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Subscribe to RSSInvestigators announced they are expanding the search for two missing cousins after new evidence convinced them the girls are alive. NBC's Craig Melvin reports.
EVANSDALE, Iowa -- Investigators said Saturday they have evidence that leads them to believe two cousins who vanished last week are still alive.
FBI spokeswoman Sandy Breault said that authorities strongly believe 10-year-old Lyric Cook-Morrissey and 8-year-old Elizabeth Collins have not been killed.
She refused to say what led authorities to that conclusion, but told reporters that investigators are expanding their search beyond Iowa.
The announcement came a day after authorities said they believe the girls were abducted.
The girls disappeared around noon July 13 shortly after they left their grandmother's house near Evansdale in northeast Iowa. Their bikes and a purse were found on a path near Meyers Lake, prompting investigators to drag it last weekend and to begin draining it earlier this week.
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Elizabeth Collins, left, and Lyric Cook went missing in Evansdale, Iowa on Friday.
On Friday, authorities said they were treating the case as an abduction after an FBI dive team used sophisticated sonar to determine the girls' remains were not in the lake.
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Breault says investigators are interviewing "persons of interest" in the case, whom she declined to identify.
On Friday, Rick Abben, chief deputy with the Black Hawk County Sheriff's office, had said investigators still had no single person of interest in the case. Abben said investigators had recovered some evidence and sent it to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation for analysis. He declined to say what the evidence was or where it was found.
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Abben also confirmed that investigators had asked a judge to compel Lyric's father, 36-year-old Daniel Morrissey, who faces drug charges but is free on bond, to submit to closer watch by parole officers pending his trial.
He said the request -- which was granted on Thursday -- did not imply that Morrissey, who has stopped cooperating with investigators, was a suspect in the case.
"That was done so that we have a little bit closer ... supervision of people," Abben said. "We are not looking at anyone. Everyone is being checked into."
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That kind of sh!t pisses me off, when the police are out of ideas they go to the father and accuse him of murdering them. And they wonder why he has stopped cooperating with them. I know if that was me, and if the police were as big of idiots as these and they accused me of harming my daughter and her cousin, just because they are stumped and out of ideas, that would be the end of my cooperation too. The the scum bags go behind his back to his probation officer and get him to tighten his conditions just because he wont sit through another interrogation by them??? WTF are the backwater police doing down there? And why wont they tell us why they believe the kids to be alive still? They obviously didn't think that before when they drained the lake looking for them, why now? Do they not want the publics help in this? I mean that's how they solve 99% of other crimes, by getting outside tips from others, so why not with this case?
Umm.....you are very wrong. Very OFF the mark with your comments. Believe the FBI knows what's going on and just because they do not tell the public everything it doesn't mean that they are not doing anything or don't know what to do. The FBI has been involved since day 2 of the girl's disappearance. The draining of the lake had more to do with finding more evidence (which was sent to the DCI Lab) than finding the girls.
They know the girls are alive because of interviews that they have conducted. Yes, Dan is a suspect (but police won't say this) and it has to do with drugs and "other" people. I will leave it at that.
But why don't you tell me is it "right" for Misty to be out drinking, hanging out at a water park all day, and going shopping while her daughter is missing? Would you be doing that if your child is missing???
You seem to have an opinion about how Dan is being unjustifiably targeted but there is A LOT going on behind the scenes that you and many other people are not privy to.
Thank you everyone for your prayers. Please, please bring these girls home.
Ummm, what redbundy stated is very logical. Have you ever been interrogated for something you didn't do? I bet not. I have. "Authorities" scream at you, they slam books down in front of you. They call you names, they call you a liar while they sit there and lie themselves and make up information they have that proves you did something just to get you to break. The police around here hate people like Dan because they have a drug problem. Which is ironic considering without drugs being illegal, there would only be about 1/8 the police enforcment that is needed today which means non-violent drug ADDICTS that need help instead of prison time keep the enforcers employed. Oh, whats that you say, Dan has a domestic violence charge? So he is obviously a henious evil woman beater even though the charge stemmed from a non-physical scuffle that Misty took upon herself to call the enforcers that resulted in assault charges because of Dan's drug history.
And believe the FBI has absolutely no idea what is going on. What makes you believe that they do? Having checkpoints established still to this day, Sunday July 22, asking people if they've seen the two missing girls, and following up on every single tip into the tipline leads me to believe they have absolutely no idea what is going on and are clueless as to what happened to Lyric and Elizabeth. So as redbundy pointed out, the enforcers put an obviously devastated man against a wall and accuse him of killing his own child because they are clueless and need a scapegoat much like the evil, vicious internet Jr. Detectives.
And would this entire debacle be more entertaining to you if Misty didn't sleep, eat and bawled for 30 days straight while shoving icepicks under her toenails? Would that be more satisfying to you so you have something more vicarious to live for? Maybe if you knew Misty, you would know she is exceptionally religious, almost to the point of being a so-called Jesus-freak, and has always, even while facing prison, and going to prison, kept a cool demeanor by putting her emotions into her faith. But you already knew that, right?
you guys are fing stupid the family is also the first suspect in these type of cases no matter what even if they have taken and pass does not mean the police won't look into them. You need to know your rights with the law you don't have to speak to police you have that right the family is acted more odd than normal though.
Mother talks about her daughter in past tence
mother smiling laughing
highers a lawyer
stop cooperating with police
just cause the dad upset he being a supsect means nothing they but are crimmals
I've been following this case closely and this article just leaves you more curious. I hate articles that whet the palate but don't give you the answer.
First, investigate the teachers of these girls. Unfortunately, pedophiles fill the ranks of those who educate our children. Although it is atypical of teachers to murder their victims, there is always an exception - and never an absolute.
Second, determine whether the girls were involved in the entertainment industry. Many child-actors have reported the degeneracy of those who control it.
Third, the family situation must be examined. If they were abducted, it was probably because the family did not do an adequate job of teaching them that they shouldn't trust that "nice" man.
Fourth, we would be remiss not to include a religious aspect to the would-be abductors. Certainly, clergy have not been blameless with respect to pedophilia. Did the girls have an unusual relationship with a person at church or someone who was part of the clergy; someone who they were taught to trust?
first- just cause someone goes missing does not mean pedohphiles are the ones who did it that a huge assumption and you have no facts to back your claim up
second, you compare regular girl to child actors there a diffrence child actors have body gaurds and people also watching over them unlike regular girls
third- just cause girls get kidnap does not mean its men and in fact i believe the parents are behind it more than you want to believe. women also can do kidnapping as well its not just men
foruth- your going to assuming to much how about you keep and eye on the family illegal use of drugs that may be a clear cut if you haven't watch people these people are the ones you need to watch out for.
I pray for the safe return of these girls.
to the pervert that took these girls......do the world a favor and jump in front of a moving train....you peice or sh1t!
stop assuming since girls are taking there trying to have "sex" acts with them that not also the case.
Please! May this one end happily. Please!
It's all whats on the cell phone the girls had with them. Watch and see. I hope for a safe homecoming for these two LITTLE girls and whoever is responsible pays. Drug addicts will do anything for their fix.
Why does the media believe that producing headlines indicating that the FBI believes the children may be alive will in any way enhance the possibility of their safe return? Will this information made available to the public deter the perpetrator from doing something dastardly just to prove the FBI and the media wrong? Keeping the public posted on legitimate information to help in finding these girls is fine. But detailing every bit of information in the media can only serve to enhance this psychopath's demented determination to carry out this evil plot to a chilling finish. Way too much info for the perp, providing him with even more options at his disposal...that's the way I see it. I'm not an FBI agent, but I do hope the girls are alive and stay that way for a long, long time. I hope the media and the FBI know what they are doing.
" i hope the media and fbi knows what there doing" they train for this stuff dude they know exactly what there doing they know exactly who probably has the kids now they just need to know where there hiding the kids. there going to be warrants issue in the next couple days for the homes of the girls and some other people.
Thye parents are meth heads so my focus would certainly be on them. I hope they are found but I also hope that one is not returned to her parents.
for once please let the outcome be a good one,im so tired of kids being hurt, taken, killed,who ever has them just let them go
I know everyone automatically wants to blame the parents because they are acting weird and have shady pasts, etc. But I live in Iowa and there have been many, many reported cases this year of weird people in vans trying to abduct children. I know that stuff happens everywhere all the time, but this year there have been more reports than usual. Earlier this summer there was an elderly couple in a van driving by a daycare shoulding, "Girls! Look over here" and taking pictures of the little girls playing outside. Another time not long before that, an old man was trying to lure 2 kids into his vehicle at a ballgame with people and parents everywhere. For all we know, it could have been one of these creeps.
Chris - look what happens if it so the parents know more than they speak why would they stop helping police. any time anyhting like this happen it is very normal for a family to be the first to be look into. secondly the mother is not acting like a mother missing her child and thirdly they do drugs they know more than they are speaking period rather they did or not. they know more or they wouldn't of ever got a lawyer.
d83iowa- you are beyond ingorant not to even believe its possible the parents the problem with being adubted accodring to people who there there a fence near high way Constitution on the high way. so the parents know more than there saying. in fact i wouldn't be surprise if they paid someone to take them.
Chris - your doing the exact same thing don't act like you never accused someone and was wrong with the accused
so according to her friends that post here...misty is a skanky bar hopping meth head jesus freak...got it
Until we tune out the liberal pleas for humanity and take these barbaric kidnappers and rapists to task for their crimes via the electric chair within a year of trial and an appeal, more of the same to be expected. And as long as we let the nuclear family disappear, church and God no longer an American tradition, and cater to the sexual deviants, freaks and fair-weather-patriots, welcome to this behavior and the loss of life or innocence of our kids.
We the people as a majority need to send Obama the Despot packing and retake Congress and the White House where we, the majority, not the fringe facist groups or corrupt and lazy minorities decide what the standards for America an her destiny is to be.
Meanwhile these 2 girls are the result of a far too lenient society, one that has lost self-respect and morality to appease a few whining losers in defiance of the Republic and Constitution - and by those whoring for their votes.