IA IA - Elizabeth Collins, 8, & Lyric Cook, 10, Evansdale, 13 July 2012 - #25

[georger]

I went back and viewed the surveillance footage from the auction house to check out the "black bag" issue. It does appear as if both girls have a small black bag (or something appearing as a small black item near the handle bars on each bike). There's a convenience store near my neighborhood that sometimes has small black bags instead of paper sacks. IIRC, they are no bigger than say 8x10 and they have a small oval hole on each side that makes a handle for the bag. They are the consistency of cheap black trash bags, thin and not very glossy. I don't see these types of bags often but i have seen them in more than one place, mostly locally owned, single proprietor type shops. Does a local know any place in the area that gives out these kind of bags? If they didn't have money maybe a kind stranger or slight acquaintance gave them each a treat to make a good impression.

Do you have the facility to take a screen shot of the frame(s) where a
possible 'bag' is visible - and post it here? Is it clear enough to see?

Does anyone know where I can download that video .... in any format (avi, wmv, etc) ?

 

[Snowbunny]

What ever came of the body they found at 7 Bridges shortly after the girls were found? I believe it was a male and he was found under one of the bridges but I never did hear anything more about that situation.

 

[jenandemmie]

My Internet had been down since the snowstorm blew by last week so I'm only able to access WS from my phone but I did the best I could at screenshotting (is that a word, lol) the abc version of the video. It was hard to get the right frame though. I'll admit it isn't as obvious in the stills so maybe I'm wrong but there is definitely something dark on each girl's image. Were both wearing black??

 

[otto]

I've been focusing a lot on the possibility that the scene was staged, but what if we assume that the children decided to ride to the lake, were seen on Brovan Blvd at 12:23 and at Elmer/Gilbert/Arbutus at 12:30 - 1:00 on their way to the trail. We know that the cyclist was in the parking lot at Elmer and Gilbert at 12:28.

I wonder if he saw something and doesn't realize it. He didn't ride back on the trail, so he must have left via Elmer to Gilbert. If he was going home, then he would have turned towards Arbutus. As he rode towards the underpass, he could have passed right by the abduction. Maybe he saw a vehicle pass him as he rode towards the Cedar River pedestrian bridge.

 

[SapphireSteel]

Perhaps an errand for a relative beyond the Collins' household ? that would make it seem alright to leave the area w/o asking grandma's permission ? Again, simply speculating.

This has always been my theory.

I believe they were sent on a mission of some kind.

By whom, and for what, is the mystery.

 

[otto]

I went back and viewed the surveillance footage from the auction house to check out the "black bag" issue. It does appear as if both girls have a small black bag (or something appearing as a small black item near the handle bars on each bike). There's a convenience store near my neighborhood that sometimes has small black bags instead of paper sacks. IIRC, they are no bigger than say 8x10 and they have a small oval hole on each side that makes a handle for the bag. They are the consistency of cheap black trash bags, thin and not very glossy. I don't see these types of bags often but i have seen them in more than one place, mostly locally owned, single proprietor type shops. Does a local know any place in the area that gives out these kind of bags? If they didn't have money maybe a kind stranger or slight acquaintance gave them each a treat to make a good impression.

Can you see the color of the bikes?

 

[MNDad]

Good point! I had never really wondered where the cyclist went after he left the parking lot at Meyers Lake. He came from the trail, so it doesn't make sense to return on the trail. He should have ridden his bike out of the parking lot and been on Elmer, perpendicular to Gilbert ... at about 12:30 or 12:35. There is information that the girls were on Gilbert between Elmer and Arbutus between 12:30 and 1:00. They should have been there at the exact same time, and as an adult, even if the girls were a few minutes ahead of him, he would have caught up quickly. Where did he go after leaving the parking lot? Did he live North towards Waterloo, or South on the trail just East of Meyers Lake?

The cyclist is the registered owner of two properties in the area. One in Waterloo, which I believe one of his daughters live in and his primary residence which is south of Myers Lake. If he was headed home, he most likely would have taken the trail and may not have been on any of the streets mentioned.

 

[otto]

What ever came of the body they found at 7 Bridges shortly after the girls were found? I believe it was a male and he was found under one of the bridges but I never did hear anything more about that situation.

Wouldn't that have been all over the news?
Would you happen to have a link?

 

[MNDad]

The cyclist is the registered owner of two properties in the area. One in Waterloo, which I believe one of his daughters live in and his primary residence which is south of Myers Lake. If he was headed home, he most likely would have taken the trail and may not have been on any of the streets mentioned.

I see by the map that just posted that you (Otto) probably know his addresses already.

 

[MNDad]

What ever came of the body they found at 7 Bridges shortly after the girls were found? I believe it was a male and he was found under one of the bridges but I never did hear anything more about that situation.

I recall there being a body under a bridge, but I do not believe that it was anywhere near 7 Bridges park. I can't find the news link, but I think it was unrelated.

 

[otto]

The cyclist is the registered owner of two properties in the area. One in Waterloo, which I believe one of his daughters live in and his primary residence which is south of Myers Lake. If he was headed home, he most likely would have taken the trail and may not have been on any of the streets mentioned.

I think he must have seen something, but doesn't realize it, since he was at the corner of Elmer and Gilbert at about 12:28 -12:35, and the girls were in the area after leaving Brovan Blvd at 12:23 and possibly being at Elmer and Gilbert at 12:30 - 1:00. It has to be closer to 12:30, assuming the girls didn't zigzag through the streets on the way to the lake. They would have been cycling in the same direction on the same roads at the same time. Maybe they didn't see each other, but they were right at the same place at the same time.

 

[MNDad]

What ever came of the body they found at 7 Bridges shortly after the girls were found? I believe it was a male and he was found under one of the bridges but I never did hear anything more about that situation.

Was this the one? http://thegazette.com/2012/12/10/body-found-under-bridge-near-cedar-rapids-identified/

 

[MNDad]

I think he must have seen something, but doesn't realize it, since he was at the corner of Elmer and Gilbert at about 12:28 -12:35, and the girls were in the area after leaving Brovan Blvd at 12:23 and possibly being at Elmer and Gilbert at 12:30 - 1:00. It has to be closer to 12:30, assuming the girls didn't zigzag through the streets on the way to the lake. They would have been cycling in the same direction on the same roads at the same time. Maybe they didn't see each other, but they were right at the same place at the same time.

I think I have to respectfully stay clear of any conversations about the cyclist. I have had my theories in the past that almost got me in trouble. I will say that I know almost everything there is to publicly know about the cyclist, but I really should avoid the topic.

 

[otto]

I see by the map that just posted that you (Otto) probably know his addresses already.

Thanks ... I wasn't sure. I know that the trail is 23 miles long and heads South. It doesn't really go North, as far as I could tell. I remember early reports about him having ridden his bike to Meyers Lake to get back in shape after knee surgery.

 

[jenandemmie]

Can you see the color of the bikes?

No, and actually it's hard to see how LE can even be sure these are the girls. I know they have the original tape and much more badass equipment than I can imagine but it's hard to even make out what's what or who is who in the this version of the video, especially not the color and type of bike.

 

[otto]

I think I have to respectfully stay clear of any conversations about the cyclist. I have had my theories in the past that almost got me in trouble. I will say that I know almost everything there is to publicly know about the cyclist, but I really should avoid the topic.

Thanks. I'm just curious about the timeline of police placing the children at Elmer/Gilbert/Arbutus at what we know to be the exact same time that the cyclist reported that he was at that intersection. It's such a shame that he wasn't able to remember anything unusual between the intersection of Elmer/Gilbert and the underpass at the end of Arbutus.

 

[otto]

No, and actually it's hard to see how LE can even be sure these are the girls. I know they have the original tape and much more badass equipment than I can imagine but it's hard to even make out what's what or who is who in the this version of the video, especially not the color and type of bike.

That's the problem I encountered when I looked at the photos. The images were so pixelated that there was no way that I could distinguish between a compromised color, a shadow and an 8" wide object. I was unable to even figure out the color of the bikes, so I assumed that the color ratio was really low and that 256 colors were reduced to about 8. I think that a 4'1" child riding a BMX and a 4'11" child riding an adult's bike were clear in the video.

 

[Confusion]

The deceased subject discovered on the morning of December 8, 2012 under
the Squaw Creek Bridge has been identified as 47 year old James Willard Ralls. The last known address for Ralls was 7100 Mt. Vernon Rd. This incident remains under investigation by the Linn County Sheriff’s Office.

Just thought I'd post this since someone had asked. I haven't heard anything about autopsy results or anything other than this as follow up yet.

http://marion.patch.com/articles/hunters-find-body-under-squaw-creek-bridge-in-rural-linn-county

 

[georger]

My Internet had been down since the snowstorm blew by last week so I'm only able to access WS from my phone but I did the best I could at screenshotting (is that a word, lol) the abc version of the video. It was hard to get the right frame though. I'll admit it isn't as obvious in the stills so maybe I'm wrong but there is definitely something dark on each girl's image. Were both wearing black?? View attachment 28910
View attachment 28911

I have these two images you posted. The two black areas you think might
be a bag are parts of a low light area the camera recorded which begins
at the girls right knee, travels back to her hips, then up to her right
shoulder ... in a kind of arc. The largest black spot is a low light area
at the knees, then another similar low light patch at her right shoulder.
No evidence of a black bag. This optical effect is common for low grade
video cameras...

The girls general outline from her right foot on the pedal, her leg back to
her hips then torso to her right shoulder, back wheel on the bike, and the
angle of her torso with arms reached out to the handle bars - are all
visible in this frame. But no evidence of a black bag or any other object
on her person that I can see -

The image you are looking at is a stretched enhanced negative of your
original image.

 

[otto]

Just thought I'd post this since someone had asked. I haven't heard anything about autopsy results or anything other than this as follow up yet.

http://marion.patch.com/articles/hunters-find-body-under-squaw-creek-bridge-in-rural-linn-county

Is it far from Evansdale?