The Galveston County Daily News

GALVESTON — Police found a boy who had been missing from Georgia since Oct. 19 and arrested his mother, a former University of Texas Medical Branch student, on a fugitive from justice warrant, authorities said Saturday.

Galveston police, using an Internet IP address, found Jeffre William Few, 10, at 9 p.m. Friday at a West End beach house in the 4200 block of Vista Road, Lt. Henry Porretto, a Galveston police spokesman, said.

The Galveston Central Appraisal District lists the co-owner of the house as a Houston attorney.

Police didn’t know how Jennifer Joanne Cook, 31, came to be in the home, which had utilities connected.

Cook, of McDonough, Ga., was familiar with Galveston, having been a former student at the medical branch, Porretto said. The medical branch was unable to confirm the information late Saturday, a spokesman said.

Cook went to her child’s school Oct. 19 and left with the boy, even though custody was awarded to the father, according to reports from Henry County, Ga., police.

Galveston police had a flier and minimal information on how to find Few and Cook, Porretto said.

“The West Isle Division started at 2 p.m. Friday looking street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood, from 61st Street west,” Porretto said.
Police had information that Cook was addicted to an online video game, and two patrolmen, Joshua Alred and Jamie Denham, tracked her using pings from an Internet IP address, Porretto said.

“We got three different locations, and the last location we got the best hit on, but she signed off before we got there,” Porretto said.

The officers’ knowledge of the neighborhood helped them find Cook’s 1990 Acura Legend, Porretto said.

“The car was backed in, so we couldn’t see the license plate,” Porretto said. “The plate had been removed from the front.”

Officers surrounded the house, but Cook wouldn’t let police inside, Porretto said. Police eventually coaxed her into surrendering, and officers found the boy hiding in a back closet, Porretto said.

“This is a big deal for me — the best day I’ve had in two years,” Porretto said. “We were able to take the mother into custody, and the child didn’t cry.”

Few’s father flew from Georgia on Saturday morning and was reunited with his son. The father, son and his puppy, Biddie, flew back to Georgia on Saturday afternoon, Porretto said.

Child Protective Services was involved in the case, Porretto said.

Cook remained at the Galveston County Jail on Saturday, held without bond. She is expected to be extradited to Georgia, Porretto said.