Hi, crime junkies. I'm your host Ashley Flowers, and I'm Pritt, and the story I have for

you today is about a woman who was failed over and over again by the people and the systems

who should have rushed to her side in her time of need.

October is domestic violence awareness month, and this year I wanted to tell you about

a case that has infuriated me to my core. This is the story of Deanna Cook.

It's Sunday, August 19, 2012, and Vicki Cook has a bad feeling because she hasn't been able

to reach her 32-year-old daughter, Deanna, in two days. Deanna's not answering her phone,

she hasn't posted on Facebook, and she didn't come to church this morning. So Vicki's mom

senses are telling her that something's wrong. She decides to head over to Deanna's house

to check up on her, probably hoping that she's maybe just overreacting. And she doesn't

go alone. She takes her other daughter, Carlytha, as well as Deanna's two daughters who don't

live with their mom. But any hope she had that she was just overreacting fades as she approaches

Deanna's house and sees water flowing from beneath the garage door. Two of her dogs

are outside too, and they are barking in the backyard. So the women walk around her house,

pulling on the front door, and the back gate trying to get inside, but both are locked.

And they can't see anything amiss other than this water flowing outside, which is kind

of a big thing to be amiss. Right. They know they have to get inside. So they call

the Dallas police for some assistance. I mean, they don't just want to go breaking into

her home. But the officer they speak with doesn't give them the help they need. She says

that before any officers get sent to the house, they need to check all the local jails

and the hospitals, which like, by the way, isn't a thing for a welfare check. No, I'm

flabbergasted. Yeah. And I honestly know this because literally just yesterday, me and

...