Investigators Grieve With Families, Community as 1-Year Anniversary of Evansdale Abduction Approaches

Statement from Evansdale Police Chief Kent Smock on the upcoming one-year anniversary of the July 13, 2012, abduction of Evansdale cousins Lyric Cook-Morrissey, 10, and Elizabeth Collins, 8. The girls' bodies were found Dec. 5, and the search for their killer is ongoing:

As we approach the one-year anniversary of the abduction and murder of Elizabeth Collins and Lyric Cook-Morrissey, we grieve with the families and our community over the tragic loss of these two girls.

As law enforcement, we want to reassure the community that we are continuing to aggressively investigate this incident, reviewing thousands of leads and reports that have come in over the past year and follow-up on information as it is discovered. This case remains a very active investigation by law enforcement.

At this time, there is no new information to release to the public. The case is very complex, and investigators from local, state and federal law enforcement agencies are very involved in pursuing the leads that have come in or been discovered throughout the investigation.

While we regret we cannot release more to the public, in the interest of justice and to preserve the integrity of the investigation, much of what is known must remain confidential.

We continue to ask the public to call in with any specific information they may have about this case.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Tip Line at 319-232-6682 or Cedar Valley Crime Stoppers (1-855-300-TIPS) or email ourmissingiowagirls@dps.state.ia.us.

A reward of over $150,000 through Cedar Valley Crime Stoppers and the FBI remains available for information in this case.