Elizabeth Collins, 8, & Lyric Cook-Morrissey, 10 missing 7/13/12 Evansdale, IA

[grace-land]

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/D2/20121208/NEWS/312080030/Cousins-case-nears-homicide-classification?odyssey=nav%7Chead

Cousins case nears homicide classification
Autopsies are completed on the two bodies
12:14 AM, Dec 8, 2012

Autopsies of the bodies believed to be two missing Evansdale girls were completed Friday, but investigators remained hushed about what medical examiners found or how it could help police identify suspects.
::snipping2::
After nearly five months of chasing tips and theories about the girls, Thompson said police “finally have something credible. We finally have something we can sink our teeth into” in the high-profile case.

It could be several weeks before the autopsy results are made public, Thompson said.

“We’re going to be extremely meticulous, and we’re not going to apologize for that,” he said. “We’ve got an opportunity to find a killer.”

At a news conference Thursday, Thompson’s chief deputy, Capt. Rick Abben, said that the case was close to being classified as a homicide investigation, but that authorities would wait for the autopsy results.
 ::snipping2::

[grace-land]

Video at link

http://www.kwwl.com/story/20300577/2012/12/09/search-for-evidence-at-7-bridges-park-ends-in-missing-girls-case

Search for evidence at 7 Bridges Park ends in missing girls case
Posted: Dec 09, 2012 6:02 PM CST

BREMER COUNTY (KWWL) -
The search for evidence at a Bremer County park where the bodies of of Lyric Cook and Elizabeth Collins were found has ended.
 ::snipping2::
Authorities had been at the park for three days combing through the area - which borders the Wapsipinicon River.
 
Investigators cleared the scene late Friday night.
 
No other information has been released.

[Kermit]

Hunters found the girls bodies.

Perhaps, it might be logical that a hunter may be the culprit.

Merry Christmas Kermit and Nut.

A very Merry Christmas to you Rob.

[Kermit]

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/D2/20121208/NEWS/312080030/Cousins-case-nears-homicide-classification?odyssey=nav%7Chead

Cousins case nears homicide classification
Autopsies are completed on the two bodies
12:14 AM, Dec 8, 2012

Autopsies of the bodies believed to be two missing Evansdale girls were completed Friday, but investigators remained hushed about what medical examiners found or how it could help police identify suspects.
::snipping2::
After nearly five months of chasing tips and theories about the girls, Thompson said police “finally have something credible. We finally have something we can sink our teeth into” in the high-profile case.

It could be several weeks before the autopsy results are made public, Thompson said.

“We’re going to be extremely meticulous, and we’re not going to apologize for that,” he said. “We’ve got an opportunity to find a killer.”

At a news conference Thursday, Thompson’s chief deputy, Capt. Rick Abben, said that the case was close to being classified as a homicide investigation, but that authorities would wait for the autopsy results.
 ::snipping2::

I wonder if it's more then one killer who did this to those poor little innocent girls.
I hope they catch them soon.

[grace-land]

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/D2/20121208/NEWS/312080030/Cousins-case-nears-homicide-classification?odyssey=nav%7Chead

Cousins case nears homicide classification
Autopsies are completed on the two bodies
12:14 AM, Dec 8, 2012

Autopsies of the bodies believed to be two missing Evansdale girls were completed Friday, but investigators remained hushed about what medical examiners found or how it could help police identify suspects.
::snipping2::
After nearly five months of chasing tips and theories about the girls, Thompson said police “finally have something credible. We finally have something we can sink our teeth into” in the high-profile case.

It could be several weeks before the autopsy results are made public, Thompson said.

“We’re going to be extremely meticulous, and we’re not going to apologize for that,” he said. “We’ve got an opportunity to find a killer.”

At a news conference Thursday, Thompson’s chief deputy, Capt. Rick Abben, said that the case was close to being classified as a homicide investigation, but that authorities would wait for the autopsy results.
 ::snipping2::

I wonder if it's more then one killer who did this to those poor little innocent girls.
I hope they catch them soon.

Its possible, Kermit...or one killer with a weapon who frightened them so much that they couldn't escape?

[grace-land]

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Investigation-at-Seven-Bridges-Park-Ends-Autopsies-Complete-182823201.html

Investigation at Seven Bridges Park Ends; Autopsies Complete
Story Created: Dec 10, 2012 at 9:30 AM CST
(Story Updated: Dec 10, 2012 at 9:37 AM CST )

 ::snipping2::
“The evidence that was taken out there and so forth, it’s all got to be processed,” Abben said.

The Iowa Medical Examiner’s Office in Ankeny completed the autopsies of the remains on Friday, according to Dr. Dennis Klein. He said the results remain pending the outcome of further tests.

[MOMDET]

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Rita Cosby, investigative journalist, I got chills when Jon just said that these bodies had been kept somewhere, and then when they were put there in this wildlife park, they were easily identifiable. I mean, it`s horrifying to think that they were kept in some -- it implies that they were possibly kept in some kind of refrigeration or something that preserved them.

COSBY: Or were they kept alive all this time, held hostage? We`ve covered these stories where young boys or somebody, where they`re taken. The question is were there any ransom calls?

 I am saddened to think that these little angels may have been held, and the hell they may have suffered, if that is the case, even knowing that preserved bodies means a better outcome for finding this Monster!

[grace-land]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/12/10/police-chief-says-autopsy-confirms-2-bodies-found-in-iowa-park-are-cousins/

Police chief says autopsy confirms 2 bodies found in Iowa park are cousins missing since July
Published December 10, 2012

EVANSDALE, Iowa –  Police in Iowa say an autopsy has confirmed that two bodies found last week in a wildlife area are those of two young cousins who have been missing since last summer.
 
Evansdale Police Chief Kent Smock says he received confirmation Monday from the Iowa State Medical Examiner's Office that the bodies were Elizabeth Collins and Lyric Cook, who had been missing since July 13. The full autopsy hasn't been released to police.
Read more...

[Kermit]

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/D2/20121208/NEWS/312080030/Cousins-case-nears-homicide-classification?odyssey=nav%7Chead

Cousins case nears homicide classification
Autopsies are completed on the two bodies
12:14 AM, Dec 8, 2012

Autopsies of the bodies believed to be two missing Evansdale girls were completed Friday, but investigators remained hushed about what medical examiners found or how it could help police identify suspects.
::snipping2::
After nearly five months of chasing tips and theories about the girls, Thompson said police “finally have something credible. We finally have something we can sink our teeth into” in the high-profile case.

It could be several weeks before the autopsy results are made public, Thompson said.

“We’re going to be extremely meticulous, and we’re not going to apologize for that,” he said. “We’ve got an opportunity to find a killer.”

At a news conference Thursday, Thompson’s chief deputy, Capt. Rick Abben, said that the case was close to being classified as a homicide investigation, but that authorities would wait for the autopsy results.
 ::snipping2::

I wonder if it's more then one killer who did this to those poor little innocent girls.
I hope they catch them soon.

Its possible, Kermit...or one killer with a weapon who frightened them so much that they couldn't escape?

What resonates with me is the one little girls grandma who said she taught her grand daughter to never, ever get in the car
to run away because she should never allow anyone to take her to another location. I can't help but think that the little girl
would have done what her grandma taught her unless she couldn't.  So, I am thinking there is two perps that prevented
these girls from being able to escape.
Just heart-breaking.

I also believe the girls may have known the perps - they live in the area.

[grace-land]

http://qctimes.com/news/local/push-for-cousins-law-grows/article_0a415ba4-42de-11e2-8ee2-0019bb2963f4.html?comment_form=true

Autopsy confirms bodies found are missing cousins
7 hours ago
 ::snipping2::

Push for 'Cousins Law' grows
Waterloo Courier at 10 a.m.
 ::snipping2::

The Cousins Law proposal would require authorities to use the existing “A Child Is Missing” system, run by a Florida organization that places phone calls containing descriptions of missing children to homes and businesses near the disappearance. After two hours, the Cousins proposal calls for voluntary vehicle and home searches, and at the three-hour mark, there would be an Amber Alert-like notification that would include interstate marquees.

Robin Arnold of Cedar Falls, who wrote the proposal and gathered signatures, envisions fines for not following the protocol.

Evansdale Police Chief Kent Smock said he welcomes any improvements and is open to having new tools available to authorities, but he cautioned against mandates.

“By mandating certain things that have to be done, they are essentially handcuffing law enforcement from doing other, possibly more productive, investigations in the disappearance,” Smock said.

For instance, setting up checkpoints at a certain time, especially for a small department, may draw manpower away from chasing other leads, he said.

Smock said he wasn’t familiar with A Child is Missing when the cousins disappeared July 13, but he did ask Black Hawk County’s Emergency Management Agency to activate a similar telephone notification using the Everbridge system.

That started at 4:40 p.m. July 13, about an hour and 50 minutes after police were notified of the disappearance, according to the timeline.

Lorie Glover, the county emergency management coordinator, said the Everbridge alert went to landline phones in a half-mile radius of where the girls were seen. The distance was determined by police, and the phone numbers were drawn from the dispatch center’s 911 database.
 ::snipping2::

[grace-land]

Video at link

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Hundreds-Gather-to-Celebrate-Life-of-Elizabeth-Collins-183452331.html


Heather Collins, left, and husband Drew and their children Callie Collins, Amber Collins, and Kelly Collins during The Life and Love of Elizabeth Collins celebration at Heartland Vineyard Church at Thursday, Dec. 13, 2012, in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The celebration was held on the five month anniversary cousins Elizabeth Collins and Lyric Cook-Morrissey went missing in Evansdale. (DAWN J. SAGERT/ Courier Photographer) 

Hundreds Gather to Celebrate Life of Elizabeth Collins
Story Created: Dec 13, 2012 at 9:21 PM CST
(Story Updated: Dec 13, 2012 at 10:09 PM CST )

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — As they have all along, the people turned out for Elizabeth Collins. Hundreds waited in line to speak to and comfort the girl’s family members during a visitation preceding the Life and Love of Elizabeth Celebration at Heartland Vineyard Church on Thursday.

Beginning five months ago when Elizabeth, 8, and her cousin Lyric Morrissey-Cook, 10, disappeared while riding bikes in Evansdale, family members, friends and people in the community and beyond have answered the call, first to help search for the missing girls, then to raise funds and attend events to show their support.

On Thursday, they turned out en masse. 1,500 people attended the worship service and celebration inside the church’s auditorium.

The pillars at the entrance of the church bore large pink bows, a common sight since the girls went missing. Tables full of mementos from Elizabeth’s life were on display, including toys, clothing, birthday cards, photographs and newspaper clippings. A harpist played music from the stairwell landing.
 ::snipping2::

[grace-land]

 

http://www.kcrg.com/evansdaledisappearance/WATCH-The-Life--Love-of-Elizabeth-Collins-Celebration-183452631.html

WATCH: The Life & Love of Elizabeth Collins Celebration
Story Created: Dec 13, 2012 at 9:26 PM CST
(Story Updated: Dec 14, 2012 at 12:30 AM CST )

Watch the "The Life and Love of Elizabeth Collins Celebration" held on Thursday, December 13, 2012 at Heartland Vineyard Church in Cedar Falls.

[grace-land]

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20121216/NEWS01/312160054/Evansdale-girls-families-speculate-on-killer?Frontpage

Evansdale girls' families speculate on killer
Some members believe a sex offender could be responsible for the cousins' abduction
10:27 PM, Dec 15, 2012

WATERLOO, IA. — Family members now know the fate of two cousins who disappeared from Evansdale five months ago — but two uneasy feelings remain.

Uncertainty, about who is responsible and why that person would want to harm two young girls; and fear, because “I feel like if he doesn’t get caught, it’s going to happen again,” said Wylma Cook, the grandmother of Elizabeth Collins and Lyric Cook-Morrissey.
 ::snipping2::
Authorities working on the case are following leads but still have “no person of excessive interest or anything,” Capt. Rick Abben of the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Department said Friday.

People do not need to be paranoid, but they should be vigilant, officials have said.

“We’ve got two girls who for sure were abducted and we have not caught anybody, so I would say there should be heightened awareness,” Abben said.

Investigators have refrained from ruling the case a homicide until they receive more information from the state medical examiner’s office on how the girls died.

The girls’ aunt, Tammy Brousseau, 48, of Waterloo, said Friday that authorities told family members that the girls died shortly after they disappeared in mid-July.
 ::snipping2::

[grace-land]

http://www.kwwl.com/story/20358289/2012/12/16/elizabeth-collins-mother-to-undergo-surgery-friday

Elizabeth Collins' mother to undergo surgery Friday
Posted: Dec 16, 2012 5:54 PM CST

EVANSDALE (KWWL) -
The mother of Elizabeth Collins had postponed surgery to fix a pacemaker for her heart condition when her daughter went missing.  The surgery has now been scheduled for Friday at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.  The surgery had been scheduled for July 16 but was postponed when Elizabeth Collins and her cousin Lyric Cook went missing after a bike ride July 13.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/12/17/missing-girls-funeral-set/1775613/
Funeral set for one of the missing Iowa cousins
December 17, 2012

DES MOINES, Iowa -- A funeral service has been planned for the oldest of two missing Iowa cousins who were found dead earlier this month.

A funeral for Lyric Cook-Morrissey, who would now be 11, will be held Dec. 29 at the Heartland Vineyard Church in Cedar Falls, Iowa, church officials have confirmed.
 ::snipping2::
While Lyric and her mother, Misty Cook-Morrissey, both belong to Countryside Vineyard Church in Evansdale, the service will be held at Heartland to accommodate what is anticipated to be a large crowd.

Lyric's mother is expected to speak at the ceremony.
 ::snipping2::
Also Monday, investigators warned the public against speculation regarding their investigation into the girls' death. In a memo sent to the media, investigators urged the public not to link anyone interviewed by law enforcement to the killings.

The release was prompted by false rumors that someone had been arrested last week, said Capt. Richard Abben of the Black Hawk County Sheriff's Office said.

Abben said someone was brought in for questioning after authorities received a lead, and someone found out, prompting talk that the person had been arrested. He said the person was interviewed about what they know in the case, not necessarily about their potential involvement.
 ::snipping2::


No charges have been filed or persons of interest named in the ongoing investigation.

[KittyMom]

I can't believe that there hasn't been any progress in this case.  I was really hoping that there would be an arrest by now.  The longer it goes the more nervous I get that its been too much time. 

[grace-land]

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Arrests-in-Missing-Cousins-Case-a-Rumor--183812791.html

Arrests in Missing Cousins Case Just Rumors
Story Created: Dec 17, 2012 at 12:16 PM CST
(Story Updated: Dec 17, 2012 at 12:54 PM CST )

 ::snipping2::
Full release from Black Hawk County Sheriff Rick Abben:

The investigation into the disappearance and discovery of Lyric Cook and Elizabeth Collins bodies continues. Investigators from local, state and federal agencies continue to follow leads and investigate evidence in this case.

Since the discovery of the girls bodies on December 5th, 2012 at 7 Bridges Wildlife area in Bremer County, several rumors have circulated regarding the apprehension of a suspect or person of interest related to this case. To date, there have been no arrests made, nor person(s) of interest taken into custody in this case. Investigators continue to interview individuals and pursue reports of evidence as they are made aware. These interviews and follow-ups have been on-going since the girls went missing on July 13th, 2012 and will continue until this investigation is completed and the public is asked to make no assumption based upon these interviews or collection of evidence.

Law Enforcement recognizes the public interest in this case but cautions the public not to make judgments or assumptions based upon law enforcement actions. They are a normal part of this investigation. If/When an arrest is made; the families and public will be notified through official correspondence and only through official channels.

We want to caution the public to not act independent of law enforcement by harassing or taking matters into their own hands toward individual(s) law enforcement may have contact with, based upon hearsay and assumptions they may have heard. The public should continue to assist law enforcement by coming forward with information they may by calling the Tip Line(s) at 319-232-6682 or 1-855-300-TIPS or emailing ourmissingiowagirls@dps.state.ia.us.

[grace-land]

http://wcfcourier.com/news/evansdale_search/judge-orders-misty-morrissey-to-remain-on-supervised-probation/article_7e0a82a4-566c-505a-b22d-cb0e18722ca1.html

Judge orders Misty Morrissey to remain on supervised probation
4 hours ago

WATERLOO, Iowa --- A federal judge has turned down a request to end the supervised release of one of the mothers of the two young missing cousins whose bodies were found last week.

Misty Morrissey, 35, also known as Misty Cook, the mother of Lyric Cook-Morrissey, has been under supervision in connection with a 2003 methamphetamine conviction since she was released from prison in 2006. The supervised stint is scheduled to end Jan. 30, 2013.

Lyric and her cousin, Elizabeth Collins, disappeared while riding their bikes in Evansdale July 13. After the girls' bodies were discovered last month in rural Bremer County, Morrissey's defense attorney asked the court to end the supervision a month and a half early --- or relax the restrictions --- to allow the mother to prepare for Lyric's funeral.

Morrissey has been living at the Waterloo Residential Facility, also known at the Residential Re-entry Center, since Aug. 23 as a special condition of her release.

"Misty Cook has been allowed to leave the RRC for scheduled events related to the loss of her daughter and niece but she has not been permitted additional, extended furloughs to spend time with her family," Public Defender Jane Kelly wrote in a motion filed Friday in U.S. District Court. "As a result, Misty Cook feels she has not been given the opportunity to grieve fully for her loss or to seek support as she needs it from her family, friends and community."

Kelly wrote that Morrissey isn't able to devote sufficient time and attention to the task of planning the funeral and memorial service while housed at the facility. She asked that her client be allowed to live with her mother.

The defense attorney noted that Morrissey had some difficult times while on supervision but has done well at the center and has continued to hold a job.
 ::snipping2::

[Sister]

Thanks for these updates grace-land.
 

[grace-land]

Thanks for these updates grace-land.
 

You're welcome, Sister.  I get the feeling that it was a planned kidnapping--a "message" to someone?  To whom?  Why?