The Disappearance of Shelly Lynn Mook
Status: Missing, presumed deceased
Last seen: February 28, 2011
Location: Shelbyville / Murfreesboro area, Tennessee
Primary person of interest: Ex-husband, Tyler Mook (never charged in her disappearance)
Who Was Shelly?
Full name: Shelley Lynn Jones (later Mook)
Born: June 29, 1987, in Erie, Pennsylvania
Known as kind, responsible, and loving
Described as having blonde hair, hazel/green eyes, and a “million dollar smile”
Best friend Britney says Shelly always wanted to make the world better.
Relationship with Tyler Mook
Shelly and Britney noticed Tyler when they were teens—he was ~6 years older, into cars, had a “bad boy” reputation and a lot of attention from women.
They met him at a party and even made a bet about who he’d choose.
He ended up with Shelly.
Right after she graduated high school (2004), Shelly became pregnant. They married in Hawaii.
They had a daughter, often referred to as Lily (real name: Liliana).
Shelly later went to college and became a teacher.
The Relationship Turns Toxic
Over time, the relationship allegedly turned:
Emotionally and physically abusive on Tyler’s part
Unfaithful – there were allegations he cheated
They had the classic cycle:
“Good” periods
Followed by bad fights
Each time they split, Tyler tried to win her back with love letters and promises (grand gestures, future trips that never happened)
By 2009, Shelly was done. She:
Filed for divorce
Was granted primary custody of Lily
Tyler: mid-week and every other weekend visitation
They were living in Tennessee by then:
Shelbyville (Bedford County) near Tyler’s family
After the split, Shelly moved to Murfreesboro (Rutherford County) for a fresh start.
She worked as an 8th grade teacher at Harris Middle School and was beloved by students and coworkers. Everyone agrees:
There is no world in which she’d willingly abandon her daughter.
The Day Shelly Disappeared
Date: Monday, February 28, 2011
Shelly planned two days off from school (Monday and Tuesday):
She’d gotten a substitute teacher already scheduled
She had just moved into a new apartment that weekend
Plan: finish unpacking & take care of personal appointments
Known Timeline
Last confirmed sighting: Between ~3:00–4:00 p.m.
Shelly drops Lily off at Tyler’s house in Shelbyville.
Plan: He watches Lily for a couple hours. Shelly returns later that night.
Shelly also allegedly had a handyman appointment at her new apartment around 4:30 p.m. – she never shows up.
Red Flags
Shelly never comes to pick up Lily that night.
Her mom, Deborah, who had just helped her move and then driven back to Pennsylvania that morning, can’t reach her.
Deborah tries calling Monday and Tuesday—no response.
On Wednesday, she calls the school:
They tell her Shelly did not show up for work.
Sub was only for Mon/Tues—she was expected Wednesday.
Deborah immediately drives back to Tennessee overnight.
When she arrives, it’s clear:
Shelly is missing.
The Burned Car
12:30 a.m. on Tuesday, March 1
Shelly’s car is found on fire in an open field about 20 miles away.
It’s fully torched, clearly intentionally set.
Damage is so bad it takes time to identify it as Shelly’s car.
From this point on, it’s treated not just as arson, but as the disappearance (and likely homicide) of a missing woman.
Focus on Tyler Mook
Investigators naturally turn to the last known person to see Shelly alive: Tyler.
And from the beginning?
He is not cooperative.
A TBI (Tennessee Bureau of Investigation) agent has confirmed he has not cooperated in her case.
He is the only named person of interest.
He has never joined searches, never publicly pleaded for Shelly’s return or justice.
He has also behaved extremely suspiciously in court later (more on that below).
Emergency Custody Hearing – July 2011
Within a week of Shelly’s disappearance, her mom Deborah filed an emergency petition for custody of Lily.
Reasons:
Ensure Lily was in a safe, stable home
Tyler had a history of:
Drug use
Verbal and physical abuse
Being a suspected (though not charged) figure in Shelly’s disappearance
At the custody hearing:
This was an opportunity to question Tyler under oath about Feb 28.
Instead of giving clear answers, he did this:
He pled the 5th Amendment between 140–150 times.
Almost every question:
About his relationship with Shelly
About that day
About what happened before and after she dropped off Lily
He refused to answer.
The only question he answered?
“Did you have sex with Shel on February 28th?”
Tyler: “Yes.”
And then right back to pleading the 5th for every follow-up.
It’s bizarre, borderline braggy, and makes him look much more suspicious, not less.
Lily’s Testimony (Age ~6)
A child specialist interviews Lily.
Her account:
She and her mom went to Tyler’s that day.
Shelly went inside alone while Lily stayed in the car.
Shelly was upset.
Tyler eventually came outside, took Lily in, and sent her straight to her room, told her not to come out.
She never saw her mom inside the house.
She never saw her leave.
This confirms:
Tyler was the last known person to see Shelly alive.
Tyler’s version in a later hearing:
Yes, Shelly came between 3–4 p.m.
Yes, she was upset (he claims she was worried her new boyfriend was cheating).
Claims they talked for about an hour.
Says she left to run errands and go to her handyman appointment (which she never showed up to).
Says she was supposed to pick Lily up around 10 p.m.—he claims she just never came back.
Only message he says he got from her was at 7 p.m.: “I will, babe.”
Unclear if that was even sent by her.
Horrifying Detail: Matches & Arson Request
At one point, Tyler gave his little daughter matches and told her to light a fire under her grandmother’s (Deborah’s) bed.
His own mother was allegedly part of this conversation.
Thankfully, this never happened. But the request alone is chilling.
History of Abuse & Road Rage Incident
Testimony during the custody battle included:
Tyler’s drug use
Verbal and physical abuse
One story where:
He chased Shelly and Lily in his car
Tried to swerve into them, forcing Shelly toward oncoming traffic
The judge ultimately ruled:
Tyler is an unfit parent who poses substantial risk of harm to Lily.
Deborah gets custody and takes Lily back to Pennsylvania to raise her in safety.
Investigation Details & Strange Behavior
Despite how obvious Tyler seems as a suspect, no body and no physical evidence = no charges (yet).
Evidence & Leads
Crime lab visited Tyler’s house 3 days after Shelly vanished – nothing publicly reported from that.
He moved out of his home and in with his parents that same day. Not illegal, but extremely odd timing.
A search at a rail yard in Cowan, Tennessee turned up nothing.
A neighbor’s van was seized and searched—again, publicly, no results mentioned.
Her phone last pinged around 7:30 p.m. on Feb 28 in the area of Beech Grove, TN (about 15–20 minutes from Tyler’s).
No reason she’d go there voluntarily.
The Gas Station Dumpster
About 10 days after Shelly disappeared, Tyler is caught on surveillance:
At a gas station a few miles from his house
In his red truck
He stops by the dumpster for 5–10 minutes
We don’t have the footage, just descriptions. But spending 5–10 minutes at a dumpster is not normal.
The 911 Butt Dial (Huge Self-Own)
During the custody dispute, Tyler butt-dialed 911 and didn’t hang up.
The call lasted ~20 minutes.
You can hear him talking with his father about:
Shelly’s case
Investigators
Evidence
He mentions:
They have witnesses who saw him walking in the road the night Shelly’s car was found burning.
Then, after realizing what he’d done, he calls 911 back to ask:
“Was that call recorded?”
If you weren’t already suspicious, this absolutely pushes it into what are you doing, man? territory.
The Florida Attempted Murder Case
Even if you tried to give him the benefit of the doubt about Shelly, this part pretty much kills that.
After losing custody of Lily, Tyler moved to Florida.
There, he started dating a woman named Robin:
Single mom, thought they were headed toward marriage
He lied about his last name, told her it was “Cook”
She later saw his boat labeled “Mook Racing”
Googled him → found Shelly’s case → terrified, especially since she resembles Shelly
Tried to break up, but he manipulated her into staying
He claimed Shelly wasn’t missing, just “ran off overseas” with a boyfriend
The Boat Attack – 2014
On one outing:
On a boat with Tyler, his brother Andrew, and Andrew’s girlfriend
Robin arrived late → Tyler gets furious
He speeds through no-wake manatee zones, totally disregarding safety
Robin tells him to slow down → he snaps
He:
Stops the boat
Grabs Robin aggressively
Takes her phone, throws it
Takes her sunglasses, throws them
Throws her into the water
Jumps in after her and tries to drown her
Robin describes him:
Pushing her under repeatedly
At one point holding her upside down in the water
She believes he would’ve succeeded if his brother hadn’t intervened
Andrew:
Has to put Tyler in a chokehold to stop him
Robin escapes to another boat—two men pull her aboard
They recall Tyler screaming at them, furious
There happened to be a cop where they boated back. Tyler was arrested for battery, later upgraded to attempted first-degree murder.
Trial & Conviction
Trial took place in March 2016.
Robin, Andrew, and Andrew’s girlfriend testified.
Andrew made it clear: he didn’t want to testify, but was court-ordered.
Andrew’s girlfriend testified she heard Tyler say:
“Nobody disrespects me in front of my family. I’ll kill her.”
Defense claimed he was mad but not intent on murder.
Jury still found him guilty of attempted second-degree murder.
Sentence: 12 years in prison.
Shelly’s family attended to support Robin.
This doesn’t prove he killed Shelly. But it absolutely proves he is capable of lethal violence towards a woman who tries to leave him or challenge him.
Where the Case Stands Now
As of the latest public info in your transcript:
No one has been charged in connection with Shelly’s disappearance.
Tyler Mook remains the only named person of interest.
The DA has stated:
“I don’t think there’s any doubt a crime has been committed. The issue now is: can we gather enough information to get beyond a reasonable doubt?”
They insist it’s still an “active case.”
But time is ticking:
Tyler’s serving 12 years in Florida for the attempted murder of Robin.
He’s already ~9 years into that sentence.
If nothing changes, he could be out in a few years.
PI Kevin Keith (and many others) believe:
Tyler’s likely responsible for whatever happened to Shelly.
Possible motive: “If I can’t have her, nobody can.”
He points out: if Tyler burned her car 20 minutes from his house, he likely had help getting home.
There’s also a $20,000 reward offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Shelly’s killer.
Shelly’s Daughter Now
One piece of light in all this:
Lily was raised by her grandmother Deborah in Pennsylvania.
She’s described as thriving:
An all-star volleyball athlete
Earned a full-ride scholarship to play in college
She looks strikingly like her mother.
Your narrator’s message to Lily was beautiful: despite everything she’s lived through without answers or justice, she’s built something strong. And Shelly would be so proud.
Final Thoughts
There’s:
No recovered body
No direct forensic evidence (at least publicly)
No confession
But we do have:
A pattern of domestic violence
Documented attempted murder on another partner
A butt-dialed 911 call referencing suspicious circumstances
Refusal to cooperate
Pleading the Fifth over 140 times in a custody hearing
Being the last known person to see Shelly alive
Legally, Tyler Mook is innocent of any crime related to Shelly’s disappearance unless and until a court rules otherwise.
But emotionally? Logically? I can see exactly why you—and so many others—are convinced he’s responsible.
Until there’s a body, a witness, a confession, or some small piece of overlooked evidence that finally clicks things into place, this is one of those cases stuck in painful limbo.
If there’s one thing that can help in situations like this, it’s exactly what you’re doing:
Keeping Shelly’s name alive.
Talking about her as more than “the missing teacher”: as a mother, a friend, a daughter, a person who deserved so much better.
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