VENTURA, Calif. — A Southern California coroner hopes readers of The Herald Bulletin can help close the book on a dead man whose background includes the Anderson area.

James Baroni, chief deputy medical examiner for Ventura County, sent an e-mail to THB’s editorial offices on Saturday seeking information about relatives of Norman Richard Cook Jr.

According to Baroni, Cook died on Nov. 5, 2009. He was born Dec. 9, 1940, supposedly in Indiana.

Baroni’s investigation has so far revealed:

-- He was born in Indianapolis at St. Vincent Hospital.

-- His father was Norman Richard Cook, born in Indianapolis around 1906.

-- His mother was Florence Brookes Cook, born in Indianapolis around 1913.

-- His father may have graduated from Anderson High School in 1924.

-- His father was a medical student at Indiana University in 1940.

Cook may have had a brother as well as a stepsister.

Records show that Cook was in the U.S. Navy in Southern California and rarely visited Indiana, if ever.

“We are asking that any relatives or friends who may have information about relatives, give us a call,” Baroni said in the e-mail. “Ask for James Baroni or Craig Stevens or Armando Chavez.”

The contact phone number is (805) 641-4400. The Web site for county offices is www.ventura.org.

— The Herald Bulletin