IA IA - Elizabeth Collins, 8, & Lyric Cook, 10, Evansdale, 13 July 2012 - #3

[CN2Souls]

Billboard Information:

FBI spokeswoman Sandy Breault said the agency was working to put up billboards of the missing girls, as well as sending in tracking dogs to search in the area where the girls went missing.



http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_...meyers-lake-in-search-for-missing-iowa-girls/

 

[kikid]

Not to Quote Myself, But there are more,

6/14/2012 BEDFORD IA, - Police in Bedford are asking for your help in locating a red, 4-door pickup believed to be involved in an alleged abduction attempt. According to Bedford Police Chief Jeremy Holben, the driver of the pickup is wanted for questioning in connection with Wednesday’s incident.
Holben says an “older looking” male tried to entice a child to his vehicle by offering candy. The child’s mother was nearby, and escorted her child away from the scene. Chief Holben says since the man’s intentions are unclear, authorities want to question him about the incident. He was last seen driving the pickup in the 1100 block of Bent Street in Bedford. No other description of the vehicle is available. Anyone with information about this person in-question, is asked to phone the Bedford Police Department at 523-2128.
http://www.kjan.com/index.php/2012/06/child-abduction-attempt-reported-in-bedford/

3/16/2012 DOUGLAS CO, IA -
Douglas County sheriff's officials asked for the public's help to find two people suspected of an attempted child abduction in northwest Omaha.
Chief Deputy Marty Bilek said a man used a ploy common with child predators. Bilek said the fact that two people were involved makes the attempted abduction even more disturbing.

http://www.southwestiowanews.com/co...cle_13595320-6f7d-11e1-95ab-001871e3ce6c.html

3/3/2012 ROCKFORD, IA - ROCKFORD (WREX) -
Rockford Police are looking for a suspect that they say attempted to abduct a child Monday afternoon.
A 10-year-old girl was walking down the street in the 1300 block of 31st Street Monday afternoon when she noticed a man following her in a pick-up truck. The man parked the truck and began to follow the girl. She started to run and he continued to follow her all the way to her home.
http://www.kwwl.com/story/17321526/rockford-police-looking-for-a-man-in-attemped-child-abuction

Any of the mapmakers feel like plotting these on a map?

 

[palaminodee]

I live only about 30 minutes from Evansdale (and brand new to this board) but this is just gut wrentching to me.

I have been following the boards patiently waiting to be able to post so this may be long - but I have a few questions regarding the information we have been given regarding the case - and some questions:

Some of the focus seems to be on Lyric's questionable upbringing - however this isn't really "her" neighborhood...correct? Evansdale is where Elizabeth lives, right? So - the liklihood of someone "following" them, could be MORE apt to have been following Elizabeth, and not Lyric? Someone following Lyric, would MORE LIKELY be from the Waterloo area, as her joining Elizabeth with her Grandma on these daily visits has only been in recent weeks, correct?

I hope if they believe this is somehow linked to Lyric that they aren't looking for someone in Evansdale - but also focused on Waterloo connections.

The other thing that has me baffled is that the parents of these girls had stated in an early interview (Lyric's parents anyway) that these girls (paraphrasing) "didn't ever go to this lake" and "probably didn't even know the way there or that it existed".
YET - you have a neighbor (witness who was watering the lawn) who stated that he saw these girls (or at least Elizabeth) almost daily - in the area. How does that work? I don't believe this gentlemen (and his wife) would say such a thing if he wasn't certain it was her (Elizabeth). Does this mean that they HAD been going there frequently (unbeknownst to the family) and could have been meeting up with someone recently? Grandma had mentioned that they took bike rides daily - and would return within an hour or so. Could they make it to the lake and back (with time to "hang out") in an hour?

I just don't know what to believe as far as an abduction:
On one hand, I believe strongly it was someone they knew (or at least felt they could trust). With it being hot out I can see someone easily saying "hey...let's go grab some water and I will bring ya back here - just leave your bikes - we will be right back".
Yet- the purse over the fence doesn't fit that bill. It more than likely would have gone with her OR would have been left right there next to the bike.

Where exactly was the purse found? I've heard the purse was back in the wooded area, as well as on the inside of the fence by the jetty.

The issue about the purse is we do not know the time lapse from when the girls went missing to when the bikes and purse were found.
Another poster mentioned someone else could have come upon the bikes and purse and possibly moved them and/or checked the purse for valuables and maybe threw it over the fence...that part is puzzling as to whether the purse was set down in the first place or thrown over the fence by the girls or others?

 

[Wanting2Help]

I posted this yesterday.... Billboard pic... Post #297

http://p.twimg.com/AyGeEGPCIAAv1mX.jpg

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?p=8161825#post8161825

 

[GrainneDhu]

I live only about 30 minutes from Evansdale (and brand new to this board) but this is just gut wrentching to me.

I have been following the boards patiently waiting to be able to post so this may be long - but I have a few questions regarding the information we have been given regarding the case - and some questions:

Some of the focus seems to be on Lyric's questionable upbringing - however this isn't really "her" neighborhood...correct? Evansdale is where Elizabeth lives, right? So - the liklihood of someone "following" them, could be MORE apt to have been following Elizabeth, and not Lyric? Someone following Lyric, would MORE LIKELY be from the Waterloo area, as her joining Elizabeth with her Grandma on these daily visits has only been in recent weeks, correct?

I hope if they believe this is somehow linked to Lyric that they aren't looking for someone in Evansdale - but also focused on Waterloo connections.

The other thing that has me baffled is that the parents of these girls had stated in an early interview (Lyric's parents anyway) that these girls (paraphrasing) "didn't ever go to this lake" and "probably didn't even know the way there or that it existed".
YET - you have a neighbor (witness who was watering the lawn) who stated that he saw these girls (or at least Elizabeth) almost daily - in the area. How does that work? I don't believe this gentlemen (and his wife) would say such a thing if he wasn't certain it was her (Elizabeth). Does this mean that they HAD been going there frequently (unbeknownst to the family) and could have been meeting up with someone recently? Grandma had mentioned that they took bike rides daily - and would return within an hour or so. Could they make it to the lake and back (with time to "hang out") in an hour?

I just don't know what to believe as far as an abduction:
On one hand, I believe strongly it was someone they knew (or at least felt they could trust). With it being hot out I can see someone easily saying "hey...let's go grab some water and I will bring ya back here - just leave your bikes - we will be right back".
Yet- the purse over the fence doesn't fit that bill. It more than likely would have gone with her OR would have been left right there next to the bike.

Where exactly was the purse found? I've heard the purse was back in the wooded area, as well as on the inside of the fence by the jetty.

Welcome to Websleuths!

Like you, I think that if a stalker is the perpetrator, it was probably someone fixated on Elizabeth; the place where the bikes were found just seems to indicate local knowledge.

I don't think the witness who said he saw them daily was lying but I have to wonder if he may have mistaken two other girls for Elizabeth and Lyric. For one thing, Lyric had only been going to Elizabeth's house for the previous five days. Also, a poster who lives in the neighbourhood (Ollipop) pointed out that the witness's street would be an odd place for Elizabeth and Lyric to turn around.

I think the ride to the lake would be less than 15 minutes on a bike (a generous estimate), so, yes, if they were going to the lake, that would leave them 30 minutes to hang out and still return in an hour.

If the girls were abducted from Meyer's Lake, I think they were coerced rather than lured. It would be easy to coerce both girls if a weapon were displayed. A single perpetrator would only need physical control of one girl in order to coerce both of them with threats.

There was a summary of the whole purse location question several pages back. I believe that the location was about 20 feet away from the bikes and on the other side of the lake fence.

 

[tlcya]

:welcome: to Websleuths threecrazykids! We are blessed with so many new local members in this case to help us get the flavor of the community and the geography.

The purse was found between the fence and the lake (as if tossed over the fence from the bike path)

http://www.goupstate.com/article/20120719/WIRE/120719643

While Lyric's parents conducted television interviews and frequently checked the lake, Elizabeth's parents stayed out of the public eye. Drew and Heather Collins have moved from their home in Evansdale to an undisclosed location to get rest because too many people kept showing up, Brousseau said.

Abben said the family was cooperating with the investigation.

I am not sure what exactly Heather Collins health problems are but my thoughts are with her and all the family members of both girls. Such a difficult time for all of them.

http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/328855/3/Search-for-missing-Iowa-girls-causes-tensions-to-rise

"Yeah, there's history in our family, but it's not a history that we're scared of," Misty

Cook-Morrissey, 36, said. "It's one we've dealt with. It's one we've come past and we've come past it as a family so no matter what anybody thinks about it, it's not one that has anything to do with, you know, the disappearance of our children."

snip

"We want everybody in the main part of the criminal investigation who has the authority or the power to do things and make decisions, we want them focused on our girls and what might have happened to them," she said. "You know but if (looking into our history) is what's needed, then that's fine, too."

I can understand their concerns that their histories could be pulling focus in the wrong direction. My own feel for this case is not one of parental involvement, even peripherey (some unsavory associate) but rather stranger abduction. I feel badly for these parents as they are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Their pasts cause them to be more supsect and I know they understand that. This is just something to be expected and gotten through and that's how they seem to be viewing it, which is to their credit. My mind goes back to the Haleigh case and how Ron Cummings and all those bozos acted. I am glad to see the Morriseys hanging in there thus far and still cooperative with LE. A striking difference from Haleigh's case thankfully.

 

[Angleena]

MCM works for Casey's which is a large gas/food store chain, I would think they do drug testing prior to hire. Her arrests were over 9 years ago...

I work weekends at a Casey's store in a different town. They do not drug test store employees prior to hire. I have worked part time (weekends) with the company for 7 years and have never seen anyone drug tested. However, they do drug test people prior to hire that are going to be working in the corporate building.

 

[Morethenrubies]

There has been some posts regarding Lyric having only been in Evansdale the last 5 days. I thought it was normal for grandma to come out and help watch Elizabeth at her home with Lyric during the summer and holiday breaks? The way I understood it was they where at each others homes during these times. Can anyone clarify for me? Is it only the last 5 days?
TIA

 

[palaminodee]

There has been some posts regarding Lyric having only been in Evansdale the last 5 days. I thought it was normal for grandma to come out and help watch Elizabeth at her home with Lyric during the summer and holiday breaks? The way I understood it was they where at each others homes during these times. Can anyone clarify for me? Is it only the last 5 days?
TIA

I recall the grandmother saying that also...only that the mom started her new job in the last 5 days

 

[hollye]

Any of the mapmakers feel like plotting these on a map?

Can someone send me the entire list and I can add them to the case map? I have difficulty with time constraints and proper electronic access to go back and search.

 

[tlcya]

The interviews with Misty and grandma both led me to beleive that this is a tight knit family that does for one another. My impression is that Grandma has been a very involved grandparent with her grands, babysitting them when needed, pitching in to be at Heather's daily and help with her kids, etc.

I think this particular job was only five days in for Misty, but that grandma has filled this role in prior job situations as well. I have no idea if Heather's health issues were a factor in the past during Misty's previous employment situations so it is hard to know if Lyric being around the Evansdale area is a newer thing or something that has been consistent in the past.

My own impression is that while this job for Misty was only five days old, Lyric has spent enough time in Evandals prior to recent weeks be comfortable and familiar with it.

 

[CN2Souls]

Can someone send me the entire list and I can add them to the case map? I have difficulty with time constraints and proper electronic access to go back and search.

I did... :blowkiss:

 

[threecrazykids]

Welcome to Websleuths!

Like you, I think that if a stalker is the perpetrator, it was probably someone fixated on Elizabeth; the place where the bikes were found just seems to indicate local knowledge.

I don't think the witness who said he saw them daily was lying but I have to wonder if he may have mistaken two other girls for Elizabeth and Lyric. For one thing, Lyric had only been going to Elizabeth's house for the previous five days. Also, a poster who lives in the neighbourhood (Ollipop) pointed out that the witness's street would be an odd place for Elizabeth and Lyric to turn around.

I think the ride to the lake would be less than 15 minutes on a bike (a generous estimate), so, yes, if they were going to the lake, that would leave them 30 minutes to hang out and still return in an hour.

If the girls were abducted from Meyer's Lake, I think they were coerced rather than lured. It would be easy to coerce both girls if a weapon were displayed. A single perpetrator would only need physical control of one girl in order to coerce both of them with threats.

There was a summary of the whole purse location question several pages back. I believe that the location was about 20 feet away from the bikes and on the other side of the lake fence.

I am not sure what to think about this...he AND the wife said in one interview (I remember the video of them standing down by the lake the very night they were reported missing) that they knew Elizabeth (not KNEW, but knew who she was)...that she frequently waved and said hi and was a very friendly (and frequently rode her bike by their house)...which makes it hard for me to believe he would have mistaken her for someone else. They both made it sound like they had spoken/waved to her on multiple occasions. I personally don't think he and his wife are both confused on who they saw...and if they weren't 100% certain, I would have thought they would have said as much.

 

[hollye]

Any of the mapmakers feel like plotting these on a map?

Okay, I mapped them. None appear to be anywhere close to the Waterloo/Evansdale area though and are spread out across the state. See the case map in my siggy.

 

[threecrazykids]

Another question - Which Casey's is it that mom worked at again? I can't seem to locate that info. Isn't there a Casey's right by that lake? She doesn't work at that one, right?

 

[EXIA15145]

Did you watch it? Where was it? Did they get a plate?

You know, this reminds me of a news broadcast in D.C. Does everyone know how a lot of the Smithsonian's buildings have entrances on the National Mall (The big grassy area in between the Capitol parking lot and the Washington Monument down to the reflecting pool. This one was pretty close to the Monument, I think. There was a field trip group, and if you don't know, there's ALWAYS field trip groups there. They were heading up the steps to the building, and one of the chaperones was a little behind the back of the group, and some people cut in behind the group and one child was separated from the group by the other people. Two people, a woman and a man, grabbed the kid and were taking off with him and the chaperone saw and grabbed the kid and the couple took off. They didn't catch the people but the kid was safe. The people there were stunned at how quickly it happened.

Some people at Disney World wouldn't let me pick up my daughter (she was four) when we got separated in a food place because she was crying for her dad, and not mom. LOL. In a way it's nice people care but these people went a little too far. He grabbed my arm as I was picking her up, saying, hey, it's okay, dad's right there with (the other child). It wasn't till my husband turned and said something to her and our daughter calmed down that the people let go of me. I wasn't even moving my feet. That was over twenty years ago.

Hey, Soulmagent, thanks for the heads up! :gthanks:

OFF topic
In the next few seconds HeadLine News is getting ready to show video footage of a little girl who was almost abducted . It was caught on video.

 

[tlcya]

Okay, I mapped them. None appear to be anywhere close to the Waterloo/Evansdale area though and are spread out across the state. See the case map in my siggy.

great mapwork hollye, thanks ever so much for the time you have put into it, I will be referring to it frequently.

 

[hollye]

Another question - Which Casey's is it that mom worked at again? I can't seem to locate that info. Isn't there a Casey's right by that lake? She doesn't work at that one, right?

Ity is my understanding that she works at the Elk Run Heights one. It is on the case map.

 

[threecrazykids]

Ity is my understanding that she works at the Elk Run Heights one. It is on the case map.

Thanks! I just saw that...I knew there was one right on River Forest (running right by the lake), which would have been very easy for someone who knew Lyric to say "Hey, let's go see your Mom and grab a water - leave your bikes we will be right back".:banghead:

 

[Soulmagent]

The most logical explaination for the bikes on the trail ,dropped like they were is

They were spotted and called to get off the bikes and come here .

I have caught my kids riding places arround the block and stopped them and they always drop the bikes and leave them there while I scold them. If I told themm to get into the car they would. Or if my sister caught them. My neighbor. any trusted family member basicly.

Everything would stay there until I or trusted family member told them to go and get it.
Now if a stranger tried to stop them ,they would park the bikes to talk because they were not in trouble.

The bikes would be out of the way ,leaned on the fence more carefuly.