abc's alex perez comes to us from evansdale, iowa. >> reporter: it's the mystery that's turning the tiny town of evansdale, iowa, upside down. >> the more time and things that go by, you know, more thoughts that go through your head and the worse the pit in your stomach gets. >> elizabeth collins and lyric cook vanishes after leading for a bike ride friday, seemingly without a trace. the only clue, their two bicycles, found at the edge of this local lake. that was five days ago. so far, no break in the case. hopefully we'll find something. today, even the mayor flew his own twin engine plane over the search area in hopes of spotting any evidence that could help investigators. what are you looking for with your eyes? >> just anything out of place. any colors, you know, maybe there would be some clothing or something like that. >> reporter: on the ground, six long days of frantic searching by hundreds of volunteers and police investigations have turned up nothing. and misty morrissey, mother of 10-year-old lyric cook, is losing patience. >> we are still stuck with a lack of evidence and no

alex perez tonight has a promising new clue. >> reporter: bomb squads, police k-9 unites and panic. a scene becoming all too familiar at walmart stores across the country, most having one thing in common -- a chilling robotic-sounding voice calling in a bomb threat warning the stores they have two hours to evacuate or everyone would die. >> a lot of people don't know what is going on. they were rushed out. >> reporter: from arroyo grande, california -- out west -- to secaucus, new jersey, out east and missouri and kansas in the midwest, 14 bomb threats have been called in to walmart stores since friday, the calls each triggering store evacuations and searches. walmart says they are working with investigators to provide any information that might help catch the caller. authorities believe one person is likely behind most of these threats, and they suspect that person is using a spoofing device to make the calls difficult to trace. >> until they determine who the caller 2u8ly is, they have to treat every one like they are real. >> reporter: but today, a possible break. investigators t

alex perez with the new warnings on that tonight. >> reporter: a fun-filled family day ends in tragedy. here in tennessee, a 10-year-old boy was electrocuted and killed on the fourth of july. his 11-year-old friend, nate, was rushed to the hospital but died overnight. the boys were swimming between two houseboats when they cried for help. authorities suspect a stray current from faulty wiring on one of the boats entered the water. several bystanders jumped in to help the children but also got shocked and injured by the current. small currents can be deadly, it shocks the body and causes paralysis or hurts the heart. >> the electricity at this point got into the middle of the point and when the children touched the metal ladder to get in, that's when it occurred. >> in missouri, a similar tragedy on the same day. 13-year-old alexandria and her brother braden died after being electrocuted while swimming near a private dock. >> if you suspect there's electricity in the water, should you be jumping in the water? >> absolutely not. >> boating expert allen says you should look for non-metal

alex perez, abc news, evansdale, io iowa. >>> breaking news out of los angeles.is morning that katherine jackson, may be missing. paris jackson sent a tweet pleading for help, could it be part of family feud? abc's scott goldberg has the story. >> reporter: she's the mat ree ark of the jackson clan and katherine jackson might be missing. . this morning, paris jackson is tweeting, yes, my grandmother is missing. i haven't spoken with her in a week. if anybody sees my grandmother, please call the authorities. the 82-year-old mrs. jackson reportedly left her home in california last sunday to fly to albuquerque to watch her other four sons in concert. since then, paris hasn't been able to get in touch. whatever is going on the jackson family drama has been building to a krcrescendo. his mom is suing concert promoter, aeg, for hiring dr. klein. and paris recently got into a twitter war calling randy jackson a liar. >> one thing that's there's always a rift over, how the kids should be raised. >> she made her aunt janet angry when she told ellen that she was going to b

alex perez, abc news, evansdale, iowa. >> and our thanks to los angeles. >>> we're going to turn to atory out of los angeles. concern this morning that katherine jackson, may be missing. paris jackson sent a tweet pleading for help, but could it all be part of a family feud? abc's scott goldberg has the story. >> reporter: she's the mom of king of pop and katherine jackson might be missing. this morning, paris jackson is tweeting, yes, my grandmother is missing. i haven't spoken with her in a week. i want her home now. if anybody sees my grandmother, please call the authorities. the family's security team tells abc news that this is a messing person situation. the 82-year-old mrs. jackson reportedly left her home in calabassas, california, last sunday to fly to albuquerque to watch her other four sons in concert. since then, paris says that she hasn't been able to get in touch. whatever is going on the jackson family drama has been building to a crescendo. michael's mom and siblings are wrapped in legal battles over his will. his mom is suing concert promoter, aeg, was negliengent for

leaning more towards a alex perez rm lure.ter: a frightening boom and orange glow of raging flames visible as far as ten miles away. it was 2:00 a.m., sean wall had come home after working the late shift. he grabbed his phone and started recording. what did it feel like on your skin? >> it felt like standing next to a bonfire. standing next to it i mean putting your hand right there next to the heat and your skin is starting to tingle and feel as much pain as it could. >> reporter: it all happened after 11 cars of a massive freight train derailed outside columbus. three tankers carrying some 90,000 gallons of ethanol exploded. authorities rushed door to door evacuating 100 nearby homes. >> i thought it was maybe one of the electrical lines or something. when i went outside it was just this big ball of fire. >> reporter: luckily there were no major injuries. the ntsb now has a team of investigators on the ground. >> we are gathering details at this time. >> reporter: across the country there are more than 140,000 miles of freig

alex perez, abc news, evansdale, iowa. >> and our thanks to alex. >>> we're going to turn to a breakings angeles. there's concern this morning that katherine jackson, the 82-year-old matriarch of the famous jackson music family may be missing. paris jackson sent a tweet pleading for help, but could it all be part of a family feud? abc's scott goldberg has the story. >> reporter: she's the matriarch of the jackson clan, the mom of the kingpop and katherine jackson might be missing. this morning, michael's daughter paris is tweeting, yes shgs my grandmother is missing. i haven't spoken with her in a week. i want her home now. and if anybody sees my grandmother, please call the authorities. the family's security team tells abc news this is a missing person situation. the 82-year-old mrs. jackson reportedly left her home in calabassas, california, last sunday to fly to albuquerque to watch her other four sons in concert. but since then paris says she hasn't been able to get in touch, which is strange because she and her siblings have been living with their grandmother since their dad died t

alex perez, abc news, evansdale, iowa. >>> they're now offering a $50,000 reward to anybody who can givehem information leading to these girls being found alive. >> glimmer of hope there they could still be alive. great to hear. >>> coming up next, we are returning to our top story, of course, the movie theater tragedy in aurora, colorado. >> and each of the 12 victims killed there leaves a legacy. you are watching "world news now." >> announcer: abc's "world news now" will continue after this from our abc stations. >> announcer: abc's "world news now" will continue after thi >>> welcome back, everybody. we are learning a lot m >>> welcome back, everybody. we are learning a lot more about the 12 people killed in the shooting in colorado. >> they were from all walks of life. many as you mentioned young, young people. the youngest just 6 years old. abc has more. >> reporter: there are so many faces, stories, lives lost because they went to see a movie. the oldest, 51-year-old gordon cowden, a real estate appraiser who took his kids. they escaped. the youngest victim, 6 years old. veronica

alex perez, abc news, manhattan, illinois. >> i don't think anyone thought that that would be sort ofal role corn plays in our, economy there too. the farmer has got to be a tough life, to go through the severe weather patches here. so, so many thoughts and prayers with the farmers here. like you said, as the piece pointed out the ripple effects could be all over the supermarket in a few weeks. >> hitting us. >> exactly. at a time when no one can afford all that extra stuff. >> survivors are describing chaos on board a crowded yacht that cap sided off long island, new york killing three children. 27 people packed on the boat to watch fireworks wednesday night. the man piloting the 34-foot boat says lightning cracked and then the boat was slammed by a wave. the three children, two of them cousins were trapped in the cabin as the yacht sank. >> fire has hit the historic hershey park arena on the grounds of the theme park. the workers were putting a roof on when the three alarm fire broke out, the building where wilt chamberlain set an nba record scoring 100 points for the philadelphia w

abc's alex perez takes us to ts. >> jesus [ bleep ]. >> reporter: a frightening boom. an orange glow of raging flames visible as far as ten miles away. it was 2:00 a.m., and shawn wall had just come home after working the late shift. he grabbed his phone and started recording. what did it feel like on your skin? >> it felt like standing next to a bonfire, like, what i mean, i mean, like, putting your hands, like, right there next to the heat and your skin is starting to tingle and feel as much pain as it could. >> reporter: it all happened after 11 cars of a massive freight train derailed outside columbus. three tankers, carrying some 90,000 gallons of ethanol exploded. authorities rushed door to door evacuating 100 nearby homes. >> i thought it was maybe an electrical line. when i went outside, it was just this big ball of fire. >> reporter: luckily, there were no major injuries. the ntsb now has a team of investigators on the ground. >> we're gatt gathering details at this time. >> reporter: across the country there are more than 140,000 miles of freight track cross

abc's alex perez here. >> causing the earth to crumble on the road ways and on the farm where bone dry soil is creating major problems if for farmers across the corn belt state. >> we're at such a critical point in this corn plant's life now, it could be the beginning of the end. >> reporter: in manhattan, illinois, farmer dave is a fourth generation corn farmer, they're praying for rain. some plants are almost two feet shorter than they should be at this point in the season. and the next two weeks are critical. corn plants begin the pollination period. without the right amount of moisture, his corn crop could be lost. >> if the heat and dry weather continue, all these kernels will just die. >> reporter: it was supposed to be the best corn harvest in decades. but now farmers are fearing a repeat of the 1988 drought which wiped out millions of acres of corn and billions in crop damage, one of the worst in recent memory since the dust boll of the 190s. consumers could end feeling the pinch in the pocketbook. as much as 75% of the products in your grocery store use corn as a key ingreed y

and speaking of chicago, our alex perez is there to talk about once more just how long this area has en in this kind of heat. good morning, alex. >> reporter: sam, good morning to you. yesterday was the fifth-hottest day ever recorded in chicago. we got to 103 degrees. the previous record was 102 degrees set back in 1911. if we make it to 100 degrees today, it would be the third-straight day in a row that we had triple-digit temperatures. and that hasn't happened since 1947. so, of course, officials are taking all of this very, very seriously. they say they are checking on the elderly and those that might need the most help. so far, there are two deaths that have been linked to the heat here in chicago. but the good news is, there is relief in sight for many parts of the midwest. the high by sunday should be in the mid-80s. amy? >> good news indeed. alex perez, thank you. >>> let's turn to weekend anchor, dan harris, for the other top developing stories this morning. dan, good morning. >> hey, guy, good morning to both of you. turns out our long run of dropping gas prices may be comin

here's abc's alex perez with more. >> reporter: nine days after elizabeth collins and lara cook vanishedes make a stunning anouncment. >> we believe these girls are alive. >> reporter: investigators would not elaborate why they believe the girls are alive but say they're hopeful. >> we are not discouraged by the passage of time since their disappearance. >> reporter: the case has been reclassified as an abduction and authorities say they're pursuing persons of interest. after initially cooperating with police, the parents, misty and dan say they're taking legal advice and will no long ear lou police to interrogate them. >> law enforcement has not received total cooperation from all family and close friends. we feel there is someone out there that has pertinent information about the girls' whereabouts. >> reporter: misty and dan, who are separated have both been convicted of felony drug charges and spent time behind bars. dan out on bond awaiting trial on a recent drug charge. prosecutors have asked he be put on pretrial court supervision. could something in their past have caused this? >

again tonight alex perez on the front line. >> these fire trucks are here and fires everywhere. oh, my god, i need to get going. >> reporter: it was a frantic escape all captured on video. >> ashes coming in my window. oh, my god. >> reporter: that's the voice of nicole frye, 1 of some 32,000 residents forced to flee the colorado springs wildfire. >> i'm leaving my house for probably the last time. >> reporter: those words are proving to be prophetic, nicole later learning her home was destroyed. nearly 350 homes were leveled by the fire. two people are dead and at least 10 others reported missing. from the fire line another threat, winds carrying embers up to half a mile away landing on homes igniting mini fires. those homes with wooden roofs their exposed wood trimming didn't stand a chance. colorado springs has been fighting this fight long before this summer's first spark. for years the city has been urging owners to thin out nearby brush around the home and replace 55,000 wooden shake shingle roofs with fireproof material. this is a brand-new roof. what's the difference bet

here's alex perez. >>reporter: the blistering heat buckle the pavement. causing the earth to crumble on the roadway and on the farm. where bone dry soil is creating major problems for farmer across the corn belt state. >> we are at such a critical point in the plant life now it could be the beginning of the end. >>reporter: in manhattan arranges illinois where farmer dave castle is a fourth generation corn farmer they pray for rain. some twrol feet short than they should be in the season and the next 2 weeks are critical. corn plant begin pollenation period. without the right amount of moisture the corn crop could be lost. >> if the heat dry weather continue can't pull enough moisture out of the ground and all the colonels will just die. >>reporter: it was supposed to be the best corn harvest in decades but now farm remembers fearing a repeat of the 1988 drought which wiped out millions of acre of corn and billions in crop damage. one of the worst in recent memory says the dust bowl of the 1930 1930s. experts say consumer could end up feeling the pinch in

abc's alex perez is evansdale with the latest. good morning, alex. >> reporter: good morning, robin. authorities continue the process of draining this lake in hopes of find any signs of the girls. we learned that blood hounds picked up their scent in this area. they're staying busy helps to stay busy. >> we spend in the woods, getting dirty, sweaty, scratched up. >> reporter: the girls vanished after leaving for a bike ride about noon on friday. they were reported missing just before 3:00. for the first time, we're hearing from someone who saw them during that short window of time. >> they came riding by on their bikes, said hi, and that's the latest thing that i heard from them. >> he was watering his lawn when the girls rode by his home. at the lake, where their bikes were recovered. >> to see them and not to see them again. >> reporter: the lack of solid police leads has many police in this tight-knit town hugging their children and frantic for answers. >> we have nothing to go on. they're just gone. >> reporter: the agony isn't

abc's alex perez is evansdale with the latest. good morning, alex. >> reporter: good morning, robin. authorities continue the process of draining this lake in hopes of finding any sign of the girls. we learned that blood hounds picked up their scent in this area. the parents, at this point, believe someone abducted them. for misty and daniel morrissey, staying busy, helps them stay strong. desperately searching for their 10-year-old daughter, lyric cook, and her 8-year-old cousin, elizabeth collins. >> we've been in the woods, getting dirty, sweaty, scratched up. >> reporter: the girls vanished after leaving for a bike ride about noon on friday. they were reported missing just before 3:00. for the first time, we're hearing from someone who saw them during that short window of time. >> they came riding by on their bikes, said hi, and that's the last thing that, i heard from them. >> reporter: robert carpenter was watering his lawn when the girls rode by his home, just a few blocks away from meyers lake where their bikes were later r

abc's alex perez has the latest from iowa. good morning, alex. >> reporter: good morning, robin. girls are not in this lake. they're hoping someone at the lake the day day disappeared may have the answers they need. ten days into the hunt to find 8-year-old elizabeth collins and her 10-year-old cousin, lyric cook, authorities are pleading with the public. >> we're urging anyone with information to come forward. any information, as insignificant as it may seem, could be vital. >> reporter: the girls' bikes were found on a trail near the lake. >> don't assume we know what you know. >> reporter: over the weekend, a glimmer of hope, after authorities make a stunning announcement. >> we believe these girls are alive. we're not discouraged by the passage of time since their disappearance. >> reporter: investigators, also for the first time, say they're pursuing persons of interest in the case. after initially cooperating, and taking polygraph tests, lyric's family says they're seeking legal advice. they've both been convicted of felony charges and have served time behind bars. could so

alex perez is in chicago, with the excessive heat warnings today. and also looking at basically -- they're headed into the warmest summer ever, alex. >> reporter: sam, authorities here are investigating one death that is possible heat-related. part of the problem, even in the overnight temperatures -- even in the overnight hours, the temperature is not dropping much. chicago and the entire midwest, marking the mid week holiday with a stifliing sizzle. 102 degrees in the windy city wednesday, tying a record high set back in 1911. the heat buckling the pavement at this intersection. >> i wish i could be inside air conditioner, but i'm not, i'm just drinking water, trying to make a living. >> reporter: even though that drive, the people at the beach here in chicago weren't getting relief. check out the sand. red-hot. 145 degrees. what does it feel like to walk on that sand? >> scorching. third-degree burns. third degree. >> reporter: this tortilla sitting on the grill, is only 128 degrees. almost a full 20 degrees cooler than the sand. emergency crews s

alex perez is in iowa. >> reporter: good morning, george, we learned authorities seized and searched misty morrissey's car. she's again cooperating. after saying she would no longer answer investigators questions, missy morrissey has now submitted to a second polygraph test. morrissey said she told investigators she had nothing to do with her daughter's disappearance. police are not commenting. >> we are getting the cooperation we're asking for so it's getting better. >> reporter: it's been 11 days since morrissey's 10-year-old daughter, lyric cook, and her 8-year-old cousin, elizabeth, vanished. misty's dad has stopped answering questions. misty and dan both have served time behind bars. the girls disappeared after leaving for a bike ride about noon. the girls' bicycles were recovered on a trail near this small lake about four hours after they were reported missing. police want to speak with a possible witness, a person on the lake in a paddleboat. about the time the girls disappeared. >> we have reason to believe they're alive. i can't go into that because it could impede the inves

. >> reporter: for "good morning america," alex perez, abc news, chicago. >> certainly thinking of lynn family this morning. >>> now, to tom cruise, back at work after reaching that speedy divorce settlement with katie holmes. the star getting plenty of support from the cast and crew on the set of his new movie, out there in california. abc's amy robach is back with much more. >> reporter: katie holmes is an access known premarilee for her role on "dawson's creek." until she married tom cruise. but now that she divorced cruise, her star may rise even higher. as katie holmes and tom cruise have put their marriage behind them, both of them are moving on. cruise returns to his sci-fi movie "oblivion" on tuesday. throwing himself into his work. even being embraced by cast and crew members. >> tom returned to the set. >> reporter: industry insiders says holmes professional image is skyrocketing. many predict her fashion ventures to be a huge success. her line is set to debut at fashion week this november. and she may be on "project runway." >> katie's career is on the upswing now. she doesn'

abc's alex perez has the latest. >> it lasts only seconds and to some may look like a blur.y, one bicycle crosses the top of the frame shortly thereafter a second bicycle. this video obtained by abc news is one of the last times 8-year-old elisabeth collins and cousin lyric cook were seen. >> it looked grainy to me. zoom, they were by the thing. so it's hard to make much out on the thing. >> not much, but investigators saying they're now analyzing the video for any clues. >> the girls were less than a block from the house when this camera captured them riding by. important to note they were riding away from meyers lake. both of the bicycles were recovered are near the leek on friday. they haven't been seen since. the surveillance camera belongs to the local auction house. with few clue, the manager thought to look for the video and turn it over to the fbi. >> anything we can do to help. we want to see them come back safe, alive. >> reporter: the video matches the police time line. investigators say the girls left home to ride their bikes shortly after 12:00 noon. the camera'

alex perez is in evansdale, iowa. >> reporter: authorities searched this five-acre lake over the weekend and found nothing. but to be 100% sure, they started the process of draining the lake. and devastated parents say they're not losing hope. they are living every parents' nightmare. their 8-year-old daughter, elizabeth, and 10-year-old cousin, lyric cook, have been missing since friday. as a dad, how tough is it to watch all this and not have any answers? >> it's indescribable. at night, every day, i have hope. and then, when it gets dark, it's hard. >> reporter: the girls went for a bike ride about noon friday. they never returned. just before 3:00 p.m., elizabeth's mother reported them missing. >> i just had a gut feeling. i mean, my daughter would not believe that long. >> reporter: the girls' bicycles were recovered on a trail behind this small lake about a mile from their home. authorities say there was no indication of a struggle where the bikes were found. about 1,000 volunteers scoured a 12-square-mile area of this tiny town. even dredged the lake. brad garrett believes that si

alex perez is in evansville with t the latest. >> reporter: draining the lake is taking longer than expeblgtede investigation now about a week old, we're learning more about one girl's parents. as police desperately comb for clues in the mysterious disappearance of 8-year-old elizabeth collins and her 10-year-old cousin, lyric cook. her parents have criminal records. her dad says investigators are making him feel like a suspect. >> you're telling the truth. they say you're holding something back. you're not. >> we expect the cooperation of everyone. >> reporter: lyric's mom, misty, separated from dan, says family members are cooperating. >> we've done extensive interviews. hours at a time. we have done polygraph. taken many phone calls. answered many questions. >> reporter: misty was released from federal prison on may 30th after being convicted of nine crimes, including illegal drug use. >> what comes into question is how does that play into what is currently going on in their lives? does it have a relationship to the two missing girls? >> reporter: it's been six days since the girls vanished