(EVANSDALE, IA) We now know hunters found two bodies Wednesday afternoon at Seven Bridges Conservation Area in Bremer County, Iowa. That's about 25 miles northeast of Evansdale where 9-year-old Elizabeth Collins and 11-year-old Lyric Cook-Morrissey disappeared nearly 5 months ago on July 13th. Local, state and federal agencies are still searching the park for more evidence. That could take several days and the wildlife area will be closed until at least Monday.
Even though the state Medical Examiner's Office hasn't released the autopsy results yet, investigators are confident the bodies are those of the girls. But they have yet to classify this case as a homicide.
"We considered it an abduction at the time, and we're still proceeding with that, I would say that we are looking that way at this time, we have 2 bodies, but we're going to rely on the state medical examiner to tell us what they think," says Captain Rick Abben, Black Hawk County Sheriff's Office.
Captain Rick Abben says the $150,000 reward is still available for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the girls' disappearance. Detectives are following up on new leads as they come in. Once the identities of the bodies are confirmed, they will first notify the families, then the media and community. We'll continue to follow this story and bring you updates as they become available.
Reported by Erika Thomas. You can contact her at ethomas@kmeg.com.
