A judge has awarded custody of two children of a North Carolina woman whose body was found last week to her family. Meanwhile, her husband, Brad Cooper, has not been named as a suspect in the death of 34-year-old Nancy Cooper and his attorney told reporter he did not kill his wife.

Brad Cooper "is not a suspect, not a person of interest, and he has been very, very clear with the police: He did not kill his wife," said attorney Seth Blum in a news conference.

Cooper was last seen at 7 a.m. Saturday, July 12, as she left their upscale home to go jogging. She was reported missing at 2:51 p.m. Saturday afternoon after she failed to meet a friend that afternoon.

Brad Cooper had not reported his wife missing.

Authorities and volunteers began searching the Cary, North Carolina area for Nancy Cooper. On Monday, July 14, a man walking his dog spotted her body on the banks of a retention pond near her home.

Search Warrant Served

A search warrant was served Wednesday at the Cooper's home and many items of evidence were removed. Brad Cooper has also submitted saliva and DNA samples to investigators, they said.

Authorities have not released the cause of death for Nancy Cooper. The have said that they believe that her death was neither an "isolated incident" nor a "random act of violence."

Media speculation about Brad Cooper's possible involvement in his wife's death increased significantly Thursday after a judge awarded the couple's two children to Nancy Cooper's family after an emergency custody hearing.

Pattern of Abusive Behavior

In court papers, Nancy's parents, Garry and Donna Rentz, and her identical twin sister, Krista Lister, claimed that Brad Cooper was abusive to his wife and children, often withholding from them money for groceries, screaming at Nancy in front of the children and was having an affair in the months leading up to her death.

The speculation of Brad Cooper's involvement in the press prompted his attorney to call his own news conference on Friday.

"The bizarre and unsupported theories floating around television and the Internet have made it impossible for us to sit quietly and to say nothing," Blum said. "Brad Cooper is also a man in mourning. He's lost his wife. He is grieving. Different people grieve in different ways. Mr. Cooper wishes to mourn privately. He does not want to do it at press conferences."

See Also:
Attorney: Husband Didn't Kill Jogger

Forum:
Discuss The Nancy Cooper Case

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^{Photo: Family Photo}