News & Views

It's been a week since young Iowa cousins Lyric Cook Morrissey and Elizabeth Collins went for a bike ride and never came back. The mystery surrounding their disappearance is as creepy for parents as it is heartwrenching. But the more we learn about the missing girls' parents, the creepier they sound.

Rumors are that cops are treating Lyric's dad, Dan Morrissey, like a suspect. Morrissey allegedly stormed out of an interview with police because he felt they were treating him like he was responsible for the girls' disappearance. But when you get a load of his rap sheet, not to mention the tangles with the law that wife Misty and even Elizabeth's dad, Drew Collins, have in their past, you get a clearer picture of why cops in Evansdale, Iowa, are proceeding with this case the way they have.

No one is exactly "innocent" here ....

These people's pasts have come back to haunt them as the search for their daughters goes into its second week, and that's their own fault. 

According to the cops, Dan Morrissey has three drug convictions under his belt, including possession of marijuana and ingredients used to make methamphetamine. He's set to go to trial at some point on charges of domestic abuse causing bodily injury.

Then there's Misty Cook, Lyric's mom and Elizabeth's aunt (the girls' mothers are sisters). She just got out of a federal prison in late May, after being convicted of nine crimes, including illegal drug use, association with persons involved in criminal activity, excessive alcohol use, and failure to comply with drug testing. Several years ago, Misty was convicted of manufacturing methamphetamine, and before that, there were convictions for making a false report to the cops and driving with an open container.

And we're just getting started! The Morrisseys have plenty more on their list, and Elizabeth's father, Drew, has a fifth-degree theft conviction on his record. Any surprise the family has hired an attorney? Any surprise the cops are suspicious? Would you believe anything these people have to say? It's definitely put a new light on the entire investigation.

Of course, being a criminal doesn't mean you were involved in the disappearance of your child. There are thousands, hundreds of thousands even, people who committed crimes that put them in prison, but who would never hurt their kids. There's something about a child that can turn even the hardest heart to fluff.

So one of these parents may be involved in Lyric and Elizabeth's disappearance. Or maybe -- hopefully -- none are involved. Either way, the parents' pasts should be weighed carefully so they don't overshadow the real focus here: finding the missing cousins. These kids aren't to blame for what their parents of done ... and they still need our help. That part hasn't changed.

Are you surprised to hear what the girls' parents were involved with? How does it make you look at the entire missing persons case?

Image via Black Hawk County Sheriff's