IA IA - Elizabeth Collins, 8, & Lyric Cook, 10, Evansdale, 13 July 2012 - #29

[shoregirl]

Excellent theories here. I believe the perp is a local due to the locations. I cannot decide if he knew the girls, but he probably knew of them. I have always believed this is a crime of impulse and opportunity. It is amazing to me how lucky these guys are in not getting caught, I don't believe he is a mastermind. I don't think it has anything to do with Dan or anyone in the immediate family.

 

[roseofsharon]

I think he is cunning, smart, arrogant, feels entitled, is a risk taker, fearless, likes to be seen as a hero. He portrays the perfect family man, but leads two lives, has a well respected job, is a local man, but has moved around a lot in his life. In his job, I don't see him getting along with people, always undermining and going against the grain. He has a lot of angst about everything and is passive aggressive.

His wife would probably describe him as a moody person because he gets restless and will move from Evansdale soon, if not already.

He saw an opportunity from observing the girls riding their bikes on previous occasions and worked out a seamless plan, which to date, apparently has worked for him. Somewhere though, he has missed something and I think he will be caught soon and that is why LE will not divulge details on COD and DOD.

LE is watching him. He is recognizable in the community in some capacity, so the girls went with him willingly.

He lives very close to Meyers Lake. He takes his own children there. I think he took part in the search for the girls.

All my own speculation and IMO.

 

[cindersoot]

This is taken August 25th 2012, the lake is drained down, and this is at the gate looking east to maiden lane. Look how dark and secluded.

 

[threecrazykids]

At some point this spring/summer I am going to make a day trip to both Meyer's Lake and also 7 Bridges. I want to see for myself the lay of the land.

Even though we've seen lots of pictures posted, even from locals, it's different to see it for yourself. Maybe even take a video. Video's seem to help people get a visual of the area even better than still shots.

I'd like to go up in the spring before all the vegetation gets thick so everyone can see roads, trails, etc...but I'd also like to get video of when the area is in full vegetation as well to see how it could affect the area.

I believe though, that the city has removed the vegetation on the area of the trail where the girls bikes were found. If I remember correctly, they had cut down all of the thick viney growth that prevented seeing the trail all the way through (in essence eliminating the creepy spot).

And I'm sure LE cleared out a lot of the area where the bodies were found. However, I'm sure I can find a full grown area as well to demonstrate how thick the grass/brush was in a similar area to see how well hidden the bodies would have been.

I just want to see it all in person. I think it may help me see what I feel is feasible and what is a more or less likely scenario.

 

[alliemay]

http://iowacoldcases.org/tag/julie-benning/
"Quote"
Still, hope remains. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) had but two short years to put to work their newly created Cold Case Unit, but fruits of their labor continue to be witnessed since the unit shut down in late 2011 due to lack of funding. They were making progress — particularly with cases where DNA had been preserved — and remained committed to following through with those cases. Their perseverance paid off.

On July 26, 2011, officials arrested 45-year-old Tracey Ann Richter-Roberts for the 2001 death of 20-year-old Dustin Wehde in Early, Iowa.

On May 23, 2012, the DCI announced that the female remains found in southeast Iowa on March 17, 2012 were believed to be those of Jackie Leigh Douthart, who disappeared from Mount Pleasant on May 22, 2011.

On July 12, 2012, Derrick J. McElroy, 26, was charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of 19-year-old Brandyn Preston of Fort Dodge. Preston was shot May 8, 2011, and died from his injuries on January 22, 2012.

On September 27, 2012, agents with the DCI and Floyd County Sheriff’s Office charged 33-year-old Casey Frederiksen in the 2005 death of five-year-old Evelyn Miller.

On November 13, 2012, DCI agents and Wapello County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 66-year-old Robert Eugene Pilcher in connection with the 1974 homicide of 17-year-old Mary Jayne Jones of Ottumwa.

DNA from other cases continues to be processed, and hundreds of Iowa families remain hopeful that funding will soon restore the DCI’s Cold Case Unit. We need them. They’ve proven they can produce results. And, DNA technology is only going to advance and get better.

The unit was shut down in 2011, this doesn't sound promising if this case becomes cold, hope that does not happen.

 

[cindersoot]

On the Nancy Grace website in an interview with an FBI spokesperson. "Bloodhounds were even brought in during the pond search and they picked up the girls scents. The scents went as far as a mile away from the trail where the missing girls would have been riding their bikes".

 

[iamnotagolem]

The case is already cold.

http://iowacoldcases.org/homicides-2000-present/

 

[alliemay]

Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - NJ NJ - Steven Anderson, 17, & David Williams, 12, New Lisbon, 7 April 1975

Kind of O/T but it has to do with "double" disappearances. Sad, also cold cases.

 

[threecrazykids]

On the Nancy Grace website in an interview with an FBI spokesperson. "Bloodhounds were even brought in during the pond search and they picked up the girls scents. The scents went as far as a mile away from the trail where the missing girls would have been riding their bikes".

With that statement, they are assumed to know EXACTLY the route the girls took. But they'd never ridden to the lake before? Are we to assume "the trail" was the Evansdale Nature Trail? Hmmmmm....:waitasec:

 

[cindersoot]

With that statement, they are assumed to know EXACTLY the route the girls took. But they'd never ridden to the lake before? Are we to assume "the trail" was the Evansdale Nature Trail? Hmmmmm....:waitasec:

A mile, a mile is along way. I wonder which way?

 

[threecrazykids]

A mile, a mile is along way. I wonder which way?

Me too...and I'd like to know where they started the dog tracking from as well. Because if the hounds were used from the Collin's home, maybe they were using them to determine which route the girls took. That is a fairly vague statement for us to make much from. We have no idea where the dogs started. At the home? At the CCTV location? At the bikes? Way too many variables, sadly.

 

[huckleberryhound]

I'll add my theories of what could have happened to the girls- I think the perp(s) are in their late teens, probably somewhat known to the girls through their older brothers or through school friends . I think they live very close to the lake, and the girls ran into them that day, started talking, and ended up lured into their house. I think the boy(s) probably did not set out with the intention to kill them, but things got of hand, one of the girls got hurt, the boy(s) got scared, and they killed them. I think the boy(s) only had access to a car that day, they put the girls bodies in the car , but the bikes would not fit in the car, so they rode them to the nearby bike trail and left them.

 

[tlcya]

interesting theory huckleberry.

I'm gonna mull that one over for a bit.

 

[Reverie]

Very good questions. I know we all pretty much dismiss the whole boat theory, but I am wondering if there is more to it than we've explored. The scent trail (as reported) stopped at the water. Whether that is just what LE reported, or whether there is more to the dog's tracking, is yet to be determined.

If their report of a scent trail stopping at the water's edge is true (and the scent trail didn't go on from there), there almost has to be a boat involved. A dog would be able to track from the water back to the trail and onto Maiden Lane if that is where we'd assume they were taken.

It makes a whole lot more sense to park over on Maiden Lane than it does to try to abduct 2 girls via a boat. However, maybe the girls knew this person so they had no fear whatsoever of getting into a boat or going for a ride to get ice cream etc.

I know the lake isn't big, but I just think of the possibilities that could have taken place right in front of people's faces and no one would suspect anything. Even if he did have a boat, if the girls hopped in the boat and he took them to the parking lot, the people fishing on the lake wouldn't know anything was amiss. Or even if they parked on Maiden Lane and came in the back way and took the girls, unless they were screaming and fighting no one would probably pay attention either.

With all the vegetation and overgrowth, it's possible that no one saw anything that happened on the trail even if they were fairly close. It's a matter of being able to note or remember something identifiable about the perp to be able to assist with locating this person.

I agree about the boat variable being unlikely. Would a perp risk being seen with two girls that he plans to abduct?

 

[tlcya]

not feeling the boat theory. JMO

 

[SapphireSteel]

I'll add my theories of what could have happened to the girls- I think the perp(s) are in their late teens, probably somewhat known to the girls through their older brothers or through school friends . I think they live very close to the lake, and the girls ran into them that day, started talking, and ended up lured into their house. I think the boy(s) probably did not set out with the intention to kill them, but things got of hand, one of the girls got hurt, the boy(s) got scared, and they killed them. I think the boy(s) only had access to a car that day, they put the girls bodies in the car , but the bikes would not fit in the car, so they rode them to the nearby bike trail and left them.

ITA, there was a youth/youths involved in this, but to my mind they were accomplices not the mastermind.

This is too well planned to be a spur of the moment abduction IMO.

Also Mr G's sighting of the bikes does not fit.

I don't think he was mistaken, personally. I know I am virtually the only one who doesn't think that.

 

[iamnotagolem]

TG said there were two men fishing when he rode by, Tammy said that she approached men that were fishing. We're these the same men? If TG missed seeing the girls by mere seconds, then surely the fishermen saw them, right? I wonder how their account of the afternoon goes?

 

[cindersoot]

I wish we had something new to talk about. : (

 

[SapphireSteel]

TG said there were two men fishing when he rode by, Tammy said that she approached men that were fishing. We're these the same men? If TG missed seeing the girls by mere seconds, then surely the fishermen saw them, right? I wonder how their account of the afternoon goes?

Another mystery.

Tammy said she spoke to a boy.

TAMMY brousseau, AUNT OF MISSING GIRLS: Absolutely not. There was nothing that seemed terribly out of the ordinary. There was a little boy fishing, and he had been there a long time. I asked him as well, when I first approached and started asking random people. I said, "Did you see two little girls on a bicycle? He said "No". I said, "How long have you been here?" He said, "A long time."

So when I told you a man said that he had seen them going east on the bike trial, whether that was true or not, yes, they have his name, they know who he is. But it appears what he said was true because like I said the lake wraps around and the bikes were found on the south side. And that`s where the girls --

BBM - Has Tammy been challenged as to the truth of her account? That sentence implies that she has in my opinion. :waitasec:

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

 

[tlcya]

why SS? What struck you as strange about it? Could you elaborate?

TIA

ETA I agree Cinder, I wish we had something new to discuss, but in the absence of new leads, I am in rehash mode to some degree. no other choice.