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missing Iowa cousins case

By Chellie Cervone - Posted: Jul 21, 2012 at 12:32 am

Missing Iowa cousins, Elizabeth Collins and Lyric Cook-Morrissey

(credit: Evansdale Police)

The 2 missing Iowa cousins, ten-year-old Lyric Cook-Morrissey and 8-year-old Elizabeth Collins disappeared last Friday. The girls, were last seen at Elizabeth’s Evansdale home about noon

A missing person report was filed when the girls did not return from their bike ride. Initial reports said that Elizabeth’s purse and cellphone were found about 20 feet away from the bikes however other reports said that the girl did not have their cell phones.

The families of both girls have said they believed the missing Iowa cousins were abducted and are just praying for the safe return.

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Misty Cook-Morrissey said her daughter might have tried to swim at the lake, despite a swimming ban. She said the family swims at another nearby lake regularly, and described Lyric as a good swimmer.

Elizabeth’s mother, Heather Collins, said it’s rare for her daughter to venture too far from home, but she may have been persuaded by her older cousin

Misty and Elizabeth are sisters.

Daniel and Misty Morrissey, Lyric’s parents have been questioned numerous times by the police. Both Daniel and Misty have a lengthy criminal past including domestic abuse, possession of methamphetamine and other drugs. Misty’s mother and sister have been temporary guardians for Lyric and her 16-year-old brother, Dillin. There was even a no contact order issued in 2011. Paperwork has been filed to modify that order so that the parents, “may be in the presence of one another in public in connection with the ongoing investigation concerning their daughter while also in the presence of law enforcement officials.”

They now feel that they are being unfairly targeted so they “lawyered up” and stopped cooperating with police.

Authorities have said Morrissey and his wife aren’t considered suspects and they are not sure why the couple stopped cooperating.

The lake has been searched with sophisticated equipment and no signs of the 2 girls have been found. Black Hawk County Chief Deputy Rick Abben told reporters that the divers were confident the girls’ bodies were not in the lake. He also added that investigators do not believe the girls got lost because they would have been found by now.

The case has been reclassified today as an abduction.

An interesting development is that the day that the Morissey’s stopped cooperating, Black Hawk County prosecutor Brad Walz petitioned the court to place Morrissey under supervision. Walz cited Morrissey’s arrests on methamphetamine related drug charges and noted that Iowa law allows for a person on bond who is considered “a habitual felon” to remain under supervision as a condition of their release.

Rick Abben, chief deputy of the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office called Morissey’s refusal to cooperate, “a distraction”. He said, “We’re asking for 100% cooperation, and why they don’t want to do that I don’t know”.

“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.”

Drew and Heather Collins moved to an undisclosed location because Heather Collins, 36, allegedly has had heart problems and needed rest.

Anytime there is a missing person, especially a child or in this case children, investigators are going to comb through everyone’s background who have had contact with the missing children. It is baffling to many, why the parents have stopped cooperating. If they are innocent of any wrongdoing, many would think that the parents would provide 100% cooperation to the authorities in order to locate their children.

Were the children abducted by an unknown person or is the family of the missing Iowa cousins somehow connected?

The bodies of the two cousins were found in December 2012.

Facebook Page Thinking of Lyric and Elizabeth.