FBI Believes Missing Iowa Girls Are Still Alive

(The Blaze/AP) The FBI told the Associated Press Saturday that authorities have information that leads them to believe two missing Iowa cousins are still alive.

FBI spokeswoman Sandy Breault told AP that authorities "feel strongly" that 10-year-old Lyric Cook-Morrissey and 8-year-old Elizabeth Collins, who have been missing since July 13, have not been killed. She refused to say what led authorities to that conclusion, but urged anyone with information about their disappearance to contact law enforcement.

"We believe these girls are alive, and we are not discouraged by the passage of time since their disappearance," Breault said. "We are urging anyone with information to come forward. Any information, as insignificant as it may seem, could be vital to this investigation."

The FBI believes the girls were abducted while on a bike ride together last week near Evansdale, Iowa. Breault said investigators are interviewing multiple "persons of interest" in the case, whom she declined to identify. She said authorities are still receiving tips on the case, mostly from within the area.

In nearby Waterloo Saturday about 165 people participated in a 3-mile run/walk to benefit the girls' families, the Waterloo Courier reported. ABC News reports on the investigation:

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