation with the family present will be from 5-8 p.m. today at Reece Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Heartland Humane Society, PO Box 1149, Ottumwa, Iowa 52501.

Facts of the Case
Name/age: James Cooley
Last seen: 7/15/10, 4 a.m.
Recovered: 7/18/10, Des Moines River
Investigating Agency: Ottumwa Police Department at 641-683-0661.