Elizabeth Collins and Lyric Cook-Morrissey -- Missing 7/13/12

2 eastern Iowa girls now missing for over 30 hours

6:52 PM, Jul 14, 2012
by Emily Schettler

EVANSDALE, Ia. – Authorities continued to search Saturday evening for two eastern Iowa girls police say haven’t been seen since Friday afternoon.

The hunt for cousins Elizabeth Collins, 8, and Lyric Cook-Morrissey, 10, swelled Saturday to include more than 400 volunteers, and the FBI and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

Rick Abben, chief deputy sheriff for Black Hawk County, said the girls were last seen by their grandmother when the two left her Evansdale home at about 12:15 p.m. Friday to ride their bicycles.

The girls’ grandmother notified police two hours later when they hadn’t returned. A firefighter located their bikes close to nearby Meyers Lake at about 4 p.m. Friday.

Read more: http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2012/07/14/search-for-2-missing-eastern-iowa-girls-continues/

ENDANGERED MISSING

ELIZABETH COLLINS AND LYRIC COOK



ELIZABETH COLLINS
Case Type: Endangered Missing
DOB: Jul 31, 2003
Missing Date: Jul 13, 2012
Age Now: 8
Sex: Female
Race: White
Hair Color: Sandy
Eye Color: Blue
Height: 4'1" (124 cm)
Weight: 65 lbs (29 kg)
Missing City: EVANSDALE
Missing State : IA
Missing Country: United States
Case Number: NCMC1198726

Circumstances: Elizabeth and Lyric were last seen riding their bicycles on July 13, 2012. Their bikes were later found near Meyers Lake in Evansdale, Iowa. Lyric was last seen wearing a light green shirt and shorts.



LYRIC COOK
(Companion)
Case Type: Endangered Missing
DOB: Oct 2, 2001
Missing Date: Jul 13, 2012
Age Now: 10
Sex: Female
Race: White
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Blue
Height: 4'11" (150 cm)
Weight: 145 lbs (66 kg)
Missing City: EVANSDALE
Missing State : IA
Missing Country: United States
Case Number: NCMC1198726


ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Evansdale Police Department (Iowa) 1-319-232-6682 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8427)

POSTER: http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewPoster&caseNum=1198726&orgPrefix=NCMC&searchLang=en_US

Search underway for 2 missing girls in Iowa

11:03 PM, Jul 14, 2012


EVANSDALE, Iowa -- The search continued on Saturday for two young girls reported missing from northeastern Iowa.

The grandmother of 8-year-old Elizabeth Collins and 10-year-old Lyric Cook starting looking for the girls, who are cousins, around 2 p.m. Friday. They were last seen at 12:15 p.m. riding their bikes in the town of Evansdale, which is southeast of Waterloo.

Investigators found their bikes and a purse from one of the girls on the southeast side of Meyers Lake around 3:30 p.m. Friday.

http://www.kare11.com/news/article/983203/391/Search-underway-for-2-missing-girls-in-Iowa

UPDATE: Search party swells for missing girls in Evansdale before being suspended for night


Volunteers check in a the Evansdale Fire Department before searching for Elizabeth Collins, 8, and Lyric Cook, 10, Saturday, July 14, 2012, in Evansdale, Iowa. The two girls went missing Friday afternoon. (MATTHEW PUTNEY / Courier Photo Editor)

Photo Gallery:

http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/update-clock-ticks-away-as-search-continues-for-two-missing/article_18411a90-cd32-11e1-a656-0019bb2963f4.html?mode=image

Lyric Cook & Elizabeth Collins ~ 7/13/2012
Created on Jul 14 · By Hollye ·


View Lyric Cook & Elizabeth Collins ~ 7/13/2012 in a larger map

Volunteers Searching for Missing Girls Sent Home

By Addison Speck, Reporter
Story Created: Jul 14, 2012 at 8:19 PM CDT
(Story Updated: Jul 14, 2012 at 9:08 PM CDT )

EVANSDALE, Iowa - Police, firefighters, and dozens of volunteers searched all day Saturday for two girls missing since the day before.

Eight-year-old Elizabeth Collins and 10-year-old Lyric Cook were last seen just after noon on Friday. They went out on a bicycle ride and never returned.

Crews used boats on Saturday to search Meyers Lake, where investigators found the girls' bicycles on Friday afternoon.

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Volunteers-Searching-for-Missing-Girls-Sent-Home-162488276.html

UPDATE: A purse and cell phone belonging to Collins was also found nearby where their bikes were located, on the other side of a fence, according to reports.

https://www.facebook.com/missingcases/posts/251890628255920?comment_id=931445&offset=0&total_comments=12

Meyers Lake, Evansdale, Iowa


View Larger Map

UPDATE: Search party swells for missing girls in Evansdale before being suspended for night

By MATTHEW WILDE, matt.wilde@wcfcourier.com wcfcourier.com | Posted: Saturday, July 14, 2012 5:45 pm

The girls’ bikes were found on the southeast side of Meyers Lake by an Evansdale firefighter. A purse and cell phone belonging to Collins was also found nearby, family said.

“At this time it’s still a missing persons case. There’s no indication of foul play,” said Capt. Rick Abben, chief deputy with the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office, during a press conference at the CRC shortly after 1:30 p.m. today.

“There’s no witnesses and nothing of evidentiary value,” he continued. “We’ll continue to (search) until they’re located or something else develops.”

http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/update-evansdale-police-search-for-two-missing-girls/article_18411a90-cd32-11e1-a656-0019bb2963f4.html

I wish I could be optimistic about foul play not being involved, but if that was the case, why would they abandon their bikes, and why would Elizabeth abandon her purse and cell phone?

Justice4all wrote:I wish I could be optimistic about foul play not being involved, but if that was the case, why would they abandon their bikes, and why would Elizabeth abandon her purse and cell phone?

J4A, I also wish I could be optimistic, unfortunately, these are all signs that these two girls are in imminent danger, if not already dead. We always hope for a miracle to happen, but it doesn't look good.

The area where the bikes, purse, and cell phone were found is infested with registered sex offenders, there are 18 registered sex offender around the area where those items were found.

http://www.homefacts.com/offenders/Iowa/Black-Hawk-County/Evansdale.html

And, as of August of last year, there are 179 registered sex offenders in the Waterloo area, which is where the two girls' school is located, it is also located near the area where their bikes were found.

http://www.city-data.com/so/so-Waterloo-Iowa.html

Massive Search for Two Missing Iowa Girls

Jul 15, 2012 1:38pm
By Olivia Katrandjian


Credit: ABC News

Police and hundreds of volunteers are dragging a lake and fanning out across the Evansdale, Iowa, area, searching for two Iowa girls who haven’t been seen for two days.

Elizabeth Collins, 8, and her cousin, Lyric Cook, 10, were last seen around midday Friday, riding their bicycles in downtown Evansdale, Iowa.

Police say they found the girls’ bicycles and a bag they were carrying on a trail near Meyers Lake. Crews used boats to search the lake and volunteers looked in the woods Saturday and were back today, but haven’t found what happened to the girls.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/07/massive-search-for-two-missing-iowa-girls/

UPDATE


Search for missing girls in Evansdale enters third day

12:45 p.m. Sunday --- EVANSDALE, Iowa --- Search parties headed out at about 8 a.m. today to help find two girls that went missing in Evansdale Friday afternoon.

Now in the third day of the search, family and authorities aren’t giving out hope that Lyric Cook-Morrissey, 10, of Waterloo and her 8-year-old cousin Elizabeth Collins of Evansdale will be found.

~Snipped~

During a 9 a.m. press conference, Capt. Rick Abben of the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Department said the whereabouts of the girls is still a mystery.

Despite almost three days of searching the lake, nearby wooded areas, homes and corn fields, no credible clues have been found.

“For a lack of a better word, it’s just like they vanished. There’s just nothing,” Abben said.

Authorities say the main focus of the search is still Meyers Lake and the surrounding area since that’s where the bikes were found. Abben said 40 percent of the lake has been dragged as of this morning.


Donations roll in for volunteers

12:45 p.m. Sunday - EVANSDALE, Iowa --- Area residents and businesses are making sure hundreds of volunteers and emergency workers searching for two missing girls are well fed and stay hydrated

Donations of water, sports drinks, food and ice are constantly arriving at the Evansdale Community Response Center. The police and fire station, located at 911 S. Evans Road, is ground zero in the attempt to locate 10-year-old Lyric Cook-Morrissey of Waterloo and her 8-year-old cousin, Elizabeth Collins, of Evansdale.

Read more:

http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/update-evansdale-police-search-for-two-missing-girls/article_18411a90-cd32-11e1-a656-0019bb2963f4.html

Photos: Search for missing Evansdale girls


Volunteers continue to search the sand pits and wooded areas of BMC Aggregates L.C. in rural Gilbertville for Lyric Morrisey, 11, of Waterloo, and Elizabeth Collins, 8, of Evansdale, on Sunday, July 15, 2012 in Evansdale, Iowa. (DAWN J. SAGERT / Courier Staff Photographer)

Photo Gallery:

http://wcfcourier.com/photos-search-for-missing-evansdale-girls/collection_12862912-cdd5-11e1-a9b3-0019bb2963f4.html?photo=1

"We can't express our gratitude for how many people have shown up, people that don't even know us. Even under the worst circumstances. I just know they will be brought home safe and sound. And I know it will be soon," said Elizabeth's mother, Heather Collins.

Lyric's mother, Misty Morrissey, says she believes the girls may have been taken or left with someone Friday. She says it's out of character for the girls to wander away or to try and swim in the lake.

"They're very outdoorsy, They play together every day," Morrissey said.

But investigators are still calling this a missing persons case.

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-815393

Second Full Day of Searching for Missing Girls Finds Only Frustration

KCRG/Gazette/Courier Staff Reports

Story Created: Jul 15, 2012 at 8:55 PM CDT
(Story Updated: Jul 15, 2012 at 9:01 PM CDT )



EVANSDALE, Iowa - Another day of searching produced no new leads to explain the disappearance of two Black Hawk County girls.

Authorities said Elizabeth Collins, 8, and her cousin Lyric Cook, 10, were apparently riding bikes near Meyers Lake in Evansdale on Friday afternoon. No one has seen them since and another full day of searching Sunday with more than 900 volunteers added no new information.

Searchers found the bicycles and a purse with a cell phone belonging to one of the girls on Friday. Crews in boats finished dragging the 5-acre lake and now believe the girls are not anywhere in the water. Although the search began around the lake area near I-380 it has now expanded to an estimated 12 square miles.

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Second-Full-Day-of-Searching-for-Missing-Girls-Finds-Only-Frustration-162539746.html

FoxNews - Video

Search Intensifies for Missing Iowa Girls Elizabeth Collins and Lyric Cook

Jul 15, 2012

Click on the link to watch the video:

http://video.insider.foxnews.com/v/1736534980001/

UPDATE: More than 1,100 help search for missing northeast Iowa girls

9:40 PM, Jul 15, 2012 | by Emily Schettler

Evansdale, Ia. – Law enforcement officers and a small army of more than 1,100 volunteers in northeast Iowa came up empty over the weekend in their efforts to find two young girls who were declared missing two days earlier.

But authorities made it clear Sunday night that no one was giving up hope.

“We’ve covered everything we can cover with civilian people,” said Marcus Norman, volunteer coordinator with Evansdale Fire Department. “Law enforcement is still working on the residential areas and things of that sort.”

Authorities said Sunday night they had no indications of foul play, but they were not ruling anything out, either. A reward fund of more than $15,000 has been raised in an effort to find the girls. Police asked anyone with a tip about the case to call 1-319-232-6682. Hundreds of leads have already been received.

http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2012/07/15/update-more-than-1100-help-search-for-missing-northeast-iowa-girls/

Hundreds join search for missing Iowa girls

By Associated Press / July 16, 2012



Link to article:

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-News-Wires/2012/0716/Hundreds-join-search-for-missing-Iowa-girls-video

Elizabeth Collins, Lyric Cook-Morrissey Search: Bicycles Of Missing Iowa Cousins Found

By DAVID PITT 07/16/12 01:01 PM ET

(VIDEO)

DES MOINES, Iowa — Authorities say they've uncovered no significant evidence in the search for two missing girls, three days after their bicycles and a purse were found near a lake in northeast Iowa.

Black Hawk County Sheriff's Deputy Rick Abben says local, state and federal authorities have been "grasping for straws" in the frantic search for 8-year-old Elizabeth Collins and her 10-year-old cousin, Lyric Cook-Morrissey.

Abben says no eyewitnesses have reported seeing the girls. They've been missing since leaving their grandmother's house Friday afternoon in Evansdale.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/16/elizabeth-collins-lyric-cook-morrissey-cousins-search-bicycles_n_1675795.html

Missing Iowa Girls Vanish After Bike Ride

Search teams scour the area where Elizabeth Collins, Lyric Cook Morrisey vanished.

07/16/2012



http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/missing-iowa-girls-elizabeth-collins-lyric-cook-morrisey-16785181

UPDATE

Elizabeth Collins, Lyric Cook-Morrissey Search: Bicycles Of Missing Iowa Cousins Found

By DAVID PITT 07/16/12 06:03 PM ET



DES MOINES, Iowa — Authorities began draining an Iowa lake Monday in the search for two missing girls whose bicycles were found nearby, but they suspended a massive sweep of the area that drew hundreds of volunteers over the weekend because the effort failed to produce significant leads.

Black Hawk County Chief Deputy Rick Abben said the draining of the nearly 5-acre lake began Monday and could take up to three days. Officials believe it will go faster due to the low level of the lake and the Cedar River into which it drains.

Authorities previously dredged the lake and have been interviewing family, friends and registered sex offenders who live in the area.

Read more:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/16/elizabeth-collins-lyric-cook-morrissey-cousins-search-bicycles_n_1675795.html

this is so sad, i feel like our kids arent safe to do much these days and it reminds me of people who get on tv and proclaim for us to have "free range kids". http://www.hlntv.com/video/2012/05/22/take-our-children-parkand-leave-them-there-day-controversy

This kind of thinking just isnt acceptable anymore and I find this advice parents to be so irresponsible! The fact of the matter is that kids who are unable to defend themselves from an adult do not belong out by themselves. They are barely safe in their own houses/backyards these days. What a tough lesson to learn. I hope they are just lost in the woods and found soon, what a horrible thing for this family to endure.

Bringing in the Dogs!

http://news.yahoo.com/fbi-dogs-joining-search-iowa-cousins-8-10-070314862.html

FRESH PICTURES The hunt for Lyric and Elizabeth continues; Meyers Lake being drained

By MATTHEW WILDE, JEFF REINITZ, CHRIS ESSIG and Courier Lee News Service wcfcourier.com | Posted: Tuesday, July 17, 2012 9:30



EVANSDALE, Iowa --- Authorities are draining Meyers Lake to be “100 percent sure” two girls missing since Friday aren’t at the bottom.

The draw-down began Monday afternoon, less than 24 hours after Capt. Rick Abben of the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office said firefighters were confident 10-year-old Lyric Cook-Morrisey of Waterloo and her 8-year-old cousin Elizabeth Collins of Evansdale weren’t in the 26-acre lake.

http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/fresh-pictures-the-hunt-for-lyric-and-elizabeth-continues-meyers/article_18411a90-cd32-11e1-a656-0019bb2963f4.html

The clues so far.....

Click on the link to see the map:

http://wcfcourier.com/app/special/missing_girls_map.jpg

Evansdale Search

Updates:

http://www.evansdalesearch.com/

Live Updates (Tweets):

http://wcfcourier.com/twitter-updates-hundreds-search-for/html_7502e29a-ce9a-11e1-80bf-0019bb2963f4.html

Source: WCFCourier.com

Dogs Detect Scents Of Missing Iowa Cousins Elizabeth Collins And Lyric Cook-Morrissey: FBI

Posted: 07/17/2012 7:34 pm Updated: 07/18/2012 12:13 am



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/17/dogs-detect-scents-missing-cousins_n_1681325.html?ref=topbar&icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl5%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D180477

________

Family: FBI Hounds Find Scent of Missing Girls

Tusday, July 17, 2012, 01:12 AM CDT

EVANSDALE, Iowa (KGAN/KFXA) -- The parents of Lyric Cook say FBI bloodhounds have caught a scent of the two girls who went missing Friday.

Now in its fourth day, authorities in the search and rescue mission have said they had no leads.

The scent came after family members rode a caravan to the south side of the lake. An FBI K-9 unit first smelled the different family members and then articles of the girls clothes and belongings. The family said the goal was to separate their smell from the girls', since they too had spent time searching that area.

http://www.kgan.com/shared/newsroom/top_stories/videos/kgan_vid_12026.shtml

UPDATE: Missing children spokesman remains hopeful in hunt for Lyric and Elizabeth

By MATTHEW WILDE, JEFF REINITZ, CHRIS ESSIG, AUSTIN ASHLOCK and Courier Lee News Service wcfcourier.com | Posted: Tuesday, July 17, 2012 11:00 am

EVANSDALE, Iowa --- A volunteer with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said Tuesday the agency boasts a 98 percent to 99 percent recovery rate for missing children --- alive or dead.

Pat Farrell, who's been with the national nonprofit agency since 1998, has been helping local law enforcement find two girls that went missing in Evansdale last Friday. He's not giving up hope Lyric Cook-Morrissey, 10 of Waterloo and her 8-year-old cousin Elizabeth Collins will found alive.

http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/update-meyers-lake-being-drained-in-search-for-little-girls/article_18411a90-cd32-11e1-a656-0019bb2963f4.html

I'll be a guest on "Nancy Grace" at 8 PM on HLN. The broadcast will cover the case of the missing girls from Evansdale. #evansdalesearch

— Jesse Gavin (@JesseGavin1) July 17, 2012

Family of missing Iowa girls: Case is 'baffling'

By HLNtv.com Staff
updated 8:12 PM EDT, Mon July 16, 2012

It just scares me that the highway near a major interchange is right there. Their bikes were found fairly close to there. I wonder if there are any freeway cams to see if anyone pulled over there on Friday afternoon.

lostyou wrote:It just scares me that the highway near a major interchange is right there. Their bikes were found fairly close to there. I wonder if there are any freeway cams to see if anyone pulled over there on Friday afternoon.

Thom Kaye
@ThomGavinKaye

Traffic cam number (8) on I-380 could easily pick up any unusual activity. Lake is off to the right ‪#evansdalesearch


http://twitter.com/ThomGavinKaye/status/225355960095481857/photo/1

Meyers Lake currently being drained #evansdalesearch twitter.com/CourierEssig/s…

— Chris Essig (@CourierEssig) July 17, 2012


City workers removed boat docks from the north shore earlier today. I'm not sure where they went.

by Chris Essig - Courier 7/17/2012

http://twitter.com/CourierEssig/status/225359701389492224/photo/1

FBI dogs detect scents of Iowa cousins near lake

By DAVID PITT, The Associated Press
Updated 8:11 PM Tuesday, July 17, 2012

EVANSDALE, Iowa — Authorities searching for two young cousins drained an Iowa lake Tuesday after FBI dogs detected the girls' scents near where their bicycles were found four days earlier, heightening suspicion from family members that they might have been abducted.

FBI spokeswoman Sandy Breault said the reaction from the dogs Monday night indicated a "strong possibility" the girls had been at the lake, less than a mile from their grandmother's house where they were last reported seen Friday. However, Breault said because there were no confirmed sightings at the lake, authorities couldn't be certain.

Chief Deputy Rick Abben of the Black Hawk County Sheriff's Office said the case was still considered a missing persons investigation. The decision to drain the lake was made to rule out the possibility the girls were in the water, he said.

http://www.middletownjournal.com/news/nation-world-news/fbi-dogs-detect-scents-of-iowa-cousins-near-lake-1405911.html

Videos from Sierra1947 Youtube

JVM 7/16/12



Transcript

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1207/16/ijvm.01.html

JVM 7/17/12

Nancy Grace

Grandma of missing Iowa girls: ‘I want them alive’.

By HLNtv.com Staff
updated 8:20 PM EDT, Tue July 17, 2012




Dogs pick up scent of missing cousins near lake.

By HLNtv.com Staff
updated 8:00 PM EDT, Tue July 17, 2012

UPDATE: Authorities dig through trash in search for Lyric and Elizabeth

By Courier Staff and Courier Lee News Service wcfcourier.com | Posted: Wednesday, July 18, 2012 12:15 pm


Law enforcement officials have called for all residential and commercial trash in the city of Evansdale to be set aside in the Black Hawk County landfill to be searched through by those involved in the ongoing investigation for missing Elizabeth Collins, 8, and her cousin Lyric Cook-Morrissey, 10, Wednesday, July 18, 2012, in Waterloo, Iowa. (MATTHEW PUTNEY / Courier Photo Editor)

EVANSDALE, Iowa --- As the search for Elizabeth Collins, 8, and her cousin Lyric Cook-Morrissey, 10, enters its sixth day, law enforcement agencies continue to leave no stone unturned while seeking out clues to the girls' disappearance last Friday.

Several sources have confirmed that law enforcement officials have called for all residential and commercial trash in the city of Evansdale to be set aside in the Black Hawk County landfill to be searched through by those involved in the ongoing investigation.

http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/fresh-pictures-the-hunt-for-lyric-and-elizabeth-continues-meyers/article_18411a90-cd32-11e1-a656-0019bb2963f4.html

Alessandra_Deux wrote:UPDATE: Authorities dig through trash in search for Lyric and Elizabeth

By Courier Staff and Courier Lee News Service wcfcourier.com | Posted: Wednesday, July 18, 2012 12:15 pm


Law enforcement officials have called for all residential and commercial trash in the city of Evansdale to be set aside in the Black Hawk County landfill to be searched through by those involved in the ongoing investigation for missing Elizabeth Collins, 8, and her cousin Lyric Cook-Morrissey, 10, Wednesday, July 18, 2012, in Waterloo, Iowa. (MATTHEW PUTNEY / Courier Photo Editor)

EVANSDALE, Iowa --- As the search for Elizabeth Collins, 8, and her cousin Lyric Cook-Morrissey, 10, enters its sixth day, law enforcement agencies continue to leave no stone unturned while seeking out clues to the girls' disappearance last Friday.

Several sources have confirmed that law enforcement officials have called for all residential and commercial trash in the city of Evansdale to be set aside in the Black Hawk County landfill to be searched through by those involved in the ongoing investigation.

http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/fresh-pictures-the-hunt-for-lyric-and-elizabeth-continues-meyers/article_18411a90-cd32-11e1-a656-0019bb2963f4.html

Doesn't it just smack ya in the face to read that they're searching for LITTLE GIRLS in the TRASH?! If that's where they are, they didn't get there by themselves. What evil could just throw away little girls?!

Braley to seek more FBI assistance in Evansdale missing girls case

By JAMES Q. LYNCH, Lee-Gazette Des Moines Bureau wcfcourier.com | Posted: Wednesday, July 18, 2012 12:30 pm

CEDAR RAPIDS --- U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley plans to make a direct request to the FBI director to provide “all assistance available” to the search for two missing Evansdale girls.

Braley, who mentioned his sons played in an Evansdale baseball program when they were younger, is making the appeal at the request of one of the families of the missing girls -- Lyric Cook-Morrissey, 10, and her cousin Elizabeth Collins, 8, who went missing Friday. He did not say which family.

Read more:

http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/braley-to-seek-more-fbi-assistance-in-evansdale-missing-girls/article_d590e3a6-d0fb-11e1-b8c2-001a4bcf887a.html

FBI dive team may aid in search for missing Iowa girls

Elizabeth Collins and Lyric Cook-Morrissey were last seen Friday at their grandmother's house in Evansdale, a suburb of Waterloo.

By David Pitt, Associated Press / July 18, 2012

EVANSDALE, Iowa

An FBI dive team from Los Angeles may join other law enforcement officers investigating the disappearance of two young cousins in northeast Iowa, an agency spokeswoman said Wednesday.

FBI spokeswoman Sandy Breault said that if the divers are deployed, they would search the deeper holes of water in the lake, which may be as deep as 20 feet, she said.

Breault also says the FBI's Child Abduction Rapid Deployment team of five or six is on the scene in Iowa. She would not comment on the focus of their investigation.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-News-Wires/2012/0718/FBI-dive-team-may-aid-in-search-for-missing-Iowa-girls

lostyou wrote:It just scares me that the highway near a major interchange is right there. Their bikes were found fairly close to there. I wonder if there are any freeway cams to see if anyone pulled over there on Friday afternoon.

Doubtful on the cams. Iowa Interstate systems have few cams. IS380 is a short connector 4 lane that runs between IS 80 to Cedar Rapids Iowa from just west of Iowa City Iowa. About the only cams you will see roadway monitoring from are those mounted in Iowa Highway Patrol cars. While the bikes were found located close to I380, I doubt anyone traveling the road would have taken these girls as that particular area is pretty high traffic.

The Search For Two Missing Girls In Evansdale

Map: Timeline of events

The search continues for Elizabeth Collins, 8, and Lyric Cook, 10, who have been missing since Friday, July 13. Here's a look at their last know whereabouts in Evansdale and the investigation that has taken place since then.

Read More:
http://wcfcourier.com/news/evansdale_search/#ixzz21BKfWbcM

Several articles about the case at the above link.

Missing Iowa girls: Meyers Lake expected to be emptied by Friday

missing Iowa girlsJuly 19, 2012
By: Charisse Van Horn

On July 19, 2012, the town of Evansdale, Iowa continued to hope and pray for the safe return of two missing girls: Elizabeth Collins (8) and Lyric Cook-Morrissey (10). The WCF Courier provided an early morning update that revealed little progress in the search. At this point, the investigation hinges on the emptying of Meyers Lake, the body of water where the girls’ bikes were found on Friday, July 13, 2012, approximately four hours after they were last seen.

Authorities must rule out the girls were in the lake so they may ensure the investigation moves in the right direction. Law enforcement announced during a live press conference that Meyers Lake should be emptied by Friday, July 20, 2012.

http://www.examiner.com/article/missing-iowa-girls-meyers-lake-expected-to-be-emptied-by-friday

Cops Suspect Dad in Missing Iowa Girls Case, Family Member Says

By MATTHEW JAFFE
July 19, 2012

http://abcnews.go.com/US/cops-suspect-dad-missing-iowa-girls-case-family/story?id=16810959
The aunt of the two missing Iowa cousins said Thursday that authorities have accused a family member of involvement with the girls' disappearance.

---

Thanks Everyone for the answers about the freeway cams.
I think the police are leaving no stone unturned in this case with what they have to go on, which is not much. Parents have a pretty colorful past.
This case has me obsessed and I hope they find the girls or some kind of break in the case soon.

lostyou wrote:Cops Suspect Dad in Missing Iowa Girls Case, Family Member Says

By MATTHEW JAFFE
July 19, 2012

http://abcnews.go.com/US/cops-suspect-dad-missing-iowa-girls-case-family/story?id=16810959
The aunt of the two missing Iowa cousins said Thursday that authorities have accused a family member of involvement with the girls' disappearance.

---

Thanks Everyone for the answers about the freeway cams.
I think the police are leaving no stone unturned in this case with what they have to go on, which is not much. Parents have a pretty colorful past.
This case has me obsessed and I hope they find the girls or some kind of break in the case soon.

lostyou, I was reading about Lyric's parents criminal backgrounds, Mysty Morrissey's brother was also in prison, if I am not mistaken, he was recently released. The girls' grandmother was basically pleading for the authorities to concentrate on finding her granddaughters rather than focusing on the family colorful past.

The more time that goes by, the more grim the situation becomes for these two girls. I am also following this case very intently, I am waiting for some kind of evidence to be found. It doesn't look good.



I embedded the video from the link that you posted above.

Misty, Daniel Morrissey Have Criminal Records; Daniel Eyed As Suspect In Iowa Girls' Disappearance: Family

Posted: 07/19/2012 7:35 pm Updated: 07/19/2012 7:44 pm

The father of one of two missing Iowa cousins is being eyed as a suspect in their disappearance, a family member told reporters today.

Tammy Brousseau -- the aunt of missing Lyric Cook-Morrissey, 10, and Elizabeth Collins, 8 -- told ABC News that cops are accusing Cook's father, Daniel Morrissey, of being directly involved in the girls' disappearance last Friday.

"[Police] have accused him," Brousseau told the station. "They told him they had proof that he did it."

Read more:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/19/misty-daniel-morrissey-criminal-records-meth_n_1688083.html?ref=topbar

Missing Iowa girls' aunt: They're not in the lake

By HLNtv.com Staff

updated 3:03 PM EDT, Thu July 19, 2012

•FBI prepares to search lake for missing Iowa cousins
•Aunt says the girls wouldn't have gone into the lake

I couldn't imagine why the Dad was being eyed based
on his criminal background until I read the Grandma said
the child wanted to run away recently because her Dad
was "mad" at her for not finishing her chores.
Sometimes people say things in such a way that brings
negative response. The girl was upset because her Dad
had scolded her for not finishing her chores might have
been a better way to have stated the situation.
Grandma can't blame LE for looking into an argument or
situation between Father and daughter that resulted in the
child wanting to leave home. Granny maybe needs to THINK
about what she says and how it sounds to others before she
blurts it out publicly.

Marica said: I couldn't imagine why the Dad was being eyed based
on his criminal background until I read the Grandma said
the child wanted to run away recently because her Dad
was "mad" at her for not finishing her chores.
Sometimes people say things in such a way that brings
negative response. The girl was upset because her Dad
had scolded her for not finishing her chores might have
been a better way to have stated the situation.
Grandma can't blame LE for looking into an argument or
situation between Father and daughter that resulted in the
child wanting to leave home. Granny maybe needs to THINK
about what she says and how it sounds to others before she
blurts it out publicly.

I agree about thinking through one's response before sharing it with the public. It makes me think a couple of things:
1- Grandma isn't the kind of person to "filter" her responses; if she's asked a question, she'll give a straight answer.
2- Grandma (nor the rest of the family, really) doesn't seem to be aware that there is more than one way to look at her responses. She's possibly telling the truth, and not realizing that LE actually will pick apart what she says for teensy indicators of any problems. She may be unaware that LE's first job is to clear those closest to the victims, and then work outward. Or, she may be totally aware of it, but figured normal people understand that parents get mad at their kids from time to time, but that doesn't mean they hurt them.

I agree that there were better ways of stating what she said. Sometimes, I think, this is exactly what causes innocent people to look even more guilty - when they try to tell the truth, and the truth is immediately used against them, they feel they have no choice but to either stop talking or get a lawyer to help filter what's said.

I'm not saying that I think these people are innocent or telling the whole truth. It's too early to tell anything, really. They could be guilty of everything, and LE could be on the exact right train track. I'm just saying that I agree that she/they need to get someone to help them with how to state things to the public and to LE, or they'll get ripped to shreds over things they had no idea would sound bad.

I really do hope they're all telling the truth. Only time (and interrogation) will tell...

Some have commented on the Mother who is most seen in public..
Cook-Morrissey. That she always seem to be smiling. I have noticed
this too. Even a shot of her talking to her husband from a distance.
I know a couple people who have a constant smile. It is the shape of
their mouths, and I have wondered if this woman is one of those people
who would appear to have a smile no matter what. It also probably looks
even worse for because she seems to be in front of a camera.
The husband/dad appears to me to be distraught.. looks like he is worried
sick, while the mom comes off more like an fca personality. The thing I can't
fathom, is IF a family member is responsible for the girls being
missing, why would that person vanish two girls who are cousins?
It is pretty hard to imagine someone kidnapping two girls from this location.
Although the interstate is quite close to where the bikes were found, there is
a high volume of traffic so it wouldn't seem reasonable for someone to kidnap
them from there. It is a very strange situation.