They've now been missing exactly two months. Eleven-year-old Lyric Cook-Morrissey and 9-year-old Elizabeth Collins were last seen riding their bikes in Evansdale, Iowa.
Kelly Jolkowski knows how their parents must be feeling as her son has been missing for 11 years. "How the safety net that we all think that nothing like this could happen to us, so this safety net has been yanked out from under them," Jolkowski said.
She hopes the girls' parents realize it is okay to feel the way they do. "This unfortunately permeates every part of your being and every action that you take," Jolkowski said. "Just a simple thing, like think of yourself going to the grocery store and looking for things on the shelf that you would normally buy and then you look and there's something that you buy for them and your heart breaks all over again."
Jolkowski says this is the way their life will be for awhile. "They can't go through the normal grieving process because they don't know what the outcome is. So they are kind of stuck in the middle of not knowing."
She says it's great that a lot of people have stepped up to help find Cook-Morrissey and Collins. Still, they haven't been seen since July 13th.
"Hope is our right until we know the truth," Jolkowski said.
A vigil was held Thursday evening at Meyers Lake in Evansville where the cousins' bikes were found. FBI officials have said they believe the girls were abducted.
Police are asking anyone who may have seen the girls in Evansdale or near the lake, particularly along three streets, Arbutus Avenue, Gilbert Drive and Elmer Avenue, to contact the police department. Officials have set up a tip line and an email for information. The tip line is 319-232-6682. The email is ourmissingiowagirls@dps.state.ia.us.
