IA IA - Elizabeth Collins, 8, & Lyric Cook, 10, Evansdale, 13 July 2012 - #36

[carbuff]

I have never seen that confirmed from a reliable source.

 

[alliemay]

Found this but no real straight answer as to what the police think.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/fbi-dogs-joining-search-iowa-cousins-8-and-10

FBI spokeswoman Sandy Breault said the reaction from the dogs Monday night indicated a "strong possibility" the girls had been at the lake, less than a mile from their grandmother's house where they were last reported seen Friday. However, Breault said because there were no confirmed sightings at the lake, authorities couldn't be certain.

Not sure how aunt Tammy came to this conclusion but...

Tammy Brousseau, 48, an aunt to both girls, said all the signs were pointing to a stranger — possibility a pedophile — abducting them from the area near the lake where their bikes were found.

 

[carbuff]

Yeah, that's the closest to a definitive answer I've seen. Hardly detailed or authoritative.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

To those who feel the bikes were staged. Why did the dogs detect their scents and followed their scents to the edge of the woods?

I guess I missed where the dogs scented. Do you have a link for this?

The bikes could carry their scent on the pedals, seats, and hand grips. The purse also held a scent. I don't know exactly what area you are referring to at the edge of the woods.

 

[threecrazykids]

Oelwein teen missing - same area as Seven Bridges


http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/pu...cle_9e2879a5-baf8-5d46-9092-220ad9ee38d6.html

(Same article - different pic) http://ihavevanished.com/tag/olivia-rupright/


Also - a story regarding an Iowa Sex Trafficking survivor who has chilling recollection of being brought to a park and then told if she didn't do what they said to just "take her out on the highway and shoot her".

http://www.kwwl.com/story/28107644/2015/02/13/iowa-sex-trafficking-victim-shares-her-story

 

[Wondergirl]

I followed the live reports in the parking lot downstairs here at WS, when the whole scenting thing happened in the woods, on the scanner thread.

I will find the link. Anyone interested in the interpretation of the "hit" by the dogs should read it.

That's all I'm going to say about that.

 

[nikb]

I guess I missed where the dogs scented. Do you have a link for this?

The bikes could carry their scent on the pedals, seats, and hand grips. The purse also held a scent. I don't know exactly what area you are referring to at the edge of the woods.

I'm trying really hard to find it. I don't even know why other than I do remember seeing it. The closest I've gotten is that it's on the case map and noted as happening on 7/16/12. I searched in thread #2 and found some things referencing it, but all of the MSM links are no longer active. I'll keep looking but I hope someone else has better luck finding it. ETA here's the link: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?iwloc=0004c4d406effc9c7306f&msa=0&mid=zz5anBtG3nsg.kopoOIa-8iVQ (you might have to scroll down to get to the dog scent part)

On a separate note it's been pretty heartbreaking reading through the early threads on this case. We were so hopeful these girls would be found alive.

 

[carbuff]

If I had a dollar for every time something on the scanners has turned out to be wrong, I might not be able to retire, but I could certainly go for a nice vacation. Not meaning to be snide about anybody, just pointing out that first impressions aren't necessarily correct.

 

[tlcya]

I did not know the dogs hitting on the girls' scents at lake was confirmed. For some reason, I remember that bit of info coming from Aunt Tammy on the NG or JVM show on CNN. She said the dogs followed the girls scents for some distance away from teh bikes and then seemed to lose the trail. It seems like we discussed that that could have been the point where the girls were forced or coerced into a vehicle and driven off.

 

[nikb]

I did not know the dogs hitting on the girls' scents at lake was confirmed. For some reason, I remember that bit of info coming from Aunt Tammy on the NG or JVM show on CNN. She said the dogs followed the girls scents for some distance away from teh bikes and then seemed to lose the trail. It seems like we discussed that that could have been the point where the girls were forced or coerced into a vehicle and driven off.

FWIW that's what I remember too. I just wish I could find it again! I don't remember it ever being confirmed by LE.

 

[dotr]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...ins-iowa-lake-article-1.1116801#ixzz21Bkepc00

"We have no updates at this point except the canines picked up scents and they were happy with the movements, but they needed to go back and discuss what those movements meant, and we haven't heard yet what the result of that was," said Lyric's mother, Misty Cook-Morrissey.

Elizabeth Collins, left, and Lyric Cook-Morrissey.

Rick Abben, a chief deputy with the Black Hawk County Sheriff's Department, declined to say whether the girls' scent had been detected by the bloodhounds, adding that the case was still considered a missing persons investigation".

 

[tlcya]

here is all I can find regarding the dogs tracking girls' scents.

Scent dogs used by searchers looking for signs of two missing young girls in Iowa ran around a lake and stopped at the water's edge, the mother of one of the girls said.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/17/us/iowa-missing-cousins/

When asked this morning whether the investigation was stalled, Black Hawk County Sheriff's Office spokesman Chief Deputy Rick Abben said, "We are. We have nothing more."

Abben confirms bloodhounds brought in by the FBI picked up the girls' scent near the trail where their bicycles were found, but he would not elaborate.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/missing-iowa-girls-fbi-dogs-detect-cousins-scents/story?id=16798151


EVANSDALE, Iowa — Authorities searching for two young cousins drained an Iowa lake Tuesday after FBI dogs detected the girls' scents near where their bicycles were found four days earlier, heightening suspicion from family members that they might have been abducted.

FBI spokeswoman Sandy Breault said the reaction from the dogs Monday night indicated a "strong possibility" the girls had been at the lake, less than a mile from their grandmother's house where they were last reported seen Friday. However, Breault said because there were no reported sightings, authorities couldn't be certain.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/jul/17/fbi-dogs-detect-scents-iowa-cousins-near-lake/

The draining was taking longer than expected, but Black Hawk County Chief Deputy Rick Abben said he expected to wrap up by Friday with the help of equipment. Earlier in the investigation, officials dredged the lake, and on Monday night FBI dogs detected their apparent scents in the area, indicating a strong likelihood the girls had been there.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/elizabeth-collins-lyric-cook-morrissey-search-for-missing-iowa-cousins-at-a-standstill-aunt-says/

 

[tlcya]

wow, I did not recall that the lake draining was due to the dogs and their finding scent at the lake.

 

[nikb]

Thanks Dotr and Tlcya. I swear there was something early on from Aunt Tammy about the dogs going towards the woods but she wasn't sure what it meant - I think her theory was that the girls got (or were put) into a vehicle. People were saying maybe the dogs lost the scent and Aunt T. was miss-interpreting the dogs' actions. I can't believe I can remember the conversation but can't find it again.

Tlcya I always kind of thought the lake draining was mostly for show, possibly a distraction, but also as a "just in case" measure. I too had forgotten that it was partly related to the dogs finding their scent. Then again I still can't believe their killer hasn't been found yet.

 

[tlcya]

I remember it nikb. Still looking for the transcript. Because I watched it heard her say it and spent the next week debating it here on these threads.

 

[tlcya]

since we are renewing the conversation and may are going back to the beginning to recall how things evolved in this case I am bringing forward some of the first national coverage and interviews with family in teh form of the CNN transcripts. Here are some links.

regarding Dan and Misty criminal history DV etc. interviewed: Aunt Tammy (she also discusses the dogs) http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1207/18/ijvm.01.html

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

M. MORRISSEY: We all stood in a single-file line while the dogs came by and sniffed us. And that was to eliminate our scent. And then they let the dogs smell something of the girls`, and the dogs took off, picked up a trail -- both of them picked up a scent of the girls and went to the water`s edge, some rocks by the water`s edge. We know that it`s...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: So, Tammy, what do we know about the dogs hitting on the trail, the scent about 300 yards into the woods?

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.

Then the dog one at a time, one for Elizabeth and one for Lyric, was allowed to smell articles of the girls. The dogs took off as fast as they could go. The men had to keep up with them. The dog clearly identified that Elizabeth was, in fact right where the bikes were found as she was there. And then the dog ran on into this area of dense forest and brush that`s probably about 300 to 400 yards long. And it`s easily accessed if you go out and around.

There`s a driveway and a big area where you can pull up onto it, pull up into it. And someone could have easily pulled up into that area and had been watching Lyric from where we`re standing here, Lyric and Elizabeth, when they`d went around. And then they went and accessed it at the other end.

And back to the investigation, the investigator told me so the dogs went farther on into the woods. And he said that gives us new leads and new information and we are going to stop at that point and we`re going to go back and analyze what these dogs have picked up because then of course the same thing was done for Lyric with another dog. And that dog did the same thing. Positively identified Lyric to be in that very same spot and also into the 300 to 400 stretch of woods.

They wouldn`t tell us anything beyond that point. They wanted to go back and analyze it and said they`d be in contact with us when they found out any more information.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)


http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1207/19/ng.01.html from July 19th (I think it may have been NG's original first story about this case)

 

[tlcya]

back in the threads there are lots of images. Including the google images of the area Aunt Tammy describes, with the driveway and the turnaround type area. If I remember rightly it was some sort of public works or park district small brick building and the drive she was describing was the access road to get back to it. Looking for that image now. http://www.websleuths.com/forums/search.php?searchid=2020842

 

[Wondergirl]

Thanks Dotr and Tlcya. I swear there was something early on from Aunt Tammy about the dogs going towards the woods but she wasn't sure what it meant - I think her theory was that the girls got (or were put) into a vehicle. People were saying maybe the dogs lost the scent and Aunt T. was miss-interpreting the dogs' actions. I can't believe I can remember the conversation but can't find it again.

Tlcya I always kind of thought the lake draining was mostly for show, possibly a distraction, but also as a "just in case" measure. I too had forgotten that it was partly related to the dogs finding their scent. Then again I still can't believe their killer hasn't been found yet.

The scanner thread provides the info on the dogs "hit" in the woods.

 

[threecrazykids]

back in the threads there are lots of images. Including the google images of the area Aunt Tammy describes, with the driveway and the turnaround type area. If I remember rightly it was some sort of public works or park district small brick building and the drive she was describing was the access road to get back to it. Looking for that image now. http://www.websleuths.com/forums/search.php?searchid=2020842

Ollipop described it as a pump station in that open area. Along with the stand alone garage where a guy stored his "toys". I think there was mention of a jeep, and other guy toys. No mention of a paddle boat though, because I remember specifically waiting to hear that.

 

[watcher9]

back in the threads there are lots of images. Including the google images of the area Aunt Tammy describes, with the driveway and the turnaround type area. If I remember rightly it was some sort of public works or park district small brick building and the drive she was describing was the access road to get back to it. Looking for that image now. http://www.websleuths.com/forums/search.php?searchid=2020842

Link didn't work.
This is the same drive/"lane"/path that is an extension of Arbutus Road where the truck was seen parked by the bike trail.