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E079: Lyric Cook-Morrissey and Elizabeth Collins
1.9k Plays5 years ago
Ten-year-old Lyric Cook-Morrissey and her eight-year-old cousin Elizabeth Collins disappeared during a spontaneous afternoon bike ride in Evansdale, Iowa. With two potential crime scenes and few clues at either one, we are left wondering years later, what could have happened to Lyric and Elizabeth and who could be responsible?
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Transcript
Starting a Podcast with Buzzsprout
00:00:00
Speaker
Sleuth Hounds Have you ever considered creating your own podcast? Have you been inspired by listening to some of your favorites and thought, I'd love to try this out on my own? Whether it's a true crime podcast like ours, a motivational podcast, or maybe one filled with tips and strategies for those interested in the same activities you are?
00:00:19
Speaker
When Maggie and I first decided to start our podcast, we knew absolutely nothing about what podcasting would entail. But when we found that the platform Buzzsprout was one for which we didn't need any special equipment, just a computer microphone, some quiet space, and each other, we knew that this was the way to go.
00:00:38
Speaker
It is intuitive to use, fun to play around with, and so helpful in getting analytical data about our number of downloads to track trends and from where listeners hail. Best yet, Buzzsprout is affordable, even by our teacher salary standards.
00:00:55
Speaker
Buzzsprout will get your podcasts listed on every major podcasting platform. So, what are you waiting for? Fulfill that dream of yours and start today. If you use our Coffee & Cases referral code, 709-643, linked on Facebook and in our show notes, not only will you help support our show, but you will receive a $20 Amazon gift card after your second month on a paid plan. It's that easy.
00:01:23
Speaker
Podcasting isn't hard when you have the right partners. Join over a hundred thousand podcasters already using Buzzsprout to get their message out to the world. Now it's time for the world to hear what you have to say. Maggie and I reminisce all the time about memories growing up in small town Kentucky.
00:01:42
Speaker
We recall the time spent with grandparents and friends, yes, but another recurring theme in a lot of our stories are memories outside and the nature surrounding those homes. While neither Maggie nor I are ones for camping, we recall fond memories of watching chicks hatch, of picking flowers, picnics and pole fishing at the lake,
00:02:06
Speaker
splashing in streams, balancing on and dancing across wooden bridges, foot races down dirt roads, watermelon juice dripping down our chins and our arms at summer picnics, and trying to get that tiny drop of small nectar from each of the hundred or so picks from a honeysuckle bush. And I'd wager a bet that most of you sleuth hounds have similar memories. Why?
00:02:33
Speaker
because we see value in nature, especially for children. Throughout history, writers, thinkers, teachers, naturalists, and parents alike have all noted the role of nature in raising a child. George Eliot said, we would have never loved the earth so well if we had no childhood in it. John Muir urged, of all the paths you take in life,
00:03:02
Speaker
make sure a few of them are dirt. And Margaret Atwood aptly noted, in the spring, at the end of the day, we should smell like dirt. A mental image of happy kids usually involves them on swings or running around in a yard, not huddled in a mass around a television set. Nature teaches about life, but
00:03:30
Speaker
Just as with most things, nature can also teach us about death. While there are new buds in the spring, nests built to house baby birds, there's also decay, rot, disease. And while nature can be freeing, it can also isolate, trap.
Introduction to the Evansdale Case
00:03:53
Speaker
When the two cousins at the center of our case this week took an afternoon bike ride to play outside and enjoy the pleasant summer day on July 13th, 2012 in Evansdale, Iowa, the result, sadly, wasn't the bringing back of a natural treasure of flowers to their grandmother, but was instead that of a national news story about two young girls
00:04:22
Speaker
who had just vanished. This is the story of Lyric Cook Morrissey and Elizabeth Collins.
00:05:04
Speaker
Welcome to Coffee and Cases, where we like our coffee hot and our cases cold. My name is Allison Williams. And my name is Maggie Dameron.
00:05:13
Speaker
We will be telling stories each week in the hopes that someone out there with any information concerning the case will take those tips to law enforcement so justice and closure can be brought to these families. With each case, we encourage you to continue in the conversation on our Facebook page.
00:05:29
Speaker
Coffee and cases podcast and to follow us on instagram at coffee cases podcast and on tiktok at coffee and cases podcast Because as these families know conversation helps to keep their missing family member in the public consciousness Helping to keep their memories alive. So sit back sip your coffee and listen to what's brewing this week
00:05:52
Speaker
Maggie, the story this week, I really connected to because growing up, no matter which of my grandparents' houses I went to, I was always seeing and playing with my cousins. So with Barrett and Rebecca at my grandma's house, and then later on with my cousin Summer at my granny's house.
00:06:14
Speaker
And now, still at my granny's house, my little sleuth hound and summer's little sleuth hound get to play as well.
00:06:23
Speaker
Yeah, all of your descriptions when you were reading them, I mentally was picturing my childhood. And that's immediately who I thought I was doing all that stuff with my cousins immediately. And actually, yesterday, one of my cousins posted something on Facebook about playing in the creek. And they were talking about this wooden bridge that was near their house. And one summer, we were running across it. And my leg went in between the slats.
00:06:52
Speaker
like we couldn't get my leg out. Oh, no. Yeah, that's what I thought of just now. Yeah, but yeah, so I don't know if that if it's that way across the country, but I don't hear usually like families stay, especially if you're from a small town, the family usually stays in the small town. So you grow up with those family members like with those cousins. Yeah, that's
00:07:19
Speaker
We had the best childhood. And the cousins in this week's case were 10 year old Lyric Cook Morrissey and eight year old Elizabeth Collins.
Background on Lyric Cook Morrissey
00:07:32
Speaker
And they were staying that warm July 13th at their grandma Wilma Cook's house.
00:07:39
Speaker
Oh my god, their grandma's name was Wilma. I know, I love it. That's so cute. Yes, and Wilma was mother to both of their moms. Oh, okay. So their moms are sisters.
00:07:52
Speaker
And the girls were super close to their grandma, especially Lyric. And not just because she was two years older and she had gotten two more years worth of memories with Wilma, but also because Lyric had been living with her grandmother who, along with Lyric's aunts, was raising her.
00:08:14
Speaker
So throughout her early childhood, Lyric's parents had struggled with addiction. So Wilma had taken Lyric in to care for her.
00:08:26
Speaker
An article in the Des Moines Register from December 29th, 2012 by Emily Shetler and Joel Ashbrenner notes that all across Wilma's two-story home are items marking the presence of a child. So stuffed animals on couches and beds, including Lyric's favorite stuffed animal, which was a dog named Max. And art projects proudly displayed on the fridge. So Wilma and Lyric were close.
00:08:57
Speaker
And I read that in the afternoons, they would play cards, which I love. That's such a grandma thing, yeah. I love that. We would play dominoes. That's what my grandma and I would play. And at night, Wilma and Lyric would just sit and hold hands and talk about the game. Oh my God. And as their eyelids grew heavy, they would pray together. And then they would whisper every night, I love you, good night, before going off to bed.
00:09:26
Speaker
That's precious. I know. And it was always the same routine, that same reminder of love every night. And even the next morning, Lyric would bound into her grandmother's arms with a good morning grandma, I love you. Oh my god, that's so precious. Yes, a very sweet, loving relationship.
00:09:49
Speaker
Despite not being in her parents' care, Wilma did her best to make lyrics childhood a stable one. And that often included visits with aunts and cousins, like we just talked about, as well as visits from lyrics parents when possible. So she's still trying to get everybody together and involved in each other's lives.
00:10:14
Speaker
In the mornings, Wilma and Lyric would often go to Lyric's aunt's home. So one of Wilma's other daughters and Elizabeth's mom, Heather. Okay.
00:10:26
Speaker
An article from the Waterloo Courier back in November of 2010 indicated that Heather had nearly died from a heart ailment and now wore a pacemaker. So Wilma, with Lyric in tow, because Lyric is living with Wilma now, would just stop by just to make sure Heather was okay.
00:10:49
Speaker
So quite often when Wilma would stop at Heather's house at her daughter's house to check on her, Lyric is coming and of course Elizabeth is there because Heather is Elizabeth's mom. So they often Lyric and Elizabeth, his two cousins, got the opportunity to play together. So it wasn't like they only saw each other every other week or at family reunions.
00:11:14
Speaker
They were together all the time. And they were close enough in age with Lyric being 10 and Elizabeth 8 that they had similar interests too. Lyric loved cheerleading, gymnastics, and bowling. While Elizabeth's loves were talking, I identify, her teacher reported that she was always the last to finish her lunch because she was too busy talking with all of her friends to eat.
00:11:42
Speaker
I feel that. I know. That's me. Elizabeth also loved softball and wrestling. Wow. Which I know. So both of the girls were very active. And Maggie, don't let Elizabeth's love of wrestling fool you because she also loved dressing up, putting on makeup and being a girly girl. Look at her. Yeah. So she's super well rounded. She just likes everything.
00:12:06
Speaker
Both of the girls loved animals and loved spending time outside, no matter the weather, riding their bikes. So on Friday, July 13th, so it was Friday the 13th, they set out, as they so often had done before on a bike ride, leaving Wilma's house on Broughton Boulevard in Evansdale, Iowa at around 1215.
The Disappearance of Lyric and Elizabeth
00:12:34
Speaker
From everything that I read, Maggie, Evansdale itself is a very small town with a population around 5,000. Wow. But the town is nestled in between the much larger cities of Cedar Falls and Waterloo. And so with all of the surrounding cities, the population of the area swells to around 100,000. Okay, so much bigger. Right.
00:13:02
Speaker
When the two girls left, Wilma thought nothing unusual, Maggie. They did this all the time. They would go for their bike rides. So Wilma, again, like usual, expected the girls back by the time Lyric's mother, Misty Cook Morrissey, got there around two o'clock. But this time the girls weren't back. So they waited.
00:13:29
Speaker
Another half hour passed and the cousins still hadn't returned. By 2.48 p.m., Wilma and Misty couldn't wait any longer and called the police to report Lyric and Elizabeth missing. Well, at least they acted quickly there. Right, yeah, because it's only been like two and a half hours. Yeah. Since they left.
00:13:54
Speaker
The family, along with local law enforcement, began looking for the girls. Several people in town reported seeing the two riding their bikes swiftly past around 1230 or 1 on Gilbert Drive, which was a road that was near this popular recreational and fishing site called Myers Lake.
00:14:16
Speaker
The lake was like a 26 acre lake and it was kept stocked with fish to attract local fishermen to its banks. So it's a pretty popular spot. And at least their presence on Gilbert Drive gave them an idea of direction. Yeah, they have somewhere to start. Right, like maybe the girls just lost track of time.
00:14:41
Speaker
By 4 p.m., the Evansdale police were aided by the Black Hawk County Sheriff's Department. So that was the county in which Evansdale's located and by the local fire department. And very soon they found something. Oh no. Yeah, not the girls, but a clue.
00:15:04
Speaker
Around four, soon after the search began, a firefighter found the two girls bikes and eight year old Elizabeth's purse on a trail at the southwest corner of Myers Lake. But that was it Maggie, just their personal items.
00:15:24
Speaker
All the reports I read used the same wording. Quote, there were no clues as to their whereabouts. So not even like maybe tire tracks leading away from where their bikes were found. You're so smart Maggie.
00:15:42
Speaker
And that's exactly what I was going to say, like in that phrasing, I feel like inference is key. And like, you know, sleuth hounds, you know, Maggie and I are English teachers, like inference is something we try to teach our students. And yeah, I think because it says there's no clues as to their whereabouts, then that means that there were no footprints, there were no tire tracks, there wasn't a sign of a scuffle. So it was just kind of like,
00:16:11
Speaker
they either left the bikes there or the bikes were placed there? That's what it looks like. Even though there were no further clues, Dan Morrissey, Lyric's father, recalled to David Pitt of the Christian Science Monitor that, quote, the area where the bikes were found is fenced on both sides and it's right where a maintenance gate is. It's a spot that looks to me like a trap.
00:16:39
Speaker
somebody could have just come along right then or followed them down. It would have been the worst spot to be in," end quote. Oh, because if there's fence on both sides, you can't have nowhere to go. Right, you can't get anywhere. That's scary. I know, but they're also thinking there's no sign of a scuffle though.
00:17:04
Speaker
So, since there's no sign of distress, maybe they just wandered off, right? Like, what if they just took a quiet walk in the woods and they got lost? Or maybe they decided to go try to find the lake to go for a swim. So the first inclination was to at least search the surrounding area.
00:17:26
Speaker
Super quickly, just like their search in general was, FBI agents were mobilized and so was the community. By the very next day, Maggie, scent dogs had confirmed the girls' scent in the area of Myers Lake. Wow. Over 1,100 locals had volunteered to comb the 12-square-mile area.
00:17:50
Speaker
and the FBI had brought in a diving team who strategically drug and drained Myers Lake looking for Lyric and Elizabeth. How long I wonder does it take to drain a lake? And where do you drain it? That's a good question. Like where do you put the excess water? Like you pump it into tanks and then you just pump it right back in? I don't know. Hmm. Hmm.
00:18:18
Speaker
There's one of our questions.
Search and Discovery of the Bodies
00:18:20
Speaker
Yeah, so if you guys know, let us know.
00:18:24
Speaker
And while they didn't believe that the girls drowned, they also wanted to rule out that possibility. Yeah, or the bodies were tossed in there. Right. Yeah. They're like, we don't think that this is what happened, but we need to make sure. So a 10 member dive team waited in the partially drained lake and rode around on a sonar equipped boat looking for clues.
00:18:50
Speaker
So exactly what I wanted them to do in last week's episode. Yeah, I was here to say, look how easy that was. Right. And the FBI, this boat that they were on actually had two different types of sonars I read. One type of sonar can detect debris even in cloudy, muddy water.
00:19:10
Speaker
And the other one could give a 360 degree analysis of the lake bottom. Wow. I know. So like super high tech, but they found no clues there either. And despite not seeming to have any leads from the bikes and no evidence of drowning, authorities were actually hopeful because with no proof of a drowning, it did mean that the girls could still be alive. True.
00:19:40
Speaker
Ryan J. Foley with the Associated Press in an article that next Friday, July 20, 2013, wrote that Black Hawk County Chief Deputy Rick Aben had expressed his confidence as well that the girls had not drowned, nor did he think that they had merely wandered off because he believes they would have already been found.
00:20:03
Speaker
He mentioned to reporters that, quote, some evidence had been sent to the state crime lab for analysis, end quote. But he didn't elaborate on what that evidence was. Well, that's, I mean, you would have to be something like out of her purse or something like that because that really sounds like that was all that was there. Right.
00:20:28
Speaker
And I guess whatever it was, it was the same evidence that led FBI spokeswoman Sandy Brailt to tell the Associated Press that she, quote, felt strongly that the girls were alive. Oh my God.
00:20:46
Speaker
Specifically, she said, quote, we believe these girls are alive and we are not discouraged by the passage of time since their disappearance. We are urging anyone with information to come forward. Any information as insignificant as it might seem could be vital to this investigation, end quote. Well, I hope that people came forward and helped. No. No.
00:21:14
Speaker
But I'm curious as to what kind of evidence it could have been that they found that made them so confident that they were alive, that the girls were still alive. Despite that statement of hope, Maggie, they did at that time change the classification of Lyric and Elizabeth's case from disappearances
00:21:35
Speaker
to an abduction, which means someone took them. Right. And Sandy Brailt of the FBI also indicated that they already had identified multiple persons of interest. Okay. Well, I need them to like pick it up so we can bring these girls home. Right. And well,
00:21:56
Speaker
I'll just tell you what happens. Chief Deputy Abbott told Larry Oaks of the Star Tribune, quote, it's been seven days. And if they were lost, they would have been found by now. Now that it's an abduction, everyone is a suspect until we find those little girls, end quote.
00:22:16
Speaker
And everyone was a suspect Maggie police conducted so many interviews during that time of family and friends and local sex offenders. They were getting 20 tips an hour. Wow. So police were extremely
00:22:35
Speaker
busy. The problem is, and the reason why I said no, nobody did when you said I hope somebody called in with information, is that unfortunately, none of those interviews led to an arrest, nor did any tip lead to further clues as to their whereabouts. Wow. The chances of finding these girls alive seem to be dwindling.
00:23:01
Speaker
And soon the tips dwindled as well, down to around 30 to 50 per day. And that only six weeks after the girls went missing. There was finally a break in the case 145 days after that fateful bike ride, but not the kind of break that any loved one wants to hear.
00:23:27
Speaker
On Wednesday, December 5th, 2012, two hunters in Bremmer County were in the Seven Bridges Wildlife Park over 20 miles north of Myers Lake when they spotted two bodies and contacted authorities. So how big was the area that was searched initially?
00:23:50
Speaker
Well, Myers Lake is what was initially searched and volunteers searched 12 square miles. And then the lake itself was, I think it was 26. But where their bodies were found is actually 20 miles north of where their bikes were left.
00:24:14
Speaker
The next day, December 6th, Chief Deputy Abbott held a press conference where he announced that he was confident these were the remains of Lyric Cook Morrissey and Elizabeth Collins, a fact verified by the state medical examiner's office on Monday, December 10th. Now you may tell me this in a little bit, but like how long were they there?
00:24:37
Speaker
So I didn't read on a single article that I could verify that stated when the date of death was. All we know is that they disappeared on July 13th and their bodies are found on December 5th. I just was wondering if we knew like how possibly how long they had been kept alive.
00:25:06
Speaker
Well, and it's super interesting with this case that I'll get to in just a second. Heather Collins, Elizabeth's mom, stated in a Facebook message, quote, we knew when our girls went missing that there could be two outcomes. Unfortunately, this is not the one that we wanted.
00:25:28
Speaker
but we know our girls are dancing with our savior. We know that he will continue to be with us, giving us strength and comfort always." And now the case had changed again, Maggie, from abduction to homicide.
Investigation Challenges and Secrets
00:25:46
Speaker
But as for any further details, and this is what's different that I was kind of alluding to a second ago, law enforcement has been very tight lipped from 2012 when this happened until today.
00:26:04
Speaker
So this has absolutely nothing to do with this case, but because you said that it reminded me that I just, my mother-in-law randomly sent me a, well, it's not really random because we text, but she sent me a picture of like a screenshot of a news article and they found a dead lady
00:26:26
Speaker
in the parking lot of my old elementary school that is now closed but like literally right beside a community park like with people there all day and they have no idea who she is and like the police have been super tight-lipped about like anything that can maybe help identify her tattoos any of that yeah it's been like weird and that was what that reminded me of well and i'll get to because they've been so almost secretive about the details
00:26:57
Speaker
It's led to one of the theories that I'm gonna talk about. But even at the time Maggie, Jennifer Lancaster, an officer for the Department of Natural Resources told the Globe Gazette that they had been instructed to not reveal any details about the specific location of the bodies and to preserve the integrity of the crime scene to the fullest extent. And even after getting the autopsies,
00:27:24
Speaker
Authorities have never shared with the public how Lyric and Elizabeth were murdered, how long they had been there, whether the bodies were concealed or out in the open. I'm talking no information. Do their families at least know how they died? I don't know the answer to that question. That's sad. So I do know that
00:27:53
Speaker
Someone had asked in one of the articles about family identifying the body or seeing the bodies. And one of the authorities had said, they don't need to. Now there was obviously decomposition as well. All we know is that the spot where the hunters stumbled upon the remains was remote.
00:28:21
Speaker
because Drew Collins, Elizabeth's dad, took lintaw of the Des Moines Register to like near the spot where the bodies were found in 2017.
00:28:36
Speaker
And once there, this is what he observed, quote, you could be screaming and no one could hear you. I think about that. For a little girl to be down here with a stranger they don't know. And then you wonder what they went through. I would never come out here alone. It's kind of scary being out here. To me, this place is not a peaceful place.
00:29:00
Speaker
we can only imagine what happened to them here." And Elizabeth's dad drew, he does think that whatever happened to the girls, so to his daughter Elizabeth and to his niece Lyric, that the girls were brought to that Seven Bridges Wilderness Park alive.
00:29:23
Speaker
because he thinks that the spot near where their bodies were found is so remote that it would have been too remote to have carried the bodies there. That's a good point. Right. I think that does make sense. But the police won't say anymore. They have admitted that they're keeping the details close to the vest in order to know when the true perpetrator confesses because only the killer will know the details.
00:29:54
Speaker
And I say true perpetrator.
00:29:58
Speaker
because in the years after the bodies were discovered, Maggie, there have been at least two false confessions. That's so annoying. I know. It's a waste of time, of resources. Emotions. Everything. But because those two false confessors didn't know details, because no details have been released, they were able to be ruled as false because they didn't know those intimate details of the crime.
00:30:27
Speaker
That's true. But then that makes me feel like there must be something unusual, like about their deaths, about their bodies or about the location, like something not easily guessed at. Yeah, because I feel like they would at least say like how long they'd been there or how they died. Like it has to be something that's weird that only the killer would know. Yep, that's, I totally agree.
00:30:56
Speaker
whatever details there were at the scene, because remember they said that they had found some clues earlier, and also at the scene where the bodies were found, and whatever details have been analyzed since with a reinvigorated look at the case, the FBI behavioral unit was able to create a profile sketch.
FBI Profile and Suspect Exploration
00:31:23
Speaker
And that sketch was given to the public in a press conference by Evansdale Police on August 21, 2014. So here's what the FBI determined for their offender profile. This would be such a cool job, I think. I do. I think so too.
00:31:39
Speaker
They said, number one, the perpetrator was likely a local who was familiar with both Myers Lake and the Seven Bridges Wildlife Area in Bremmer County because whoever did it would have to have known the bike trails and the amount of seclusion at Seven Bridges and would blend in enough to not stand out in either area.
00:32:06
Speaker
In fact, Police Chief Kent Smock later elucidated at a press conference on February 3, 2015, saying, quote, I think you'll agree with me that seven bridges is extremely remote. We have no doubt that the person or persons responsible for this crime are very familiar with seven bridges. It's a very well-known area to the local community.
00:32:31
Speaker
Unless you just knew the area, you wouldn't just come across it. Obviously, whoever took the girls to that area was comfortable with that environment and knew of that environment." So local.
00:32:48
Speaker
Number two, the perpetrator likely used quiet coercion to abduct the girls. So like a threat of violence or like some ruse, right? Like, I need you to help me find my puppy. And that would explain why there was no sign of struggle where the bikes were found. Which is so scary. Number three.
00:33:13
Speaker
The suspect may have been experiencing stress related to legal troubles, spousal problems, employment difficulties, financial strain, or mental health issues in July 2012. And I don't know why those particular stressors, but the FBI are far more qualified than I am to make those determinations. So I'm going to trust them. That's what I was about to say. I wonder how they determine that. It would be interesting to know.
00:33:42
Speaker
The next part of their profile was that the suspect may avoid discussing the case or showing interest in the matter, but is likely following developments in the media. The next detail, the offender may have attempted to abduct children or adults in the past. Well, I feel like that's a really big clue. I think so too.
00:34:10
Speaker
And lastly, following the disappearance, the suspect may have altered his or her physical appearance, such as changing hairstyle and facial hair. The offender's vehicle may also have been altered with a new paint job or reupholstery. Okay, also feel like that's a really big clue.
00:34:29
Speaker
Yeah, and I feel like that's something that you would remember like July 2012. Oh, yeah, you know, shave his hair off. Right. And in his car, paying that his car and because those are big changes. Yeah. I mean, I know people get haircuts.
00:34:45
Speaker
But it's not talking about change as in just getting a little haircut change. It would be, yeah, like shaving your head or dyeing your hair. And I feel like getting your car painted and reupholstery, that's not that common. Yeah, I feel like that's expensive. Unless you've had, you know, well, again, they probably said, oh, I had a car accident. That's why I got it repainted. But I feel like the repainting would have happened way quicker than it normally would.
00:35:13
Speaker
Yeah, I feel like it should be easy for, like you said, I feel like you could look back at July and be like, oh yeah, well, okay, my neighbor had just filed bankruptcy and she dyed her hair and then was talking about she got her car reupholstered. I feel like those are really specific things you should be able to identify if you know someone. And familiar with that seven bridges area. Yeah.
00:35:40
Speaker
So likely somebody who enjoyed hunting or would go walking on hikes through the wilderness. They also said it could have been more than one individual involved, but an analysis of all evidence points more to the likelihood that there was only one individual who committed the crime.
00:36:05
Speaker
And law enforcement Maggie hasn't stopped searching for answers. As recently as 2019, they had followed in this case over 2,000 leads.
00:36:18
Speaker
Wow. Despite the fact that there are still no named suspects, local law enforcement refused to consider the Evansdale Murders a cold case because they are still very active in pursuing justice. Well, like, I want to know who did this. Well, there haven't been arrests, Maggie, but there are theories. Okay. So I'm going to walk you through the top ones. Okay.
00:36:45
Speaker
Number one, a connection with Lyric's dad, Dan Morrissey. So police had tried to get in touch with all family members before their press conference about locating the bodies, but they were unable to get in touch with Lyric's dad. The reason? He didn't want to be contacted by police. Okay, but like,
00:37:13
Speaker
I feel like that's when we call, we email a parent about student grades, we call a parent about student grades, and the school calls a parent about the student grades, but they just don't want to be contacted by us, but then they're mad because their student's feeling. Right. And Dan wasn't
00:37:35
Speaker
mad that he didn't get the information, but he didn't want to be contacted by police because he was facing four criminal charges. One for assault on his estranged wife Misty, Lyric's mom, and the other three for manufacturing, dealing, and possessing methamphetamines.
00:37:59
Speaker
And remember, I mentioned earlier that their illicit drug use is what led Wilma to begin caring for Lyric. So do we think her dad is somehow involved?
00:38:11
Speaker
The thought was that not that he or Misty had anything to do with it, but that perhaps one of the people they associated with did. So both of Lyric's parents were subjected to polygraph tests, and neither of them were considered a suspect.
00:38:30
Speaker
So what police really wanted to find out was if maybe there was an acquaintance of theirs that could be linked, like maybe Dan owed somebody money or maybe one of them snitched on somebody and Lyric and Elizabeth paid the price. That's what police wanted to know. So while Dan was not considered a suspect,
00:38:54
Speaker
He did spiral again, being consumed by his addiction after Lyric went missing when her birthday came and went without her return and subsequently when her body was found. And when he went to court for those charges mentioned earlier, he admitted to the judge at sentencing, quote, my problem at the time wasn't drugs. My problem was grief. I really still can't accept it, end quote.
00:39:23
Speaker
And that breaks my heart. I know. To know, I mean, he was struggling with addiction already. And then I'm sure it would be easy to spiral into it again. But the judge didn't go easy on Dan. He was sentenced to 90 years in prison for his charges.
00:39:46
Speaker
But this theory that someone he owed money to or had snitched on doing something this heinous to his daughter and his niece, he completely dismisses that theory, Maggie. And he claimed in an exclusive interview with KWWL, quote, yeah, it doesn't even make sense if you think about it and play it out. Why would this happen?
00:40:10
Speaker
If I had any idea of somebody that was in my life that I owed money to, or it threatened me or anything, you don't think I'd know who that person is? You know what I mean? So, I mean, that would be the number one suspect on the case. And this thing would have been solved a long time ago. But there's absolutely nobody in my life that I owe money to or that I've told on or anything like that. This has nothing to do with my daughter.
00:40:38
Speaker
And why would they abduct Elizabeth and my daughter at the same time in another town that my daughter's not even from on a random bike ride that nobody knew they were going to take? It doesn't make sense. Yeah, that's like a very good point. It almost makes it like this may just have been like a crime of opportunity. Mm-hmm. Yeah, because if nobody knows that they're going to take that bike ride. Unless someone's following them, like stalking them.
00:41:07
Speaker
Mitch Mortvet, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations Head of Field Operations has determined, and he noted this on, or he didn't note it, it was noted on the Iowa Cold Cases website that's run by Jody Ewing. And you might recognize that name. That's the same Jody Ewing that I mentioned being so informative and helpful in the Cecil Gaddy case.
00:41:30
Speaker
So on that website, it mentions that this Mitch Mortvet now does not believe that Lyric's parents are in any way related to the two deaths. So that pronouncement is important because the two, Dan and Misty, Lyric's parents, have been raked across the coals and the court of public opinion because of their addictions.
00:41:57
Speaker
And they were both imprisoned for their separate drug charges, but never in connection to this case, Maggie. Misty has since been released and Dan will be spending a minimum of 30 years in Fort Dodge Correctional Facility for all of the drug charges. And all the while, the two have maintained their innocence. And Maggie, I believe them. I do too. I think,
00:42:27
Speaker
a parent, especially one who's already going to prison, would at least want the hope to live with of finding his daughter's killer. And I feel like now, of all times, would have been the time to give names if he thought there were any possibility of a connection. Yeah, I do too. Because I mean, it's not like he's going to suffer for it. He's in prison.
00:42:51
Speaker
Yeah, they can't come after him because he's in jail. So I would think that would be the time to give any names. And I just, I feel like our society looks on addicts with such disdain that blaming that crime on one of their acquaintances, it just seems like an easy target. Yeah, agree.
00:43:13
Speaker
And it's not as if we don't have any other suspects. Exactly. They said they had several, didn't they? Yes. So here's theory number two. Michael James Clunder. Three names. I know. I knew you'd say it. I didn't even have to. Yep, three names equals serial killer, in my opinion. In June 2013, so a little bit less than a year after what happened to Lyric and Elizabeth,
00:43:41
Speaker
Authorities announced that they were looking into similarities between Lyric and Elizabeth's case and another abduction case.
00:43:50
Speaker
On May 20th, 2013, 15-year-old Kathleen Shepherd and a 12-year-old friend were walking home from school in Dayton, Iowa, when they were abducted by Clunder, who had already served a prison sentence from 1992 to 2011 for another kidnapping and assault. Which is a check on the FBI's profile. That's right, had tried it before.
00:44:17
Speaker
Once he had abducted Kathleen and her friend, he zip tied their hands and took them to a hog confinement lot where he worked. And the other girl, the 12-year-old, he left in the truck while Clunder took Kathleen to a remote area of the lot. Well, that 12-year-old Maggie managed to escape and run for help.
00:44:41
Speaker
When police arrived, they found Clunder's body in the truck. He had killed himself after finding that his other victim was gone and after dumping Kathleen's body. Oh my God, I cannot imagine being that 12-year-old. Who's running away. Yes, and then you realize that had you not ran away, you would be dead. You would have been next, yep.
00:45:05
Speaker
And Kaplan's body was discovered that June, almost 20 miles downstream in the Des Moines River. Could Clunder have done the same thing in 2012 to Lyric and Elizabeth?
00:45:22
Speaker
But after forensic testing and investigative work, Special Agent Mike Roarkas with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation determined on May 14, 2014, that DCI was quote, pretty confident
00:45:40
Speaker
end quote, that Clunder should not be considered a person of interest in the case. So whatever they have, they have evidence that leads them to believe Clunder was in or around his home in Stratford on July 13th, 2012, and not in Evansdale. So even though he fits the profile. Yeah, that one was promising. It doesn't seem like it's him.
00:46:10
Speaker
Third theory, Jeff Altmeyer. In November 2016, two little girls ran home from school in Onewa, Iowa. They said that a man had been trying to get them into his car by offering them $100. Okay, attempted abduction? Yep.
00:46:34
Speaker
At this point, two older relatives and a neighbor who heard the two little girls tell this story, they decided, I'm chasing down this car that the girls had described. When they caught up to the car, the dark haired man driving it, they pulled up alongside him to, I guess, roll down their windows and they were yelling at each other as they were driving down the road.
00:47:02
Speaker
And this dark haired man told the family and neighbor that he was an undercover officer. Which is illegal to lie about. Yes. And he threatened to hurt them if they continued to chase him. But they didn't stop. Good for them. Right. And they actually called the police as they continued to follow him.
00:47:22
Speaker
Good for them. I agree. And once, especially once you hear this next part, once the police took over the Chase Maggie, they were able to arrest the driver, 58 year old Jeff Altmeyer. He was an independent security consultant and an auto damage field inspector for Alliance Inspection Management.
00:47:44
Speaker
who would like frequently drive through the Midwest, particularly Iowa, to provide assessments. So I'm guessing it's like, if you've had a fender bender, you know how your insurance will send somebody to assess the damage. So that's kind of what he did. But he was driving all around to do that. Altmaier was charged with trying to entice children, but not just in this case, Maggie,
00:48:12
Speaker
in dozens of cases across Iowa. Okay, Anthony and I talk about this a lot, but like I feel like
00:48:24
Speaker
Our judicial system really needs to consider reworking some of the sentencing practices that are in place. I feel like if you are enticing children, your first offense, you shouldn't be doing this more than one time. Right. Yeah. From what I read, Maggie, all these cases across Iowa, they were of children between the ages of six and 13.
00:48:49
Speaker
And sometimes Maggie, and this didn't come out until later, sometimes he was succeeding in sexually assaulting his victims before letting them go a few blocks later. Okay. He definitely shouldn't be doing this more than one time. Right. And Altmaier was sentenced to life in prison for his crimes.
00:49:12
Speaker
And I just keep thinking, I'm guessing all of these people came forward or they saw him. Or maybe they had reported someone trying to, or who had enticed their child into his car with $100. But then when this story comes out, because of these two little girls who ran and told, again, we talk about this all the time, tell adults that they're like, oh my gosh, that happened too.
00:49:41
Speaker
this other girl I know. See, I thought at first it was like he did it one time and they let him go and then he did it again and they let him go. That's why I was like, he should never have done this more than, well, period, but not more than once. But now I'm there. I caught up. And so he was sentenced to life in prison. Well, good. And police believe that he could be linked to other crimes, even ones we don't know about.
00:50:06
Speaker
Here's why they're thinking that. They're thinking, and I agree, criminal behavior like that doesn't just start all of a sudden at age 58. So they are saying, think of about all of the assaults and abductions that happened before he was caught. So he could have been just growing more and more bold as years have gone on.
00:50:36
Speaker
So while Altmaier has never been charged with any crime in relation to Lyric and Elizabeth, when Special Agent Mike Roarkas with Iowa DCI was asked about Altmaier by KWWL on July 12th, 2017, here's what he said, quote, the most I would say is that he is one of our leads, and I'll leave it at that, end quote.
00:51:05
Speaker
So I'm guessing they don't have enough to rule them out, but they don't have enough to convict. Well, theory four, Teresa Gurleman. Now this is a strange one Maggie, so I need you to bear with me. 40 miles south of Evansdale is a small town called Bell Plain, Iowa.
00:51:32
Speaker
Just before 5 a.m. on May 4th, 2018, a Union Pacific train was cutting through the town on its route from Chicago to Nebraska when a mother, 35-year-old Teresa Grulman, jumped, pulling her eight-year-old son Henry Fields along with her in front of that oncoming train in a murder suicide. Oh my God.
00:52:01
Speaker
Now, obviously that is a horrific tragedy, but you're probably thinking, why is Alison telling me that? Yeah, well, how is this linked? Right, yeah. How is this linked to Lyric and Elizabeth? Well,
00:52:14
Speaker
After several weeks of investigation into trying to figure out why this mother would commit such an act, police were told some disturbing information. They found by interviewing friends and family that Teresa's mental state had been deteriorating rapidly recently, but what most caught their attention was a particular detail that might explain why.
00:52:43
Speaker
Teresa had been attending counseling and was on various medications to treat her mental illness. But in several of those counseling sessions, Maggie, she had noted that she felt like, quote, standing in front of a train, end quote. And then she mentioned that she had secret information about a high profile double murder case. Specifically,
00:53:11
Speaker
She said she had a six page letter written by the killers. Wow. People who she knew personally and had been acquainted with in recent years and that they provided explicit details about the murders of, according to one counselor, quote, the two girls in the woods near Evansdale, end quote.
00:53:38
Speaker
Because this counselor did come forward and friends and family were telling information as well, after a search warrant was issued, police collected anything and everything from her home that could provide a clue. According to an article by Luke Nausicaa and Lynn Ta in the Des Moines Register,
00:53:59
Speaker
Police left her home at 702 9th Avenue with four cell phones, two notebooks, two sealed envelopes, and a handwritten note. But unfortunately, police have not commented on whether anything useful was found. And with there still being no arrests, we're now left to wonder whether her death was
00:54:25
Speaker
in any way related to real threats made by those responsible for Lyric and Elizabeth's deaths. Theory number five, Delphi murders connection.
Speculations and Connections to Other Cases
00:54:40
Speaker
So there are some, and you know, I said because police were so almost secretive about the details, it's led to one of the theories. This is the theory. So there are some who wonder
00:54:55
Speaker
if the same person responsible for Lyric and Elizabeth's abduction and murder would be the very same perpetrator responsible for the murder of Libby German and Abby Williams in 2017. Many believe this theory because both cases involve two young females
00:55:17
Speaker
both take place in broad daylight. Oh, and they're like in the middle of nowhere. That's right. Both happen near trails with the bodies discovered in remote areas visited only by hunters. Some even want to argue that the secrecy of details in both cases mean that there must be a quote signature that might be similar. I hadn't thought of that. And
00:55:46
Speaker
I will admit Maggie, this kind of crime is rare. So first that a child is simply abducted by a stranger off the streets versus like pre-arranged via the inner, via the internet. Like you see on a show, like to catch a predator. Yeah.
00:56:08
Speaker
Right. So to just be picked up off the street is rare. Like, I think I read something like 1% of cases. Oh, wow. Yeah. So super rare. Next that it happens in broad daylight is incredibly bold. Like we talked about with the Amy Mahalovic case, and that's even more rare.
00:56:30
Speaker
And third, as we discussed in the case of the Millbrook twins, the taking of two victims together by someone unrelated to the victims is even more rare still. So this is like
00:56:49
Speaker
A one in a million almost or something like that. And the fact that it happened in both of these cases, so Evansdale and Delphi, that all of those things are true is odd. But to play devil's advocate, these cases take place over six hours from one another. So it's not like, you know, Evansdale and Delphi are 30 minutes away from each other.
00:57:18
Speaker
There's six hours distance and police were investigating a potential connection between the two back in 2017. So when Libby German and Abby Williams were found and they've made no official statements concerning a connection. But like really the time, like the six hour, you know, time between the locations or whatever,
00:57:49
Speaker
doesn't really necessarily roll out a connection because like some serial killers travel across country. That's true. Yeah. I'm just hoping, I don't know if you've been looking at the news and you've seen all the recent updates in the investigation and there's a new potential suspect in the Delphi murder case. Have you seen that? Yeah, I have. I've been following it. Yeah. I'm like invested.
00:58:18
Speaker
Oh, absolutely. And I'm hoping if that gentleman is responsible, that maybe we'll get more answers concerning this theory too. Even though there's still no closure, it's never too late to report a memory, no matter how small.
00:58:40
Speaker
To illustrate, six months after the bodies were discovered, Maggie, on June 24th, 2013, a witness called authorities to let them know that they remembered seeing a boxy, white, full-bodied, older model SUV, like an old Ford Bronco or Chevy Suburban, on Arbitis Avenue on July 13th. Hey, not like, I mean, that could fit, you know, like,
00:59:11
Speaker
It could be plausible right because two girls could fit in that if you're quickly trying to kidnap them. Yep. And this witness who called for them. It seemed like such a small detail like they even mentioned that like I felt like it's not even worth noting.
00:59:30
Speaker
But what that witness didn't realize was that they were actually the third independent witness to give police that exact same detail of a white SUV. The other two had seen it parked between the bike trail signs near where Lyric and Elizabeth's bikes had been abandoned.
00:59:54
Speaker
And all three of them had seen this white SUV between 1130 and 1230 that afternoon of the 13th. So authorities believe there is, quote, a high likelihood, end quote, that this vehicle is linked to the case. Heck, I mean, it makes sense. And that gives us even more details to go on. And I feel like that's the lesson. No detail is too small.
01:00:21
Speaker
So even if you think, oh, surely somebody's already reported that detail, call anyway. Yeah, because you may be one. Right. Yeah. Even if you're the 10th person to give that detail, then that's 10 independent witnesses to corroborate evidence. And that just makes it even more credible for law enforcement. Likely because there have been no answers and closure for family, friends, law enforcement, or the community.
Community Impact and Healing Efforts
01:00:50
Speaker
The effects of this case have been long-lasting. The childhoods of their siblings changed forever, as their parents no longer trusted them going to stay at a friend's house, or even riding bikes down the street without supervision. Elizabeth's parents, Drew and Heather Collins's marriage fell apart because of how differently they dealt with their pain.
01:01:14
Speaker
Lyric's mother Misty let the monster of addiction overpower her again after the disappearance. Even the community saw change. Parents and schools became more cautious about children playing even in their own backyards without supervision. The law enforcement officers still to this day keep pictures of Lyric and Elizabeth on their desks. No one has forgotten the pain.
01:01:41
Speaker
Yet while Lyric and Elizabeth's families and the town have to continue to navigate the unknown of grief, there has also been some positive changes to develop. Misty, Lyric's mother, after her relapse, moved away from Evansdale to heal and has been able to find her new normal. Drew Collins, Elizabeth's dad, received training from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to be on its team hope.
01:02:11
Speaker
a program where he can partner with other parents whose children have gone missing and help them to navigate their emotions, to not feel alone.
01:02:20
Speaker
The town now has an annual Child Safety Awareness Day, and families have learned tips to protect their children from stranger abductions, including teaching their child a code word that only you know. That way, if someone were to try to pick up your child, even an acquaintance, without knowing the code word, the child would know not to go with that person. You see, hope can and will survive despite the pain.
01:02:50
Speaker
Dan Morrissey told the Des Moines Register, quote, there's beauty in the ashes. If I let that stuff consume me with the negativity and poison in my heart, I couldn't look and gaze at the beautiful things happening in my life, end quote. Even the trail and park around Myers Lake have been renamed the Trail of Angels. And a mural of Lyric and Elizabeth has been erected to keep their case alive, to focus on growth and on rebirth.
01:03:21
Speaker
on life and not on death. There is a reward of $150,000 for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the person responsible. Cedar Valley Crime Stoppers has offered a $50,000 reward for anyone coming forward with information that simply leads to an arrest.
01:03:44
Speaker
Tips in this case should be sent to the Iowa Department of Public Safety email found at www.OurMissingIowaGirls at dps.state.ia.us or you can call the Cedar Valley Crime Stoppers at 855-300-8477.
01:04:13
Speaker
please also consider joining the Facebook group. Justice for our missing Iowa girls. Again, please like and join us on our Facebook page, Coffee and Cases podcast to continue the conversation and to see images related to this episode. As always, follow us on Instagram at Coffee Cases podcast and on TikTok at Coffee and Cases podcast, or you can always email us suggestions to Coffee and Cases podcast at gmail.com.
01:04:42
Speaker
Please tell your friends about our podcast so that more people can be reached to possibly help bring some closure to these families. Don't forget to write our show and leave us a comment as well. We hope to hear from you soon. Stay together. Stay safe. We'll see you next week.