Rachel Crook was a single, white business owner who sold fish, nuts and fabric remnants from her small shop, Crook’s Corner, on West Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. Everything about Crook — her personality, interests and willingness to work any kind of odd job to pay for her schooling — was stitched together like a vibrant quilt. She was well-respected and well-liked. For two decades, Crook pursued her Ph.D. in economics at UNC-Chapel Hill.
One summer day in 1951, the body of Rachel Crook was found outside of town. She had been brutally murdered, and early reports alleged she had been raped. Crook was 71-years-old.
“27 Views,” a podcast recorded and produced by Hillsborough’s Elizabeth Woodman, recently stepped away from its usual format of interviews with mostly local writers and their stories, to do a deep dive on one of the area’s most notorious unsolved mysteries. “Who Killed Rachel Crook?” Is a four-part series that is available on all popular streaming applications. It is skillfully packaged and presented, and throws modern light on a case and a character whose life deserved a much happier outcome…