Police Flooded With Tips on Missing Girls

A poster with photos of Lyric Cook-Morrissey, 10, and Elizabeth Collins, 8, who disappeared in Evansdale last Friday, adorn a utility pole across from the entrance to Meyers Lake in Evansdale, Iowa, Monday, July 16, 2012. Their bikes were found Friday afternoon near a bike trail at the edge of Meyers Lake in Evansdale. (AP Photo/Waterloo Courier, Brandon Pollock)

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By Belinda Yeung

Story Created: Aug 6, 2012 at 4:28 AM CDT

Story Updated: Aug 6, 2012 at 10:58 AM CDT

EVANSDALE, Iowa (AP) — The high-profile case of two missing Iowa cousins inspired a flood of tips to law enforcement while the girls remain unaccounted for.

The Des Moines Register reports law enforcement agencies encourage the tips because they could prove valuable, but many of the tips received so far have been vague.

Ten-year-old Lyric Cook and 9-year-old Elizabeth Collins have been missing since July 13. They were last seen riding their bikes in Evansdale.

Cedar Rapids Sgt. Cristy Hamblin says some of the tips seem frivolous if they lack detail because there's little for officers to follow up on.

After the FBI asked for tips about a man driving a white van, Cedar Rapids police were receiving more than 40 tips a day about white vans in someone's neighborhood.