‘Waiting is terrible;’ Cheryl Coker’s family still hoping for justice 5 years after disappearance

RIVERSIDE — It’s been five years since Cheryl Coker was last seen alive and investigators are still working to find out who killed her.

News Center 7′s John Bedell spoke to Coker’s sister, Margie Keenan, on Monday and she said her family is still hoping for justice no matter how long it takes.

>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Cheryl Coker homicide investigation remains open 4 years after disappearance

Keenan visited her sister’s grave Monday to have a conversation with her sister.

“I tell her I miss her all the time. I come here and I see mom and I talk to mom. I talk to Cheryl. I just them know how much I miss them,” she said. “The women in my life, I miss so much.”

Coker disappeared after dropping off her daughter at Stebbins High School on Oct. 2, 2018.

Four months after her disappearance, investigators told News Center 7 first that they had a suspect in the case: Coker’s husband, Bill Coker.

In April 2020, a mushroom hunter found Coker’s remains in rural Greene County. An autopsy ruled homicidal violence played a role in her death, but the coroner’s office could not tell exactly how she died.

>> RELATED: Cheryl Coker homicide investigation remains ‘open and ongoing’ 2 years after her remains found

To this day, neither Bill nor anyone else has been charged or arrested in connection with her homicide.

Bill has told News Center 7 in two separate interviews that he had nothing to do with her disappearance or death.

Now, on the somber anniversary of her sister’s disappearance, Keenan is not giving up hope and is still praying for justice.

“Waiting is terrible and there’s nothing worse than waiting for anything. But in this case, I think that they, we just have to keep continue waiting. And I want justice when it’s right. I don’t want it before it’s too soon. I want it to be done and I want it to be done right,” Keenan said.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Riverside Police are still investigating Coker’s homicide.

In a statement sent to News Center 7 today, a BCI spokesperson said the agency “continues to work the case alongside Riverside PD and the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office.”

>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Cheryl Coker case: Riverside police name suspect, call disappearance a homicide

Riverside police said they “continue to seek justice for Cheryl and her family.”

“This case is still open. The City of Riverside Police Department will continue to seek justice for Cheryl and her family. Currently, we are looking at all avenues regarding this investigation and the presenting of charges. From day one no stone has been left unturned. The City of Riverside Police Department will continue to investigate all leads and partner with BCI. We do consider this a ‘cold’ case but will continue to pursue all information or leads that come forward. We do ask the public to report all information regarding this case to the police department at (937) 233-1801 or police@riversideoh.gov ,” Riverside Police Major Matthew Sturgeon said.

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