Elizabeth Collins, 8 and Lyric Cook,10 Iowa missing/found dead

[Cheyne]

I would feel more confident in Dan Morrissey's innocence if he had given the reporter a reliable denial.

"You tell them (detectives) the truth and they say, 'You're holding something back,' and you're not. What is left to talk about? You know, we go over and over and over again. It made me feel like, yeah, they're looking at me like a suspect," said Dan Morrissey, Lyric's father. "But as far as what I know, I know the truth, I know I am telling the truth, so it is offensive."

He is speaking in third person instead of first person. Saying "I told them (detectives) the truth and they said, 'You're holding something back,' and I wasn't." is a much stronger denial than using "you". I find the fact that LE is asking him questions to try and find his missing daughter is "offensive" to him rather curious. I can understand with his many arrests that he would be wary of LE, but come on dude, your daughter is missing.

Meth and kids don't mix. He only lives a few miles from where Lyric was [taken] and with his criminal history LE is going to focus on him with no other leads in the case.

If Dan does have something to do with this, I feel even worse for Drew and Heather Collins. Their daughter may have been "collateral damage" because she was with Lyric.

This post is my opinion. I am not stating that Dan Morrissey had anything to do with Lyric and Elizabeth missing, but I can understand why LE might think so.

[RJs-Ex]

Anyone know why Lyric was living with her grandmother instead of with her mother? Also, I wonder if the pings from Lyric's cell phone provided any useful info? I think the timing of the girls' disappearance and daddy Dan's court dates and co-defendants' court dates is too close to be coincidental. I think he knows who's responsible, but can't say, for whatever reason - and it all has to do with drugs. I think Elizabeth was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[Lady Cop]

EVANSDALE, IA (Des Moines Register) - Tensions appear to be mounting between law enforcement officials and the family members of two missing girls who disappeared after going for a bike ride on Friday.

The father of one of the girls stormed out of a long interview with authorities on Tuesday after law enforcement officials accused him of killing Lyric Cook-Morrissey, 10, and Elizabeth Collins, 8, the girls' grandmother said.

In addition, Wylma Cook said the family is growing frustrated with the attention officials are focusing on Meyers Lake, which is next to a recreational trail on which the girls' bikes were found. Family members believe the girls were abducted while authorities say the case is one involving missing persons.

"They keep looking at the lake, but they're not in there," Cook said Wednesday of her granddaughters. Authorities "wouldn't listen to none of us."

In other developments Wednesday:

Authorities searched the attic of Wylma Cook's home. Lyric and her mother Misty Cook-Morrissey had been living in the residence.

A computer was seized from the house, Cook said. A laptop belonging to Elizabeth's older brother was taken earlier in the investigation, she said.

Residential and commercial trash from the city of Evansdale has been set aside at the Black Hawk County landfill and will be searched.

Officials said it would take until Friday for Meyers Lake to be completely drained. Previously, officials had thought the water in the 26-acre lake would be drained by Wednesday or Thursday. Also, an FBI spokeswoman said a dive team from California had been requested requested and would join the search.

Dan Morrissey and Misty Cook-Morrissey, Lyric's parents, both have extensive criminal backgrounds and have been incarcerated numerous times during the past several years.

"Yeah, there's history in our family, but it's not a history that we're scared of," Misty

Cook-Morrissey, 36, said. "It's one we've dealt with. It's one we've come past and we've come past it as a family so no matter what anybody thinks about it, it's not one that has anything to do with, you know, the disappearance of our children."

Cook-Morrissey said she worries the focus on the parents' background could be detracting from the search for the missing girls.

"We want everybody in the main part of the criminal investigation who has the authority or the power to do things and make decisions, we want them focused on our girls and what might have happened to them," she said. "You know but if (looking into our history) is what's needed, then that's fine, too."

Dan Morrissey stormed out of a long interview with authorities Tuesday after officials accused him of killing the girls, Wylma Cook said Wednesday. She said the family has "teamed together" and does not believe Morrissey was involved in the girls' disappearance.

Morrissey faces a September trial in Black Hawk County involving drug arrests from last year, court records show.

Cook-Morrissey in 2003 was sentenced to four years in federal prison on drug charges that involved conspiracy to cook methamphetamine, court records show. After violating her supervised release, a federal version of parole, Cook-Morrissey was sentenced to five more months in federal custody. She was released in May.
explains why Lyric lives with grandma.

Lyric's parents said Wednesday they have been honest about their past and are cooperating with authorities as they move ahead in the search for the two girls.

Cook-Morrissey said Wednesday she doesn't believe that anything from their past plays a role in their girls' disappearance.

Heather and Drew Collins, Elizabeth's parents, have minor offenses in their backgrounds, an online check of court records shows.

Black Hawk County Sheriff's Deputy Rick Abben said during a news briefing that the family has been "very cooperative with law enforcement and (authorities have) no reason to believe they played a role in the disappearance at this time."

He said officials do not believe foul play was involved in the girls' disappearance. He also said no search warrants have been issued.

Parents of both girls have said they believe the cousins were abducted, but from a law enforcement perspective, it's still too early to make that call, said Robert Lowery, executive director of the missing children division for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

"It comes down to the simple fact that we don't know what happened yet," Lowery said. "The only way that we can find out is to consider all possibilities."

Even after Meyers Lake is drained, it will take time for law enforcement authorities to determine whether the girls are not there, Lowery said. Vegetation and silt at the bottom of the lake can cover up evidence and it will take time to fully comb the porous lake bed, he said.

It's often assumed in cases where the trail of a missing child goes cold that an abduction took place, Lowery said. Though it's important to believe the missing child is still alive, the hope for a positive outcome can diminish.

"It's dire and hope fades," he said. "It's frustrating."

Wylma Cook on Wednesday confirmed that Lyric had tried to run away from home several days before the cousins were reported missing. She said Lyric packed a bag after her father got mad at her for not completing her chores.

"She headed for the door, and I grabbed her," Cook said. "She dropped the backpack and I hugged and kissed her and I said it'll be OK."

Abben on Wednesday said authorities continue to investigate all the tips they receive.

"We're not scaling back," he said. "They've assured me we're not going to do that...As long as tips keep coming in, law enforcement will be here with boots on the ground."








first time i saw dan daddy i thought "con". hmmmm

[sharit]

Sounds to me that Lyric acts much older than 10, and most likely being raised by druggies she was exposed to much more then the normal 10 year old. Could she have met someone on the internet and met up with them?

[Lady Cop]

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The parents of one of two Iowa cousins missing for nearly a week have consulted an attorney amid fears that investigators are targeting them due to their criminal records, an aunt of both girls said Thursday.

Tammy Brousseau told The Associated Press that Misty and Dan Morrissey, parents of 10-year-old Lyric Cook-Morrissey, feel that they're being treated as suspects in the case. Both have spent time in prison, mostly for drug charges, according to court records reviewed by AP.

She said the attorney the family consulted had advised the parents to stop talking to the media and giving polygraph exams, though she said she's not aware that either had failed one.

[Cheyne]

Anyone know why Lyric was living with her grandmother instead of with her mother? Also, I wonder if the pings from Lyric's cell phone provided any useful info? I think the timing of the girls' disappearance and daddy Dan's court dates and co-defendants' court dates is too close to be coincidental. I think he knows who's responsible, but can't say, for whatever reason - and it all has to do with drugs. I think Elizabeth was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Lyric's mother Misty was incarcerated until 30 May of this year.

Lyric's cell phone was on the table at her aunt Heather's house. The cell phone in the [purse] bag was not activated and was only used by Elizabeth to play games on.

I agree with you that it's looking like Elizabeth was collateral damage. I still can't figure out why either Misty or Dan (Lyric's father) would harm her though. Could this be some kind of drug retribution? Did Lyric contact a man on Facebook and go to meet him? This case just gets stranger as it goes.

[Cheyne]

I found this article by ABC News. It details Misty Cook Morrissey's criminal history pretty well. Looks like Misty is a serial drug criminal-not that that makes her a child killer.

Both Daniel and Misty have criminal records. In fact, Misty, whose maiden name is Cook, was just released from federal prison on May 30 after being convicted of nine crimes, including illegal drug use, association with persons involved in criminal activity, excessive alcohol use, and failure to comply with drug testing.

Eight years earlier, in 2003, she was sentenced to four years behind bars after she plead guilty to conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine. Her sentence was later shortened to five months in prison and one year of supervised release. In 1998 she was found guilty of having an open container of alcohol in a vehicle and in 1997 she plead guilty a false report to law enforcement, a crime for which she was sentenced to six days in jail.

Read more

Misty states that they have taken polygraphs but doesn't state that she or Dan passed said polys.

[RJs-Ex]

So Lyric was living with her grandma because Misty was in prison. But Misty got out ~7 weeks ago...why was Lyric still with grandma? If I was away from my daughter that long, the first thing I'd do when I got out would be get her back! Or was Misty living in a halfway house or something?

[shitstorm]

Did Misty and Dan live together? Maybe living with grandma was a more stable home and Misty needed the financial support and a home.

Why does the article say cops are accusing Dan and then say the parents are not suspected? How can they say foul play is not suspected???! WTF?

I don't think these parents have anything to do with it. If that's correct then I can imagine they would be freaking out if investigators are focusing on them. I also heard, on TV, that authorities said draining the lake would hold up looking elsewhere and that made no sense to me. It's not like they have to stand around and watch the lake get drained! I don not think the girls are in the lake.

[Cheyne]

The way I understand it is that Misty and Lyric are both living with grandma. Misty works at the local Casey's (gas station/convenience) store. Grandma and Misty go to Heather Collins home everyday for grandma to watch Heather's 4 kids (Elizabeth is one of Heather's kids) and Lyric while Misty is at work. Once Misty is off work-Lyric and Grandma head back to Grandma's house. Dan lives separately from Misty and Lyric.

I don't agree that Misty and Dan know nothing. I am not saying that they killed, harmed or sold the girls (as I can see no reason for them to do so at this point) but they know something that could help LE. Innocent parents don't "lawyer up", quit talking to LE and the media. Their criminal records are a fact that Misty and Dan need to own. If they are truly innocent they should be talking to LE and helping in any way possible to get their daughter home.

ETA: The cops are not saying that they suspect Dan. Dan himself and others have been quoted as saying Dan "feels like a suspect".

[Duchess]

Innocent parents don't "lawyer up", quit talking to LE and the media.

They do if they have an iota of common sense.

I wouldn't consider talking to LE without an attorney by my side & I am as guilt free as they come.

[Lady Cop]

FBI dive team with side-scan sonar just arrived at lake.
girls are missing one week today.


As the FBI and police focus their search for two missing cousins at a lake, Tammy Brousseau, the girl’s aunt, says that they wouldn’t have gone into the lake and thinks they were abducted.
video:

she babbles like she's on crack. blah blah blah blah

http://www.hlntv.com/video/2012/07/19/au...e-not-lake

[LuciferLynn]

What makes everyone so sure the girls are in the lake?

[Jezreel]

What makes everyone so sure the girls are in the lake?

I believe it's near where their bikes were found, also dogs detected their scent there too.

[Lady Cop]

it was reasonable to suspect they were in lake. they were really compelled to search.

first boat in this morning:

[Jezreel]

I really hope they are not in the lake and maybe decided to run away somewhere and are scared to come back as they would be in BIG trouble. It's a long shot I know...

[LuciferLynn]

I hope other searches are being conducted. Id hate to have them drain the lake and it turns out they wasted all that time. I wish like hell they would find something.

[ramseycat]

I just know in my heart that these girls are dead. I hate to even say it but these situations rarely turn out ok. I wish they could find their bodies so the families could at least have that closure.

[Lady Cop]

EVANSDALE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities will keep a closer watch on the father of one of two missing Iowa cousins, a man with a lengthy criminal history who stopped cooperating with police in the week-old investigation.

A judge granted a prosecution request Thursday to put Dan Morrissey under pretrial supervision while he faces September trials in two drug cases. It means parole officers will make sure Morrissey doesn't violate the terms of his release.

Morrissey is the father of 10-year-old Lyric Cook-Morrissey, who vanished near an Evansdale lake while riding bikes with her cousin, 8-year-old Elizabeth Collins.

Authorities said Thursday that Morrissey and his wife have stopped cooperating with the investigation. Black Hawk County Chief Deputy Rick Abben says he's not sure why they've taken that approach, but they aren't considered suspects.

[ramseycat]

Why on earth would someone quit cooperating with authorities to find your child if you were not guilty? I don't get that. I wouldn't care if they thought I was a suspect or not. I would do whatever they asked if it would help them find my child.