Rancher Vanishes Into Thin Air

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David, tending to cattle and bison on the 8,000-acre Amsterdam, Mo. ranch he managed.

For David C. Cook, 56, of Amsterdam, Mo., November 19, 2008 was no different from any other day.

As a full-time cattle rancher, David spent the early morning hours working on an 8,000-acre cattle ranch, managing the land and monitoring nearly 1,000 head of cattle.

The labor-intensive job kept him busy, day in and day out, all year round. Despite working a grueling full-time job, David spent his afternoons and evenings working for the Kansas City Power & Light power plant.

On November 18, David left work at the power plant around 10:30 p.m. It would be the last reliable sighting of David, police say, before his mysterious disappearance.

The next morning, cops believe that David woke up and began his day. According to the Missouri Highway Patrol Division of Drug & Crime Control, David met with an employee of his around 7:00 a.m.

The ranch hand, who police are not considering a completely reliable source, told detectives that he and David checked on a herd of cattle just a few miles from David's home.

After attending to the cattle, David supposedly drove home on a four-wheeler.

Later that day, on November 19, David missed a meeting that was scheduled with several of his business partners.

Equally unsettling, David did not show for work at the power plant, either. Family and friends thought this was extremely out of character for David, and they were immediately concerned.

A search ensued the very next day, November 20; when David didn’t appear, his family reported him missing.

According to police, David’s house wasn’t in disarray, and his was billfold untouched. David’s sister, Judy, says, “It’s as if he just vanished.”

What Really Happened To David Cook?

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This is the power plant where David Cook was last seen by a reliable source.

The oldest of seven siblings, David always found himself relying on responsibility and hard-work, and his family says he carried this mentality into his adult years.

David and his siblings grew up on a ranch, and their father grew up a rancher.

David, as a child, spent hours upon hours helping his father on the farm, and, as a result, David developed an undying adoration and dedication towards ranching and all that accompanied it.

“This was his joy. He loved it,” says his sister, Judy.

Friends and family all say David was too reliable, too invested in his work, and too much in love with his land and the animals that lived on it to simply wander off and start anew.

“A friendly, easy-going, giving, mild-mannered jokester, [David] didn’t have enemies,” Judy told us.

David didn’t have any vices either. Drugs, alcohol, gambling or anything of that nature, cops say, ever plagued David.

“If anything,” Judy says, “David was a workaholic.”

Nothing other than work occupied his life and, according to his family, David wouldn’t have it any other way.

So what happened to David? There are many questions revolving around his disappearance, and police and family are desperately searching for any information that might lead to the David's recovery.

Sergeant Greg Martin of the Missouri Highway Patrol believes his department may have unveiled some possible motives, but there is no evidence to support any of them.

One possible motive revolves around cattle theft.

“Cattle theft is a way bigger problem than people realize,” Sgt. Martin says.

Cops: Quarries May Hold The Answer

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Professional diver's have searched the numerous quarries on David's ranch, but have not found anything to suggest foul play.

Extensive searches for David, conducted by Missouri authorities, friends, and family have yielded no conclusive evidence.

Authorities and family alike suspect the worst: that foul play must have been involved.

More disturbing, David’s whereabouts are a complete mystery, although authorities have a hunch he may still be somewhere in the small town of Amsterdam, Mo.

Over the years, Amsterdam's landscape has been ravaged by large-scale strip mining, in which large mineral deposits are exposed by removing layers of earth. Once all the resources have been extracted, the site is abandoned, resulting in a massive open quarry.

Recently, these quarries have become a major focus in the search for David Cook.

Suspecting the worst, police think David may have been murdered and dumped in one of these quarries.

The pits are difficult to search. Many of the quarries are nearly 100 feet deep, filled with water, extremely dark, and murky.

Adding to the painstaking search is the fact that there are at least ten quarries on the 8,000 acre ranch David managed.

Despite discouraging results, the search for David persists, and now his family has turned to America’s Most Wanted for help.

If you know anything about the disappearance of David Cook, call our hotline at 1-800-CRIME-TV.