Authorities confident bodies of 2 missing IA girls have been fou - CBS4 - WHBF Quad Cities, IL-IA News Weather Sports

Authorities confident bodies of 2 missing IA girls have been found

By: Katie Jones

kjones@cbs4qc.com

Devastating news out of Evansdale, Iowa, the 5 month search for two missing cousins may have come to a tragic end. Authorities are confident the bodies of Elizabeth Collins and Lyric Cook Morrissey have been found. Wednesday afternoon hunters found two small bodies in the seven bridges wildlife area about 25 miles north of where 9 year old Elizabeth and 11 year old Lyric were last seen.

A similar sight of shock and sorrow filled Evansdale. "I just can't imagine what the families are going through if I'm feeling this bad," Candlelight vigil Attendee Joyce Roster said.

Mourning the lives cut far too short, friends family and community members held a candlelight vigil in memory of Elizabeth and Lyric.

"Not the outcome anybody wanted at all. Totally shocked, it's very heartbreaking and devastating," Vigil Attendee Holly Timmerman said.

The girls were last seen riding their bikes on July 13th. Since then folks all across the country joined the efforts to bring them home. But unfortunately, Blackhawk County Sheriff's Captain Rick Abben said the outcome wasn't one they hoped for and now authorities may have a murder investigation on their hands.

"We considered it an abduction at the time and we're still proceeding with that. I would say we're now looking that way, we have two bodies but we're going to rely on the state medical examiner to tell us what they think" Capt. Rick Abben from the Blackhawk Co. Sheriff's dept. said.

The official autopsy results haven't been released but authorities are confident they've found the two missing cousins. The bodies have been taken to Ankeny Iowa for identification.