Dawn René Backes, a 12-year-old girl, was a seventh-grade student at Gesu Elementary School in Toledo, Ohio. She was known for her gentle demeanor and love for animals. On the evening of February 21, 1981, Dawn was with friends at a pizza parlor located at Central Avenue and Secor Road. Due to a mix-up, she found herself without a ride home around 10:30 PM and decided to walk home alone.
As she made her way near the University of Toledo, Anthony Cook spotted her while driving his pickup truck. He maneuvered his vehicle to intercept her path, then forcibly abducted her, placing her into his truck.
OD Refugee
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After the abduction, Anthony picked up his brother, Nathaniel Cook, and together they transported Dawn to the abandoned State Theater on Collingwood Boulevard. The brothers were familiar with this location, having previously stripped copper from the building. In the darkened basement of the theater, they blindfolded and brutally raped Dawn. Following the assault, they forced her to re-dress and then killed her by repeatedly dropping a cinder block on her head, crushing her skull.
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The murder of Dawn Backes was part of a series of violent crimes committed by the Cook brothers between 1980 and 1981. Their crime spree included multiple abductions, rapes, and murders, primarily targeting young individuals in the Toledo area. The brothers' actions instilled fear throughout the community during that period.
Anthony Cook was arrested on October 14, 1981, for the murder of Peter Sawicki, a prominent real estate developer. At that time, evidence linking him to the other crimes was not yet uncovered. It wasn't until 1998 that DNA profiling connected both Anthony and Nathaniel Cook to several unsolved cases, including the murder of Dawn Backes. In 2000, both brothers confessed to multiple murders as part of a plea agreement. Anthony received multiple life sentences, while Nathaniel was sentenced to 75 years with a minimum of 15 years served. Nathaniel was paroled after 18 years in 2018.
The brutal murder of 12-year-old African American girl Dawn René Backes left an indelible mark on the Toledo community, highlighting the tragic consequences of the Cook brothers' reign of terror.
