Authorities need your help locating two missing girls in Iowa. Elizabeth Collins, 8, and Lyric Cook, 10, were last seen riding their bikes Friday afternoon near downtown Evansville, Iowa.
The girls’ bikes and bag, with Collins’ cellphone in it, were found on a trail near Meyers Lake. Police have been searching the lake and the woods surrounding the area for the last two days.
“Meyers Lake is about 20 yards from Interstate 380, which means there is easy access to the lake and bike trail,” Abben said at a press conference.
No Amber Alert has been issued, because the girls’ disappearance does not meet Amber Alert qualifications. In order for an Amber Alert to be issued, there must be a suspect vehicle description or a description of a possible suspect. Police have neither in this case.
Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Captain Rick Abben told ABC News affiliate KCRG, Because we have no person that was seen and we have no vehicle that was described, so we can’t issue an Amber alert by their guidelines.”
Wylma Cook, the girls’ grandmother, told KCRG that she fears the girls may have been abducted.
Whoever has them, just turn them in, let them loose anywhere so they can call me, Cook said. Lyric knows my cell phone, she knows my house phone.”
A $5,000 reward has been offered for information leading the girls’ whereabouts.
UPDATE: Authorities believe these girls have ben abducted and are still alive!
“‘We believe the two girls are alive,” FBI spokeswoman Sandy Breault told ABC News. Breault said this belief was based partly on the evidence found Friday, but would not elaborate further,” ABC News reported.
Last week, the lake where the girls’ items were found was drained and their bodies were not found.
Police believe the troubled past of one of the girl’s parents could have something to do with the girls’ disappearance.
