By: Becca Hall [Staff Writer]
After the heartbreaking tale of cousins Elizabeth Collins (9) and Lyric Cook (11) gone missing while riding their bikes on the afternoon of July 13th many people went searching. The cousins were innocently playing one minute and gone the next. The family frantically searched for their beloved girls. The community organized many fundraisers and search teams to help aid in the search of the kids. After months passed and nothing turned up, people were starting to lose hope that this mystery would ever be solved. The family of the missing girls continued to search. Elizabeth and Lyric were gone but definitely not forgotten.
Now, almost five months later, the bodies of two young girls were discovered at approximately 12:45 pm Wednesday by deer hunters only 25 miles from Evansdale. Police informed the parents of the young girls that the bodies had been found. There will be no solid answer of whether or not the bodies belong to little Elizabeth and Lyric until a press conference held at 4pm tonight. The family seems to believe the bodies are those of the cousins. According to Quad-City Times, Heather Collins, the mother of Elizabeth Collins and aunt of Lyric Cook, posted on facebook that they are happy the “nightmare of where they are and what is happening to them has been answered.”
The police have not disclosed if their are any suspects in this case, but hopefully the cruel person that did that will be prosecuted for their wrongdoings sooner rather than later. The fact that somebody mentally capable of kidnapping and murdering two young girls may be wandering around frightens many people in Evansdale and all over Iowa. While some people have their own suspicions on who did what and why, many agree that people should keep to the real story in order to not mangle fact with fiction.
Many find this unfortunate tale quite mysterious and would like to contribute in helping solve the puzzle of what actually happened to the two Evansdale girls. When talking about the subject, lots of people would like to share their own personal opinion. It is important to remember that this isn’t some sort of childish game. Two real girls were taken and real families are hurting from it. Making unfair, uninformed allegations may cause rumors to spread and make matters worse for the already grieving family.
The public will not be informed of whether the bodies belong to the Evansdale girls until later this afternoon. It is anybody’s guessas to when the terrible person that took the precious lives of two young girls will be found and prosecuted. Until then it would be best for people to keep their allegations to themselves and work on helping the community by lending a helping hand out to the family of Elizabeth Collins and Lyric Cook.
