It’s now been four months since two Black Hawk County cousins went missing while riding their bicycles in Evansdale. Authorities believe 11-year-old Lyric Cook-Morrissey and 9-year-old Elizabeth Collins were abducted. Family, friends and community members gathered for a prayer vigil last night and we’re told by Elizabeth’s mother, Heather, that she’s still meeting people who know nothing about the case.
Sarah Curl of Waterloo said that’s why it’s important to keep posting flyers featuring the girls’ pictures wherever possible. “The more people that see the fliers, the better,” Curl said.
“Obviously, there haven’t been too many new breaks in the case that we know of, so as many people that see them, that’s what we are trying to do here. Just keep raising awareness, keep putting it out there.” The vigil was held at the Courtside Vineyard Church in Evansdale, where Joe Fagar is the associate pastor.
“That’s one of the things we just pray for — is that the people who haven’t heard, will hear, and maybe the right person will hear that has seen them,” Fagar said. Lyric and Elizabeth disappeared on July 13. The girls’ bikes were found near Meyers Lake in Evansdale, but a search of the area and the draining of the lake failed to turn up any sign of the girls.
The parents of the two girls wrote an open letter to the girls’ kidnapper. It was posted Tuesday on the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier website. The letter, titled “To Whom It May Concern,” calls on the kidnapper to “be a hero, not a monster” and let the girls return home.
By Addison Speck, KCRG-TV, Cedar Rapids