Findlay Patrol sergeant laid to rest

FINDLAY — A funeral was held Friday afternoon for Ohio State Highway Patrol Sgt. Matthew Cook Jr., 39, who lived outside Findlay and served at Findlay's Highway Patrol post before transferring to the Defiance post. A procession led Cook Jr. from Gateway Church, 9555 County Road 9, through the Findlay area to Maple Grove Cemetery, 1120 W. Main Cross St., where he was buried. As it passed through the city, the procession caused the entrance and exit ramps to Interstate 75 at County Road 99 to close for about 20 minutes. Hancock County Sheriff's Office said deputies were dispatched to Cook's home in rural Hancock County, near McComb, about 6:27 p.m. Dec. 31, 2025, after receiving a report of an unconscious man at the residence. Area emergency personnel were also called to the home and Cook Jr. was pronounced dead by Hanco upon arrival. The Sheriff's Office said in a release that after completing a preliminary investigation, it appeared Cook Jr.'s cause of death was "self-induced." Ohio State Highway Patrol posted a statement on social media recognizing Cook Jr. on Jan. 1. "It is with great sorrow that the Ohio State Highway Patrol recognizes the off-duty death of Sergeant Matthew Cook of the Defiance Post," the post reads. "Our thoughts are with Sergeant Cook's family, the Findlay District and the Patrol family as a whole." According to an obituary published in The Courier's Tuesday, Jan. 6 edition, Cook Jr. was born in Toledo and attended Owens Community College, achieving a degree in criminal justice. He later entered the Ohio State Highway Patrol Academy and joined the Findlay post upon graduation. He was named Trooper of the Year in 2016 and 2020, and was promoted to sergeant in April 2024. A private viewing took place at Gateway Church from 4-8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 8.