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

[Ollipop]

BBM - I've been attracted to a cornfield connection in this case since it broke. Can't shake it. I read that people were standing shoulder to shoulder walking through cornfields in the early days of the girls going missing. Has this cornfield/s that you're referring to been thoroughly searched? I understand the corn is now dying due to the drought.. is there a chance that searching those cornfields again now would be a significantly different experience than before? Could you see more now? Are there more somewhat adjacent fields near there?

I just have been obsessing with the cornfield thing for weeks now.. thanks!


ETA: these coordinates here - 42.461393,-92.295489 - that should put hte green arrow on a mowed path that connects the nature trail to what looks like a grassy field behind a cornfield. Anyone know what this is, or why this is? Or what that oval shaped impression on the ground nearby is?

And.. are those cornfields? Looks like it.

Looks pretty clear that somebody for some reason mows down that path from the trail to the field, anyhow.

Thanks!

Yes, there is a path there, and I don't know who mows it, but I've assumed it is one of the homeowners who lives on River Forest Rd. I've seen the kids and family from one of those homes at the Meyers Lake park on a few occasions, I think its just their shortcut to the trail. Yes, there is a corn field, and I believe the oval impression you are seeing is from a go-kart track. I'm not 100% sure, as I've never been back there, but I know it was thoroughly searched. Searching the corn now would not be significantly different than a few weeks ago, but after it is harvested things may change.

Are there regular maintenance people who mow the park and along the trail?

Yes, there are only a few employees of the city of Evansdale who mow, etc. Their faces are familiar, they do everything from mowing to painting the fire hydrants, etc.

What exactly is going on in that community to find these little girls? Are people standing on corners with signs reminding people what has happened? Or has everyone just gone back to their daily routine?

There are signs everywhere, pink ribbons in a lot of places, and many public discussions lead to or from the girls' disappearance. But, after almost a month, people have jobs, families, and lives that simply must go on. A few of us have put almost everything on hold, but even I have had to snap back to reality a few times. As for the families themselves, and their inner circle, its not likely things will ever be "routine" again. The Collins' have other children, the Cooks have a lot of "laundry" that's been aired publicly that needs attending, and Dan Morrissey is preparing for a trial and his impending incarceration.

Nobody has forgotten, but nobody is standing on corners, either.

I notice there is a pig/hog type farm in the Waterloo area. What better place to dispose of a body.

This could be said about the entire state, fwiw. 5-10 minutes of driving in ANY direction could get you surrounded by hog farms and corn fields. There is no shortage of places to dispose of bodies, if that were your intent.

 

[nervous_nellie]

so, ollipop, what is your theory? since you are local and have been able to talk to many other locals... are most of the local theories similar? just curious... im torn between two theories... and im losing hope that these girls are coming home safely

 

[tlcya]

so, ollipop, what is your theory? since you are local and have been able to talk to many other locals... are most of the local theories similar? just curious... im torn between two theories... and im losing hope that these girls are coming home safely

Great question nellie. I too would love to know what the locals are thinking, theorizing, speculating. Ollipop, is there much theorizing going on among the locals?

 

[Copper]

I just don't see the family and their problems being directly/indirectly involved in the disappearance. It seems to me if that were so, the full power of the FBI and state/local LE could blow that wide open, especially if the family has been cooperative about that. Seems to me they'd have an immediate set of POI and possible suspects to focus like a laser in on.

The purse really hangs me up. If it wasn't for the purse, some of my more simple scenarios would work well. For instance, if the purse wasn't there on the lakeside of the fence, it would be easy to say the girls knew the perp and were lured away. The perp could easily say, "come check this out. Leave the bikes, they'll be fine." But why would they leave the purse behind if everything was okay? And if the perp knew the girls and has their trust, why discard the purse where it was found. That would imply the abduction was taking place on the trail, which would be unnecessary if he was luring them away.

The bikes on the path and the purse on the lakeside of the fence, I can see only two ways for that to happen: either the girls were taken on the spot (which I still don't like) or the bikes and purse were staged (which I think makes sense, but it carries the same risks as snatching the girls on the trail and it doesn't fit the timeline well).

I feel bad for thinking harshly of LE before about wasting time searching the lake. Something is very wrong with this case. Nothing matches up at all.

 

[tlcya]

The same theories are what I have been kicking around copper and the fence between the bikes and the purse thwarts me as well. That fence, between the two, it just is odd and bothers me.

 

[palaminodee]

I would love to know what the Collins theory is...

 

[FindtheTruth]

Slightly OT but the very sad story below shows why LE was so focused on the lake intially. If you are playing the odds it is so much more likely to have an accidental drowing rather than a stranger abduction. Just at the swimming area of a lake in my area, there have been 5 drownings since July 4th weekend. So sad - people don't respect how dangerous water can be.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/201...t-friends-found-dead-in-new-jersey-river?lite

Another interesting point highlighted in the article is that the parents never thought these boys would go near the river - much like the grandmother never thought the girls would ride all the way to the lake. Obviously our children are much more adventurous than we give them credit for!

 

[tlcya]

Random thoughts on the purse over the fence (lakeside) with a non activated cel phone. Bear with me, just thinking out loud.

I wonder if the perp did not want to leave it on the bike trail with the bikes because the perp did not KNOW it was not activated and it appeared to be a functioning phone (ie charged). two kids' bikes left on a bike trail would not alarm me as much as happening across two kids bikes, a purple purse with a cell phone inside. Just bikes, I would assume some careless kids tossed them down there and went to explore or play. But a purse, with what appears to be someones cell phone inside - I would find that more concerning as an onlooker coming upon that scene.

Whether the bikes were or were not staged, a perp, confronted with an apparent working cell phone in an abductees purse is NOT going to want to leave that purse or phone with the bikes. They would run the risk of raising an alarm earlier and or the phone ringing in the purse, thereby bringing attention to the odd bike scene.

Assuming the perp does not know the cell phone is inactive, If the perp tossed the purse over the fence towards the lake then why leave the bikes there on the trail side at all? It would be easier to dump bikes and purse with phone all together somewhere out of the public eye where people are less likely to see them or hear a phone ring.

For that matter, why on the trail or by lake at all. If the idea is to dump the bikes after the girls were already subdued and in control from wherever abducted, then Maiden lane and that pathway into the wooded area would seem to be a better place to dump those items. Much less risk of being seen by bikers, paddleboater, fishermen, park visitors, etc. than on the bike trail and according to locals, many are not aware that area is even back there or accessible.

 

[Wishbone]

Random thoughts on the purse over the fence (lakeside) with a non activated cel phone. Bear with me, just thinking out loud.

I wonder if the perp did not want to leave it on the bike trail with the bikes because the perp did not KNOW it was not activated and it appeared to be a functioning phone (ie charged). two kids' bikes left on a bike trail would not alarm me as much as happening across two kids bikes, a purple purse with a cell phone inside. Just bikes, I would assume some careless kids tossed them down there and went to explore or play. But a purse, with what appears to be someones cell phone inside - I would find that more concerning as an onlooker coming upon that scene.

Whether the bikes were or were not staged, a perp, confronted with an apparent working cell phone in an abductees purse is NOT going to want to leave that purse or phone with the bikes. They would run the risk of raising an alarm earlier and or the phone ringing in the purse, thereby bringing attention to the odd bike scene.

Assuming the perp does not know the cell phone is inactive, If the perp tossed the purse over the fence towards the lake then why leave the bikes there on the trail side at all? It would be easier to dump bikes and purse with phone all together somewhere out of the public eye where people are less likely to see them or hear a phone ring.

For that matter, why on the trail or by lake at all. If the idea is to dump the bikes after the girls were already subdued and in control from wherever abducted, then Maiden lane and that pathway into the wooded area would seem to be a better place to dump those items. Much less risk of being seen by bikers, paddleboater, fishermen, park visitors, etc. than on the bike trail and according to locals, many are not aware that area is even back there or accessible.

Good point about not wanting the purse with cell phone to be near the bikes as that would draw more attention to the abandoned bikes.

 

[pearl]

Was the purse close enough to the lake to have been thrown at the lake but fell short of hitting the water?

 

[cindersoot]

I really hope that all the talk about MM's drug problems and the families problems in general doesn't or didn't sway the perps decision one way or another to let the girls live or die.

 

[Copper]

Was the purse close enough to the lake to have been thrown at the lake but fell short of hitting the water?

I was wondering, if you're going to get rid of the purse, why not just throw it in the lake? The purse was found ten feet east of the bikes and two feet north of the fence. Assuming the bikes were found close to the gate (is anyone sure where the bikes were found?), it would seem logical that the gate and the jetty is where the perp would be disposing the purse from, which would be the best spot to throw the purse into the water.

 

[cindersoot]

Random thoughts on the purse over the fence (lakeside) with a non activated cel phone. Bear with me, just thinking out loud.

I wonder if the perp did not want to leave it on the bike trail with the bikes because the perp did not KNOW it was not activated and it appeared to be a functioning phone (ie charged). two kids' bikes left on a bike trail would not alarm me as much as happening across two kids bikes, a purple purse with a cell phone inside. Just bikes, I would assume some careless kids tossed them down there and went to explore or play. But a purse, with what appears to be someones cell phone inside - I would find that more concerning as an onlooker coming upon that scene.

Whether the bikes were or were not staged, a perp, confronted with an apparent working cell phone in an abductees purse is NOT going to want to leave that purse or phone with the bikes. They would run the risk of raising an alarm earlier and or the phone ringing in the purse, thereby bringing attention to the odd bike scene.

Assuming the perp does not know the cell phone is inactive, If the perp tossed the purse over the fence towards the lake then why leave the bikes there on the trail side at all? It would be easier to dump bikes and purse with phone all together somewhere out of the public eye where people are less likely to see them or hear a phone ring.

For that matter, why on the trail or by lake at all. If the idea is to dump the bikes after the girls were already subdued and in control from wherever abducted, then Maiden lane and that pathway into the wooded area would seem to be a better place to dump those items. Much less risk of being seen by bikers, paddleboater, fishermen, park visitors, etc. than on the bike trail and according to locals, many are not aware that area is even back there or accessible.

Im positive that one of the family members said that Elizabeth left that cell phone at home.

 

[tlcya]

Was the purse close enough to the lake to have been thrown at the lake but fell short of hitting the water?

That is what I am wondering. google makes the bike trail appear to be particularly close to the water on that section of the trail. I wonder just how close. Was the perp attempting to toss the purse into the water? Were the bikes found there because of the proximity to the water along that stretch?

That darn purse. :shakehead:

 

[tlcya]

Im positive that one of the family members said that Elizabeth left that cell phone at home.

I am referring to the non working cell phone that was in EDIT Elizabeth's EDIT purse. The one she played games on. I know the working phone was at home, but I am theorizing that the abductor did not necessarily know that the phone in the purse was non functioning. If the phone was used for games (such as angry birds) it would still be kept charged, it would just not have a minutes or a cell plan still associated with it.

 

[Jules71]

That piece of property by Maiden Lane and into part of the lake is owned by some individual and not the city. I looked it up previously on the county assessor website. I will do again when I can get to my pc.

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[huckleberryhound]

Thinking about whether the bikes were staged at the lake, makes me wonder, what would the police have focused on initially, if the bikes had disappeared along with the girls?

 

[Confusion]

I know it doesn't really make any difference, but I prefer to have the facts as straight asossible. Lyric left her phone at home. It was Elizabeth's purse that had the non-working phone in it.

 

[MNDad]

I am referring to the non working cell phone that was in Lyric's purse. The one she played games on. I know the working phone was at home, but I am theorizing that the abductor did not necessarily know that the phone in the purse was non functioning. If the phone was used for games (such as angry birds) it would still be kept charged, it would just not have a minutes or a cell plan still associated with it.

The non working phone for games was in Elizabeth's purse. Lyric left her working phone at home. We do not know if Lyric had a bag of any kind.

 

[Jules71]

Thinking about whether the bikes were staged at the lake, makes me wonder, what would the police have focused on initially, if the bikes had disappeared along with the girls?

I think if the bikes disappeared along with the girls they would be focusing more around the area of the Collins home, neighbors, and businesses nearby. Good question.

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