BRADFORD, Vt. — Vermont State Police have asked the public for help locating the remains of Corey Crooker, a 43-year-old man who police say was killed at an Old Post Road property.
His family members hope for closure, not only in the investigation and in court, but also emotionally.
“We just want to be able to lay him to rest, that’s really it,” said Sofia Crooker, the victim’s 22-year-old daughter.
Corey Crooker went missing in January of 2025. The following month, police located some of his remains in a fire pit at 660 Old Post Road, where James Nickles, 44, and Lisa Akey, 43 resided.
The couple initially denied knowledge of Crooker’s disappearance and told police that he last visited their home on Jan. 14 to purchase drugs, but they gave him a jacket and turned him away. They also said that a woman in an SUV came and retrieved him, court records indicate.
Later in a Feb. 4 interview, Nickles confessed to shooting Crooker, who he said entered their home suddenly after having left the property following an argument, according to the police affidavit. Nickles claimed he initially did not know who had come inside and that he shot twice in self-defense, the document stated.
Nickles also admitted to burning the body for several days. He said that Crooker was never moved from the fire pit in his yard and told police, “Whatever’s there is there,” the affidavit said.
But state police have continued searching for more of his remains, including a South Main Street property in Bradford back in June.
Crooker’s father, David Crooker, has more recently offered a $5,000 reward through police for verifiable information leading directly to the recovery of his son’s remains. Reached by phone Tuesday, Crooker said he has wanted to offer a reward from the beginning.
Crooker is frustrated that the federal gun charges Nickles was arrested on had been dropped. In New Hampshire U.S. District Court, Nickles was charged earlier this year with knowingly possessing firearms as a convicted felon and for possessing a firearm as an unlawful user addicted to controlled substance, according to court records.
While the two counts for firearm possession each carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000, Judge Mary Kay Lanthier dismissed the case to allow state prosecution on his related murder charge to proceed, she wrote in a June 6 order.
Nickles pleaded not guilty in the Orange Superior Court on May 15, 2025, to two felony charges of second-degree murder and unauthorized removal of a dead body, and to a misdemeanor of false information to police. Nickles has been held at Northern State Correctional Facility without bail ever since.
Akey also pleaded not guilty in May 2025 to three felony charges of accessory after the fact, unauthorized removal of a dead body and obstruction of justice, with an additional misdemeanor of false information to police. She remains in custody at Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility.
As for Corey Crooker, David Crooker said his son may not have been perfect, but he was never violent or a fighter. He added that the family has no history of drug abuse, and the path he took was a symptom of bad company.
“He wasn’t a bad person. He didn’t break into houses, didn’t steal cars, didn’t do robberies. He worked full time until he got injured,” said David Crooker.
Crooker believes that Nickles and Akey know exactly what happened with his son’s body, but “neither of them are talking,” he said.
Corey Crooker’s older sister, Amy Mulhern, of Northfield, N.H., wants people to know that her brother was more than just his addiction. She recalls him being skilled with his hands and starting to pursue a passion for woodworking. Crooker was funny, loyal to his family and proud of his three children, Sofia, 22; Ayden, 9; and Myles, 2, she added.
“My youngest nephew, he’ll never know his father,” Mulhern said of Myles.
Despite struggling with substance abuse, Crooker talked about wanting to get sober and change his life, Mulhern told the Valley News.
Throughout the past year and a half of trying to process the loss of Crooker, his family must also follow along with an ongoing investigation and court proceedings.
“It feels like it’s two steps forward and one step back,” said Mulhern. “We can’t grieve in the traditional sense because just when you feel like you’re maybe making some headway, we have this court date.”
While Nickles confessed to police on Feb. 4 that he shot Crooker, as noted in the affidavit, Mulhern shared that their family wasn’t informed until May. Up until then, he was still publicly considered missing, though rumors were going around, she said.
“It feels like we were the last to know; that’s hard,” said Mulhern.
Mulhern doesn’t buy it that Nickles killed her brother in self-defense, adding that Crooker was sick, using crutches and in “no condition to be a threat” to anyone. The subsequent disposal of Crooker’s body added insult to injury.
“He took Corey’s voice away, and then he ruined any chance of a proper investigation,” said Mulhern, who added that she feels Nickles should have to miss out on all the future experiences he robbed Crooker of.
There’s nothing normal about this situation, she said, but with Crooker’s remains in their possession, the family can still find a traditional way to connect with him despite the loss.
“Especially his kids need to be able to properly say goodbye to their father, to have something tangible,” said Mulhern.
“It’s never going to take away what happened or how we feel about what happened, but he needs to be laid to rest,” said Crooker’s mother, Diane Cobb.
Cobb worries the sentence will be minimal and call for rehabilitation instead of imprisonment. The legal process has been painful so far, she said Monday by phone.
“I can’t even go to the court. I’m just distraught over it,” said Cobb, who cares for Ayden and Myles.
Sofia Crooker had a great relationship with her dad and bonded well with him, she said, even though things were rocky in the last couple of years of his life.
“But he still made it a point to speak with me, to do things with me,” said Crooker.
Over a year and a half after her father died, the family is still waiting for answers. Sofia Crooker recalls going through all of the emotions at the start of the investigation, but feeling mad stuck with her the most.
“I’m mad we can’t lay him to rest. I’m mad that people are kind of keeping things a secret on where his remains are, and I don’t think it’s fair,” said Crooker.
While Crooker says police have been communicative with her family, she believes others are hiding information essential to the investigation. As a result, updates have been scarce.
The request for help from the public is intended to serve a dual purpose, Crooker said: giving her family closure and bringing police more leads. She hopes Nickles is found guilty on all charges.
If convicted, Nickles could face life in prison or a minimum of 20 years for second-degree murder; a maximum five years and $1,000 fine for unauthorized removal; and a mximum one year prison and $1,000 fine for false information to police.
Akey’s charges come with the possibility of seven years and a $1,000 fine for accessory after the fact; five years and a $5,000 fine for obstruction of justice; five years and a $1,000 fine for removal of a body; and one year and a $1,000 fine for false information.
“If they’re trying to get too lenient with the punishments, we’re not going to let it happen,” said David Crooker.
Both Nickles and Akey have status conferences scheduled for January 20 at Orange County Superior Court in Chelsea.
