IOWA CITY, Iowa — Hunters discovered two bodies Wednesday believed to be the young Iowa cousins who vanished five months ago while riding their bikes, authorities said.

The families of 9-year-old Elizabeth Collins and 11-yearold Lyric Cook have been notified of the discovery and are asking for privacy, Black Hawk County sheriff’s Capt. Rick Abben said. He wouldn’t say where the bodies were found or if there were suspects in the girls’ disappearance.

The cousins were last seen July 13 near a popular recreational lake in Evansdale, a city about 110 miles northeast of Des Moines.

Investigators found their bikes and a pink purse nearthe lake hours later but no sign of the girls.

“It’s definitely not the outcome that we wanted, obviously,” Abben said, appearing to fight back tears during a news conference in Evansdale.

“This is a difficult thing for us to go through. It’s a difficult thing for the community.”

He said the bodies were being sent to the state medical examiner’s office to confirm their identities.

Hundreds of volunteers helped investigators search for girls after they vanished. Days later, an FBI dive teamused specialized equipment to search the bottom of the lake for the girls but found nothing. Police later said they believed the girls had been abducted.

Authorities had asked hunters to look for the girls in the region during this fall’s deer hunting season. Abben said the bodies were discovered around 12:45 p.m. Wednesday, but he refused to say where, saying the area was still being processed as a crime scene and could not be compromised.

Abben said he hoped to release additional details today.

Front Section, Pages 4 on 12/06/2012