(Newser)
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Cousins Elizabeth Collins, 8, and Lyric Cook, 10, said goodbye to their grandmother and set off on bicycles for an Iowa lake Friday afternoon, and they haven't been seen since. More than 900 volunteers had joined search efforts by yesterday, CNN reports, but after finding no trace of the girls, authorities have suspended the volunteer effort. "It's like they vanished," an official says. "There's just nothing."
The girls' bikes were found near the lake hours after they were reported missing, but authorities have found no sign of foul play, nor any hint of domestic issues. A purse and cell phone belonging to Collins were also found near the bikes, the AP adds. An aunt notes that the area is full of "brush" and "somebody could have pulled up—maybe had been watching them for a little bit of time." Says Elizabeth's mother: "Positive thinking is all we have right now and our faith that God will bring them back."
