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

[threecrazykids]

I think that Lyric's older brother was visiting Dan at his mother's house. He probably stayed there while Dan met Misty to look for the girls. I'm sure they first assumed that the children had gotten into mischief at the lake and that it wasn't serious. Even if Lyric's older brother was at the lake that afternoon, he probably stayed with the family group and waited for police to arrive.

According to Tammy (FWIW) she mentioned in her interview that Dan and Lyric's brother BOTH came with Vicki (after she got off work and picked them up) to the lake and immediately began searching. Tammy also stated that Dan and Dillon brought the 4 wheeler with them and had done their own search of the wooded area.

Elizabeth's brother had ridden with Wylma I believe when they went looking in the car the first time at 12:30. I'm not sure where he was (probably home with Drew) after they came back after their 12:30 search (for an hour), Heather left for the police station, and Drew stayed at home with the other kids. That's what I gathered from the multiple transcripts.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1207/19/ng.01.html

So when Misty had -- when they`d found the bikes and called us and told us, Misty was standing here with us, Misty immediately called Dan and Dan called his mother. She was at work. She took work off, and she hurried up and picked Dan and Dylan up and came down here and met us to start the search and all of that for the kids, yes.


http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1207/18/ijvm.01.html

As a matter of fact, you know, as we were coming down here and came to the lake to look for the girls, he didn`t even know about it. He was at home with his 16-year-old son, Dillon. And the mother, Misty, his wife, she was at work here in Evansdale, Elk Run, which is -- they`re connected. And when Misty got down here to the lake with me and my mother -- Grandma, you know, Misty called Dan immediately. Dan doesn`t have a vehicle. Dan`s mother -- he called his mother. She got off work real quick, went and grabbed Dan and Dillon and brought them down here.

And they started right in on with the rest of us as soon as we were allowed to get to the area where the bicycles were found and the crime tape was released, we were allowed to go in there and just start our own hunt. And that`s what we did. Dan got his four-wheeler and his son, and they went in and just started doing what a dad would do.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1207/18/ijvm.01.html

BROUSSEAU: Correctly -- correct. You know, Misty was told one thing. I was told directly by the investigator. And I also watched the dogs myself. We were brought approximately halfway down on the south side of the lake. The bikes were probably, you know, 500 yards up ahead. You know, they were no longer there. I`m just saying that`s where they were dropped on the path. So the dogs were here. Back up. And just as Misty said, lined up and walked past the dog and the dog was able to sniff each one of us because we were all in those woods hunting around.

They had to take the dogs past all of the family because they'd been back in the woods doing their own investigation. :banghead:

 

[tlcya]

I get the frustration with them possibly contaminating a crime scene, but had they not searched, that also would have caused negative comment.

We must remember that at the point they were searching, no one knew the girls were abducted and would be murdered. There was still the possibility that the girls were simply AWOL and had lost track of time. Something Lyric and another cousin were guilty of just a week prior to this day.

Had they not torn through town searching, they would be getting criticized. They did tear through town and they are criticized by some for their choices on where to search and when.

A no win situation. IMO

 

[SapphireSteel]

Look at this list something is terribly terribly wrong!! Watch the dates.

Iowa Missing Children 17 cases in Black Hawk county Iowa--

Eriwovan Winford, age 8, reported missing August,30 2012.

Kunickshal Robinson, age 15, reported missing August, 23 2012.

Dalton L. Nalley, age 17, reported missing August 20, 2012.

Amber Miller, age 16, reported missing August 02,2012

Shakur D Todd-Ellis, age 14, reported missing July 28, 2012

Chavon L. Banks, age 16 reported missing July 14,2012

Elizabeth Collins, age 9 reported missing July 13,2012

Lyric Cook, age 10 reported missing July 13,2012

Montajia Mitchell, age 17 reported missing June 24,2012

Crystal Silva age 14 reported missing June,15 2012

Karina Duran age 13 reported missing June 9, 2012
Brenda Duran age 15 reported missing June 9, 2012

Isaiah Turney age 16 reported missing June 5,2012

Jjuanna Williams age 14 reported missing May 30,2012

Do these dates correspond with the school terms?

I can imagine more runaways in the summer months than winter.

 

[threecrazykids]

I get the frustration with them possibly contaminating a crime scene, but had they not searched, that also would have caused negative comment.

We must remember that at the point they were searching, no one knew the girls were abducted and would be murdered. There was still the possibility that the girls were simply AWOL and had lost track of time. Something Lyric and another cousin were guilty of just a week prior to this day.

Had they not torn through town searching, they would be getting criticized. They did tear through town and they are criticized by some for their choices on where to search and when.

A no win situation. IMO

It is a no win situation, but I'm expressing MORE frustration for the fact that LE allowed it to happen, than the family frantically searching the area for any clues. God knows if my child was missing, and IMMEDIATELY knew of the Maiden Lane/grassy parking area (as they did), I would have been back there too if they'd let me. However, I would have equally expected LE to cordon off the entire area knowing that was possibly the location of the abduction and wouldn't want anyone back there that could contaminate the area either.

Hindsight is 20/20 of course...but I seriously would have expected LE to tell everyone to stay the hell back.

It's just frustrating that the family immediately suspected the wooded Maiden Lane area as a perfect place for a pedophile to sit and wait for someone to come along, and LE just completely blows it off and allows people back there.

Not to mention, the perp himself could have easily returned to the area during the following day searches and could have explained his scent being there as well.

I know it's probably not anything that would make or break the case, but I just look at what COULD have been done if there was something that screamed abduction right from the minute the bikes were found.

 

[cindersoot]

Do these dates correspond with the school terms?

I can imagine more runaways in the summer months than winter.

Yes, these are the months kids are out of school for summer break.

 

[threecrazykids]

Do these dates correspond with the school terms?

I can imagine more runaways in the summer months than winter.

These would have all been days the kids would be out of school. Typically the end of May (sometimes the first few days of June, depending on snow days) is the end of the school year (Memorial Day) and they reconvene in later August/Early September (after Labor Day).

I don't know the exact school days for the Evansdale school year, but in general the kids are out by the end of May and back to school late Aug/early Sept.

 

[Marilynilpa]

I get the frustration with them possibly contaminating a crime scene, but had they not searched, that also would have caused negative comment.

We must remember that at the point they were searching, no one knew the girls were abducted and would be murdered. There was still the possibility that the girls were simply AWOL and had lost track of time. Something Lyric and another cousin were guilty of just a week prior to this day.

Had they not torn through town searching, they would be getting criticized. They did tear through town and they are criticized by some for their choices on where to search and when.

A no win situation. IMO

I agree that no matter what the family did, there probably would have been some criticism - after all, hindsight is 20/20, right?

But here's what has always bugged me about the family's search for the girls (and please keep in mind that this is based on the family's assertion that the girls never rode their bikes that far from home):

Grandma and Kelly (Lizzie's brother) drove through town looking for the girls, but did see them. According to Grandma, they looked everywhere possible.

When Drew called Grandma to let them know the girls were still missing, Tammy and Grandma drove back to Evansdale, and Tammy insisted they go to Meyers Lake.

The family congregated at Meyers Lake, even though there was no reason to suspect they were there. I believe Drew was at home probably making phone calls, and Dan had not yet been notified.

My big question is:

WHY did they spend so much time at Meyers Lake? Why didn't, say, Tammy and Kelly stay at the lake, with Grandma and Misty driving around closer to home, asking everyone if they'd seen the girls? I don't have a link, but I recall reading that Heather was driving around looking for them.

I believe Tammy had some reason for believing the girls had gone to the lake. I don't mean that she was involved in what happened to the girls - I just feel she knew something that maybe the rest of the family didn't know. As Lyric's "favorite aunt", maybe Tammy was privy to some secrets, i.e., riding bikes to the lake against the rules.:waitasec:

If two girls who NEVER ride far from home go missing, it seems like the search should focus much closer to home and then spread out incrementally. This has always puzzled me.

 

[threecrazykids]

Still re-reading scripts and came across this:

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

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I want to jump in because I want to ask Misty a question. Do you think your daughter or Elizabeth would want to go in that lake and go swimming?

MISTY MORRISSEY, MOTHER OF LYRIC CDOOK: You know, I think that -- I think the ride to the lake is quite a long distance for the both of them. If they decided to take that journey and --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: How far? How far?

MORRISSEY: -- they made it to the lake -- a mile, mile and a half.

RUSSO: Yes.

MORRISSEY: You know. If they decided to make that journey, which I probably don`t put past a lot of kids to go ahead and do --

RUSSO: We`ve been swimming a lot lately.

MORRISSEY: I think that my daughter, you know, I can speak for my daughter, that yes, she might want to get into that lake.

RUSSO: But we feel they would have took their shoes off, their flip- flops.

MORRISSEY: Yes.

RUSSO: Those would have been left sitting on the shore.

MORRISSEY: On the side -- yes, on the shore.

I mean, we`ve been swimming at a lake all summer for the last five weeks. I`ve been off work. We`ve been swimming and spending time together. I think she`s very comfortable with a lake setting. If it came down to, would she swim? Absolutely.

So, in this interview Misty makes no qualms about the fact that Lyric would not only ride to the lake, but would swim (albeit would have taken off her shoes).

 

[tlcya]

It is a no win situation, but I'm expressing MORE frustration for the fact that LE allowed it to happen, than the family frantically searching the area for any clues. God knows if my child was missing, and IMMEDIATELY knew of the Maiden Lane/grassy parking area (as they did), I would have been back there too if they'd let me. However, I would have equally expected LE to cordon off the entire area knowing that was possibly the location of the abduction and wouldn't want anyone back there that could contaminate the area either.

Hindsight is 20/20 of course...but I seriously would have expected LE to tell everyone to stay the hell back.

It's just frustrating that the family immediately suspected the wooded Maiden Lane area as a perfect place for a pedophile to sit and wait for someone to come along, and LE just completely blows it off and allows people back there.

Not to mention, the perp himself could have easily returned to the area during the following day searches and could have explained his scent being there as well.

I know it's probably not anything that would make or break the case, but I just look at what COULD have been done if there was something that screamed abduction right from the minute the bikes were found.

I hear ya. I too have some level of frustration that has build over time as far as LE handling of this case. Being a staunch LE supporter, my lack of confidence in the LE involved in this case is not a normal or comfortable feeling for me.

I agree 100%, the early handling of the scene leaves much to be desired.

 

[otto]

I agree that no matter what the family did, there probably would have been some criticism - after all, hindsight is 20/20, right?

But here's what has always bugged me about the family's search for the girls (and please keep in mind that this is based on the family's assertion that the girls never rode their bikes that far from home):

Grandma and Kelly (Lizzie's brother) drove through town looking for the girls, but did see them. According to Grandma, they looked everywhere possible.

When Drew called Grandma to let them know the girls were still missing, Tammy and Grandma drove back to Evansdale, and Tammy insisted they go to Meyers Lake.

The family congregated at Meyers Lake, even though there was no reason to suspect they were there. I believe Drew was at home probably making phone calls, and Dan had not yet been notified.

My big question is:

WHY did they spend so much time at Meyers Lake? Why didn't, say, Tammy and Kelly stay at the lake, with Grandma and Misty driving around closer to home, asking everyone if they'd seen the girls? I don't have a link, but I recall reading that Heather was driving around looking for them.

I believe Tammy had some reason for believing the girls had gone to the lake. I don't mean that she was involved in what happened to the girls - I just feel she knew something that maybe the rest of the family didn't know. As Lyric's "favorite aunt", maybe Tammy was privy to some secrets, i.e., riding bikes to the lake against the rules.:waitasec:

If two girls who NEVER ride far from home go missing, it seems like the search should focus much closer to home and then spread out incrementally. This has always puzzled me.

Maybe it was a case of putting two and two together. The family stayed there because that's where they were when Heather went to the police station and because people at the lake reported seeing two children on bikes.

Tammy's daughter is older than Lyric. The fact that Tammy's daughter and Lyric went to Greenbrier Park the week before the abduction (which is near the lake at George Wyth Park) may have given Tammy the idea that Lyric may have wanted to go to Meyers lake. Dan had also said (early on in the case) that Lyric had asked about going to Meyers Lake and that he told her that she was not allowed to go there.

Elizabeth was recognized by at least one of the resident on Lake Avenue as regularly cycling there and visiting with people on the street. Between the two children, maybe Lyric talked about going to the lake with her cousin, and maybe Elizabeth, wanting to impress an older cousin, mentioned Meyers Lake ... so they cycled there.

Since Wylma had searched areas where she expected to find the children (keeping in mind that she didn't live in Evansdale) and didn't find them, maybe Tammy put two and two together and figured out that they may have gone to Meyers Lake.

 

[Marilynilpa]

Maybe it was a case of putting two and two together. The family stayed there because that's where they were when Heather went to the police station and because people at the lake reported seeing two children on bikes.

Tammy's daughter is older than Lyric. The fact that Tammy's daughter and Lyric went to Greenbrier Park the week before the abduction (which is near the lake at George Wyth Park) may have given Tammy the idea that Lyric may have wanted to go to Meyers lake. Dan had also said (early on in the case) that Lyric had asked about going to Meyers Lake and that he told her that she was not allowed to go there.

Elizabeth was recognized by at least one of the resident on Lake Avenue as regularly cycling there and visiting with people on the street. Between the two children, maybe Lyric talked about going to the lake with her cousin, and maybe Elizabeth, wanting to impress an older cousin, mentioned Meyers Lake ... so they cycled there.

Since Wylma had searched areas where she expected to find the children (keeping in mind that she didn't live in Evansdale) and didn't find them, maybe Tammy put two and two together and figured out that they may have gone to Meyers Lake.

To me, two and two put together doesn't equal Meyers Lake. That's why I feel Tammy, at least, knew something that led her directly to Meyers Lake over any other possible location, including a nearby skate park. JMO.

Of course, none of this does anything to figure out what happened to Lyric and Lizzie. It's just one of those niggling little things that don't make sense to me.

 

[threecrazykids]

Maybe it was a case of putting two and two together. The family stayed there because that's where they were when Heather went to the police station and because people at the lake reported seeing two children on bikes.

Tammy's daughter is older than Lyric. The fact that Tammy's daughter and Lyric went to Greenbrier Park the week before the abduction (which is near the lake at George Wyth Park) may have given Tammy the idea that Lyric may have wanted to go to Meyers lake. Dan had also said (early on in the case) that Lyric had asked about going to Meyers Lake and that he told her that she was not allowed to go there.

Elizabeth was recognized by at least one of the resident on Lake Avenue as regularly cycling there and visiting with people on the street. Between the two children, maybe Lyric talked about going to the lake with her cousin, and maybe Elizabeth, wanting to impress an older cousin, mentioned Meyers Lake ... so they cycled there.

Since Wylma had searched areas where she expected to find the children (keeping in mind that she didn't live in Evansdale) and didn't find them, maybe Tammy put two and two together and figured out that they may have gone to Meyers Lake.

I agree with you. There seemed to be something about this lake that was very appealing to the girls. You mentioned that Dan had told Lyric she was NOT to go to this lake. So, if after being TOLD not to go, and knowing they were not to leave the immediate area of the Collins home, what was at this lake that drew them there?

There were other parks closer to home, there was the skate park, etc...so why THIS lake? Is it because it was "forbidden"? Is it because they knew there was someone there?

What made them go to the lake?! Especially the back side of the lake, where there really is nothing for kids to do. The play equipment/tank is on the front side of the lake, as are the bathrooms etc...so what drew them to the most remote spot in the entire park/lake area where no one could see them?

 

[BunnyHop]

Interesting to read the different perspectives~~~~

I like that! :rocker:


:lepsmilie: Happy St. Patty's Day!

 

[Arod]

In my opinion I believe the girls waited for their abductor. The phone was set down not thrown over the fence and the bikes were laid down on the trail.

 

[ShyViolet]

Still re-reading scripts and came across this:

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

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I want to jump in because I want to ask Misty a question. Do you think your daughter or Elizabeth would want to go in that lake and go swimming?

MISTY MORRISSEY, MOTHER OF LYRIC CDOOK: You know, I think that -- I think the ride to the lake is quite a long distance for the both of them. If they decided to take that journey and --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: How far? How far?

MORRISSEY: -- they made it to the lake -- a mile, mile and a half.

RUSSO: Yes.

MORRISSEY: You know. If they decided to make that journey, which I probably don`t put past a lot of kids to go ahead and do --

RUSSO: We`ve been swimming a lot lately.

MORRISSEY: I think that my daughter, you know, I can speak for my daughter, that yes, she might want to get into that lake.

RUSSO: But we feel they would have took their shoes off, their flip- flops.

MORRISSEY: Yes.

RUSSO: Those would have been left sitting on the shore.

MORRISSEY: On the side -- yes, on the shore.

I mean, we`ve been swimming at a lake all summer for the last five weeks. I`ve been off work. We`ve been swimming and spending time together. I think she`s very comfortable with a lake setting. If it came down to, would she swim? Absolutely.

So, in this interview Misty makes no qualms about the fact that Lyric would not only ride to the lake, but would swim (albeit would have taken off her shoes).

Thank you for finding this!!! I feel like my sanity has been restored.

I happened to halfway catch this interview when it was televised, before I was familiar with the case. Once I started following along here, I could never find any hint of it, anywhere, and the subsequent interviews I saw seemed to suggest something much different. I had started to think I had imagined the whole thing or it was a different mother I had transposed in MC.



It is a curiosity to me, as well.

 

[cindersoot]

In my opinion I believe the girls waited for their abductor. The phone was set down not thrown over the fence and the bikes were laid down on the trail.

I totally agree!!:rocker:

 

[cindersoot]

Just watched the hour long video of the memorial photos of Elizabeth as she is growing up. She always had a smile on her face and I noticed her love for dogs and horses. She really loved her daddy, and you really get a sense of who she was. Very touching,.

 

[alliemay]

Page 10 Incident Types
I
-
Involuntary
A person of any age who is missing under circumstances indicating that the disappearance
was not voluntary, i.e., abduction or kidnapping.
E
-
Endangered
A person of any age who is missing under circumstances indicating that his/her physic
al safety is
in danger.
D
-
Disabled
A person of any age who is missing and under proven physical/mental disability or is senile, thereby
subjecting himself/herself or others to personal and immediate danger.
V
-
Catastrophe
A person of any age who is mi
ssing after a catastrophe. (ie. victims of disasters, such as
tornadoes, etc.)
R
–
Adult Other
A person not meeting the criteria for entry in any other category who is missing and 1) for whom there
is a reasonable concern for his/her safety or 2) a person
who is under age 21 and declared emancipated by the laws of the
state when no other criteria for disability, endangered, involuntary or catastrophe victim apply.
K
-
Familial Kidnap
A minor who is missing and has been declared unemancipated as defined by
the laws of
his/her state of residence and who has been abducted by non
-
custodial parent or relative.
L
-
Lost/Wandered Away
A minor who is lost or has wandered away. This category does not include those
persons taken by force or runaways.
J
-
Juvenile
A person who is missing and not declared emancipated as defined by the laws of his/her state of
residence and does not meet any of the entry criteria for disability, endangered, involuntary, catastrophe victim,
parental abd

 

[otto]

I agree with you. There seemed to be something about this lake that was very appealing to the girls. You mentioned that Dan had told Lyric she was NOT to go to this lake. So, if after being TOLD not to go, and knowing they were not to leave the immediate area of the Collins home, what was at this lake that drew them there?

There were other parks closer to home, there was the skate park, etc...so why THIS lake? Is it because it was "forbidden"? Is it because they knew there was someone there?

What made them go to the lake?! Especially the back side of the lake, where there really is nothing for kids to do. The play equipment/tank is on the front side of the lake, as are the bathrooms etc...so what drew them to the most remote spot in the entire park/lake area where no one could see them?

Meyers Lake is the closest lake. They didn't go to a park, they went to a lake on a summer afternoon. Apparently Elizabeth cycled to the NE tip of the lake often, as witnesses on Lake Avenue recognized her photo after she was abducted. The skate board park is right next to the lake so cycling to the skate board park is really no different than cycling to the park.

This lake is the closest lake ... that's why this lake.

Elizabeth regularly cycled to the NE tip of the lake, and maybe Lyric wanted to cycle around the lake and loop back home ... all they had to do was ride their bikes a short distance across the grass from the NE tip to the SE tip and they were there.

 

[cindersoot]

Don't you find it strange that the bikes were left at the most remote place at the lake. Not in a parking lot, not on a side street, not at the skatepark, not at the auction house location, but the most remote secluded spot. That's because in my opinion it was the spot, the meeting place picked out by the perp.