Governor to Meet with Parents of Missing or Murdered Children:

Governor to Meet with Parents of Missing or Murdered Children

By Mike Wiser, Reporter

Heather Collins, left, Drew Collins, center, both of Evansdale, and Heather's mother Wylma Cook, right, of Waterloo, light their candles before moving around the circle to light others' during a prayer vigil held at Countryside Vineyard Church in marking two months since the abduction of the Collins' daughter Elizabeth Collins, 9, and her cousin Lyric Cook-Morrissey, 10, of Waterloo,in Evansdale, Iowa on Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012. (DAWN J. SAGERT / Courier Staff Photographer)

DES MOINES, Iowa - Gov. Terry Branstad will meet with parents of three missing or killed Iowa children and a state senator pushing to reinstate the death penalty next week.

Officials in the governor’s office confirmed Branstad will host a meeting at 11 a.m. Monday with Drew Collins, Addonis Hill, Noreen Gosch and Republican state Sen. Kent Sorenson of Milo.

Collins is the father of Elizabeth Collins, an Evansdale girl whose body was discovered in a wooded area in rural Bremer County last week along with the body of her cousin Lyric Cook-Morrissey. Elizabeth was 8 and Lyric was 10 when they went for a bike ride in July and didn’t return.

Hill is the father of Donnisha Hill who was kidnapped and murdered in Waterloo in 2006, and Gosch is the mother of Johnny Gosch, a boy from West Des Moines who has been missing since 1982.

Sorenson said he will introduce legislation to reinstate the death penalty in Iowa during the legislative session that begins Jan. 14.
Earlier this week, Branstad said he supports reinstatement of the death penalty in certain circumstances, although he said it wasn’t a legislative priority of his because he doubted it would get support in the General Assembly.

Iowa abolished the death penalty in 1965. According to the advocacy group Iowans Against the Death Penalty, legislation to reinstate the death penalty has been introduced at least six times since then. 

Trinity Mount Ministries Website:

Join Trinity Mount Ministries on Twitter:

Branstad: Policies on missing kids should be reviewed:

Branstad: Policies on missing kids should be reviewed

A state trooper on Thursday mans a checkpoint by the Seven Bridges Wildlife Area in Bremer County, Iowa, near where two bodies were found Wednesday. Officials are investigating whether the remains are those of two missing cousins. 

 ROD BOSHART Journal Des Moines Bureau

(0) Comments

Sheriff: 2 bodies were found in Iowa wildlife area

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A sheriff says hunters discovered the bodies believed to be two missing cousins in a secluded wildlife area about 25 mi… Read more

Mother confirms bodies are those of missing Evansdale girls

EVANSDALE, Iowa — The mother and aunt of two young girls missing from Evansdale since July 13 has confirmed in a Facebook post the two bodies … Read more

Hearing for mother of missing Iowa cousin canceled

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa | A hearing for the mother of one of the missing cousins that had been slated for Wednesday morning has been canceled, appa… Read more

Related Links

• Click here for more about the Evansdale, Iowa, case

DES MOINES | Gov. Terry Branstad on Thursday said state officials will review policies on missing children in light of news that two bodies were found in a wooded area of Evansdale, Iowa, on Wednesday. An autopsy will determine whether the remains are those of two missing cousins.

"It's a tragic situation," said Branstad, whose office held off issuing a public statement pending official identification by the state medical examiner.

He said state Division of Criminal Investigation agents will take evidence from the autopsies "to determine what clues there might be as to who may have committed this heinous crime. We have confidence that they have the ability and we want to make sure that they have the tools they need to do a thorough investigation and continue to try to apprehend the perpetrators."

Elizabeth Collins, 9, Lyric Cook-Morrissey, 11, have been missing since July.

The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that Heather Collins, the mother of Elizabeth, confirmed in a Facebook post late Wednesday that the bodies are those of the missing girls.

"We have been so blessed by ... all the prayers and support tonight with the gut wrenching news that my beautiful daughter and niece's bodies were found by hunters today," Heather Collins wrote.

Officials are planning a 4 p.m. press conference to announce the autopsy results.

Branstad during a Thursday news conference commended the efforts of local and state authorities, the community, the families and volunteers that worked to find the missing girls. He said he last spoke to family members of the missing girls at the Iowa State Fair last summer.

Branstad said legislative efforts to respond to missing child reports date to the disappearance of West Des Moines newspaper carrier Johnny Gosch in the 1980s and there have been numerous updates since then. However, he said, it would be appropriate again to look at "what we've done, what could be done differently and what could be done better" to strengthen protections and response efforts when children are kidnapped or abducted.

"We need to recognize a lot of times a missing child is not kidnapped, but there are times like this when the child is a victim of kidnapping and we need to move very quickly and we need to make sure the public is aware and we can get information from whatever source can be helpful," he said. "We'll review our laws and see if there's more that we can do to be as effective as possible."

Trinity Mount Family Website:

Join Trinity Mount Family on Twitter: