IA IA - Elizabeth Collins, 8, & Lyric Cook, 10, found deceased, Evansdale, 13 Jul 2012 #38

[SAMS]

Checking in. Praying for the girls to receive justice soon!

 

[Ommmm]

Hi, guys. It seems like forever since I’ve been on WS. I think about these two very often. I am sadly beginning to believe that if this case is ever solved, it will be a miracle.

My health has greatly improved and I plan to go back to being an active participant once again.

Welcome back! I also feel very disheartened.

 

[watcher9]

Somehow, we have to bring this case back into the limelight. It is so sad that this crime has never been solved. These were little girls, ages 8 and 10, just having fun riding their bicycles.
In that effort, I am bringing forth a good summary of this case for everyone to review.

Lyric Cook and Elizabeth Collins

 

[watcher9]

This new $50,000 reward is in addition to $150,000 reward.
Too late to edit, from link above.

If you have any information about the circumstances surrounding the disappearance and deaths of Lyric Cook-Morrissey and Elizabeth Collins, please call the Evansdale Police tip line at 232-6682 or Cedar Valley Crime Stoppers at 855-300-8477.

A $150,000 reward, raised privately and by the FBI, is available for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.

Additionally, Cedar Valley Crime Stoppers has offered a $50,000 reward for anyone coming forward with information that simply leads to an arrest.

 

[watcher9]

It happened eight (and a half) years ago.
Trying a recap.

'Lyric R. Cook-Morrisey, 10, and her cousin, Elizabeth Collins, 8, were reported missing to the Evansdale Police Department in Evansdale, Iowa, on Friday, July 13, 2012.

The girls were seen at about 12:23 p.m. July 13 on Brovan Boulevard in Evansdale, and then spotted between 12:30 and 1 p.m. on Gilbert Drive not far from Meyers Lake, a popular fishing and recreation area in the northeastern Iowa city of about 4,700 residents.

Their bikes and Elizabeth’s purse were later found on a trail on the southeast corner of Meyers Lake about 4 p.m. the same day the girls went missing, but there were no clues as to their whereabouts.

The girls’ grandmother, Wylma Cook, told the press she last saw the girls riding their bikes near downtown Evansdale about 12:15 p.m. July 13.

Hundreds of volunteers had helped search for the cousins, and the lake near where their bicycles were found had been partially drained.'

A security camera downtown had a snippet of the girls riding their bikes on the road. The case made national news and was featured on several shows, the Nancy Grace Show among others.

Attention turned to the parents of Lyric (Lizzy) because of drugs but they were never named suspects.

With no new information, the case seemed to go "cold".

Courtesy photo WHO-TV Channel 13
Meyers Lake, where the girls’ bicycles were found the day they disappeared.


https://iowacoldcases.org/case-summaries/lyric-cook-and-elizabeth-collins/

 

[watcher9]

Continuing recap, approximately six months later, news came that two bodies had been found.

'On Wednesday, December 5, 2012, hunters came across two deceased bodies in the Seven Bridges Wildlife Park near Readlyn in Bremer County — a wildlife area about 25 miles from where the girls were last seen. They contacted law enforcement officials at 12:45 p.m.

On Thursday, December 6, 2012, Chief Deputy Rick Abben with the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference to announce officials were confident the bodies were those of Lyric and Elizabeth.

Abben said there were no other missing persons cases and the remains found were of a smaller stature.

The bodies were transported to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Ankeny for positive identification.

Medical Examiner Confirms: Bodies Found are Missing Evansdale Girls
On Monday afternoon, December 10, 2012, the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the bodies found on Wednesday were those of Lyric Cook and Elizabeth Collins.

Chief Kent Smock of the Evansdale Police Department received confirmation Monday, according to a Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office press release.

Smock notified the families.

No other information was released to police other than the confirmation, Abben said.

https://iowacoldcases.org/case-summaries/lyric-cook-and-elizabeth-collins/

 

[watcher9]

Continuing recap, the white vehicle...

Six months after Lyric and Elizabeth were found, authorities announced on Monday, June 24, 2013, they had three separate witnesses who said they saw a white, older-model, full-size SUV-type vehicle — similar to a Chevy Suburban or a Ford Bronco — parked on Arbutus Avenue on July 13. The street meets up with the bike trail where the girls’ bikes were found.

Two witnesses said they’d seen the white SUV parked between two bike trail signs. According to KWWL Channel 7, the other witness told police they saw the vehicle parked near the woods on the east side of the lake — only a few hundred feet from where the bikes were found.

All three witnesses said they’d seen the SUV sometime between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on July 13, 2012, the same day and approximate time period when the girls went missing, WHOTV Channel 13 reported on June 24, 2012.

“There (are) just a lot of reports, a lot of information to read through,” said Mike Roehrkasse with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation in both the WHOTV and KWWL reports. “Now that there’s a little bit of a lull, we are able to start poring through those reports and make those connections.”

Witnessed described the vehicle as “a large and clunky white SUV” and “an old-style boxy suburban.”

Though two of the witnesses came forward the information while canvassing, the third came several months later because the person assumed someone had already told police about it.

“The one that kind of got the ball rolling was actually several months later. They didn’t know if it would be important and that’s kind of what we want to stress to the public is any piece of information can be important,” Roehrkasse said.

Lyric Cook and Elizabeth Collins

 

[watcher9]

Recapping, the FBI profile....

On Thursday, August 21, 2014, Evansdale police unveiled a new web page — http://evansdalepolice.org/latestonlyricandelizabeth.php — to act as a clearinghouse for information on the unsolved case.

During a press conference that day, police said they believed the person who abducted the cousins was likely local, the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier reported Aug. 22, 2014. The FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, which develops profiles of suspects, had released new details drawn from the FBI study and unveiled those conclusions on the Evansdale police web page for Lyric and Elizabeth, the Courier said.

The offender profile concluded, in part, that:

• The offender is familiar with both Meyers Lake/Angels Park in Evansdale and Seven Bridges Wildlife Area in Bremer County;
• The suspect chose Seven Bridges because he or she was familiar with the area and knew it was secluded;
• The offender blends in with and may be part of the Evansdale, Bremer and surrounding communities;
• The suspect likely used “quiet coercion” to gain the girls’ compliance into leaving Meyers Lake, using a ruse or threats of violence, and that other possible characteristics include:
• The suspect may have been experiencing stress related to legal troubles, spousal problems, employment difficulties, financial strain or mental health issues in July 2012;
• The suspect may avoid discussing the case or showing interest in the matter but is likely following developments in the media;
• The offender may have attempted to abduct children or adults in the past;
• Following the disappearance, the suspect may have altered his or her physical appearance, such as changing hair style and facial hair. The offender’s vehicle may also have been altered with a new paint job or re-upholstery.

Analysts’ experience with prior abduction cases points to one person being involved, but there are cases where more than one person was involved, The Courier said.

Lyric Cook and Elizabeth Collins

 

[Ommmm]

FYI- Down the Hill: The Delphi Murders airs on HLN tonight at 10 pm eastern / 9 pm cst. I know many of us have speculated that there could be a connection between the two cases.

HLN Special Down the Hill Examines Unsolved 2017 Murders of 2 Indiana Girls

 

[borndem]

Yep -- I'm set to watch it. It concludes tomorrow (Tues.) night, same time, same station. We'll see.
I so hope that something from someone will help this case along.
SMH. Also hoping that they have done a good job on the shows.
See y'all there!

 

[swedeheart]

 

[Ommmm]

Operation finds 150 missing children in Tennessee

I’ve read about other stings like this, in different parts of the country. Have we ever seen instances where some of these missing cases are cleared because of it?

I hope all 150 of these kiddos are now safe and where they belong.

 

[tiffkinsadder]

Hi, guys. It seems like forever since I’ve been on WS. I think about these two very often. I am sadly beginning to believe that if this case is ever solved, it will be a miracle.

My health has greatly improved and I plan to go back to being an active participant once again.

Welcome Back

 

[B4igo2it]

thank you for posting this.

 

[SouthernMom]

@swedeheart Thanks for posting that video. It’s nice to see that Lyric and Elizabeth have not been forgotten.

 

[Kell1]

Recapping, the FBI profile....

On Thursday, August 21, 2014, Evansdale police unveiled a new web page — http://evansdalepolice.org/latestonlyricandelizabeth.php — to act as a clearinghouse for information on the unsolved case.

During a press conference that day, police said they believed the person who abducted the cousins was likely local, the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier reported Aug. 22, 2014. The FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, which develops profiles of suspects, had released new details drawn from the FBI study and unveiled those conclusions on the Evansdale police web page for Lyric and Elizabeth, the Courier said.

The offender profile concluded, in part, that:

• The offender is familiar with both Meyers Lake/Angels Park in Evansdale and Seven Bridges Wildlife Area in Bremer County;
• The suspect chose Seven Bridges because he or she was familiar with the area and knew it was secluded;
• The offender blends in with and may be part of the Evansdale, Bremer and surrounding communities;
• The suspect likely used “quiet coercion” to gain the girls’ compliance into leaving Meyers Lake, using a ruse or threats of violence, and that other possible characteristics include:
• The suspect may have been experiencing stress related to legal troubles, spousal problems, employment difficulties, financial strain or mental health issues in July 2012;
• The suspect may avoid discussing the case or showing interest in the matter but is likely following developments in the media;
• The offender may have attempted to abduct children or adults in the past;
• Following the disappearance, the suspect may have altered his or her physical appearance, such as changing hair style and facial hair. The offender’s vehicle may also have been altered with a new paint job or re-upholstery.

Analysts’ experience with prior abduction cases points to one person being involved, but there are cases where more than one person was involved, The Courier said.

Lyric Cook and Elizabeth Collins

Some additional things to consider , Its also possible they knew him vaguely as someone from the area, child victims in non familial abductions, are abducted by complete strangers, only slightly more than by an acquaintance.

So its possible it could be someone affiliated with the family, or just a neighborhood personality they were familiar with. Dad dealing meth, gives you a variable pool of possibilities to look into.

Part of the "how" depends on the victims, and a victimology study, to determine if anything in their background can give an avenue to pursue, or how they would react in a stranger, vs acquaintance situation etc..

Its also albeit slim, that there was more than one offender involved.

 

[SouthernMom]

Some additional things to consider , Its also possible they knew him vaguely as someone from the area, child victims in non familial abductions, are abducted by complete strangers, only slightly more than by an acquaintance.

So its possible it could be someone affiliated with the family, or just a neighborhood personality they were familiar with. Dad dealing meth, gives you a variable pool of possibilities to look into.

Part of the "how" depends on the victims, and a victimology study, to determine if anything in their background can give an avenue to pursue, or how they would react in a stranger, vs acquaintance situation etc..

Its also albeit slim, that there was more than one offender involved.

When we read the histories of the cases involving Ariel Castro (kept local girls imprisoned), Israel Keyes (changed his MO every crime), Joseph Duncan (opportunist who sometimes kidnapped and killed more than one victim at a time) it becomes apparent that anything is possible. IMO, some don’t understand how two or more victims can be kidnapped and murdered at the same time, when in reality it happens more frequently than one would hope.
The victims were surprised by an opportunistic killer who may have fantasized about and planned how to commit such a crime long before he or she (also possible, ex. Melissa Huckaby) met up with the girls on that unfortunate day.

 

[Kell1]

When we read the histories of the cases involving Ariel Castro (kept local girls imprisoned), Israel Keyes (changed his MO every crime), Joseph Duncan (opportunist who sometimes kidnapped and killed more than one victim at a time) it becomes apparent that anything is possible. IMO, some don’t understand how two or more victims can be kidnapped and murdered at the same time, when in reality it happens more frequently than one would hope.
The victims were surprised by an opportunistic killer who may have fantasized about and planned how to commit such a crime long before he or she (also possible, ex. Melissa Huckaby) met up with the girls on that unfortunate day.

Usually none of it is planned, that's where it gets interesting with child abduction murders

Years ago when I was a paramedic, i worked at a large metropolitan children's hospital, the first thing we were taught and any pediatric nurse or doctor will tell you this, "Kids aren't just small adults they are completely different".

The same thing applies to those who prey on kids, even in offenders who switch from adults or children or vice versa, their MO doesn't usually change that much depending on the victim preference. Therefore you cant really compare child killers, to adult killers, even in cases, where they have killed both the psychological signature will be consistent throughout their crimes .

Israel Keys was a bit of an enigma, but he was also more of an impulsive sociopath, like most sociopaths, he dabbled in all types of crime, he took a great deal of care not to be detected, but in the end he was caught.

In sexual child murders where the victim is abducted,

The Offender, is usually there in the area because he lives or works nearby, IE they belong there , in some cases, its a route they take regularly etc..

They are most often sexual deviants, with a record, who come upon their victims by chance, most victims are usually on their way to or on their way home from school.

The sole factor they tend to pick a victim is because there is no adult present, the presence of another child wont usually deter them, as a matter of fact the second child may become a victim themselves. As we've sen here and in Delphi.

Now that doesn't mean there aren't offenders out there looking for a victim, there are , and some may actually set out to go abduct a victim, but that type is extremely rare, and almost always already serial offender, as in the case of Duncan (now dying of brain cancer thankfully)

In most cases, they aren't usually out on the hunt actively for victims, they are basically rapists/killers in waiting if you will, and if their planets align, they grab the victim.

For this individual to approach 2 kids in broad daylight , and abduct them both tells me hes not really concerned about being seen, probably because its not uncommon he is .

Often pathetic oddballs, they don't have a large friends circle, and usually live with their parents. Some may be married but its not usually withing the normal parameters of a "healthy " union if you will.

I explain it to my students like this, this isn't an active predator , its an ambush predator, Its not like a lion on the prowl for prey, but more like a Crocodile waiting for something unsuspecting.

The motive for their crimes is almost purely sexual, and unlike adult abduction killers, they usually don't have something that set them off prior to.

They are usually between 27-36 years of age, it'll change if they were in custody for a time, most have been at some point.

The victim is usually killed within 1-2 hours after they are abducted, which brings up a heart wrenching point , in most of these cases, the family isn't aware the child is even missing for usually 2-4 hours after they have been abducted... So in most cases, unless an abduction was witnessed, the child is already dead before they are even reported missing.

The murder usually takes place very close to where they are found, and the offender is usually very familiar with the body recovery site .

One factor about these guys, is they revisit, something like 85% of them revisit the bodies, and i feel confident saying that up UNTIL they were discovered, he went back to their bodies. SO ANYONE that was ever spotted in that area between the time they went missing to when they were found should be interviewed.

 

[TL4S]

Just someone to watch in the weeks to come...

Shane Stanger appears in court, faces 200+ charges including assault

The latest address for Stanger is Davenport, Iowa. Investigators believe he has been traveling between the two states, carrying out these assaults.

Man accused of more than 200 counts of sex-related crimes

Schmaling said the victims ranged in age from approximately 10 to 40 years old.

He said Stanger traveled between Iowa and Wisconsin and knew most of his victims.
_______________________________________

The sheriff's office said it was expecting more charges from out-of-state.

"We're looking at 200 counts, there are children involved here," Schmaling said. "We have talked about a lot of things we're finding here.

Police: Wisconsin man faces numerous counts of sex-related crimes after victim comes forward with incriminating video

RACINE COUNTY, Wis. (WISN) – Racine County Sheriff’s investigators said a man is in custody on suspicion of around 200 counts of sex-related crimes, with one dating back to 2014.

 

[carbuff]

Wow. Just...OMG.