Sheriff: Bodies Linked to Evansdale Search Were Found in Bremer County Park

The Associated Press is reporting the Bremer County Sheriff said the two bodies found by hunters Wednesday and linked to the case of two missing girls from Evansdale were found in Bremer County.

The Associated Press said Bremer County Sheriff Dewey Hildebrandt said the bodies were found in Seven Bridges Wildlife Area, a secluded park along the Wapsipinicon River. The park is about 25 miles from where Lyric Cook-Morrissey and Elizabeth Collins disappeared over four months ago.

went missing on July 13 near Meyers Lake in what authorities have described as an abduction.

Their grandmother last saw the girls riding their bikes shortly after noon, and a firefighter found their bikes along a recreational trail nearby the same day.

At a press conference Wednesday, Capt. Rick Abben of the Black Hawk County Sheriff's Department declined to say where the bodies had been discovered, saying he wanted the crime scene to remain pristine.

He also stopped short of confirming the bodies' identities as those of the missing girls. However, Heather Collins, the mother of Elizabeth Collins, said on Facebook the girls had died.

Another news conference has been scheduled for Thursday at 4 p.m. at the Evansdale Police Station.

More coverage:

Bodies Discovered by Hunters May be Linked to Missing Evansdale Girls

Mother Confirms Missing Evansdale Girls Have Died