Found Deceased IA - Mollie Tibbetts, 20, Poweshiek County, 19 Jul 2018 #13

[Consultant]

The 3rd interview is a bit misleading since the second time they were there just 5-10 minutes, basically just to tell him they would be back on Sunday.

They did search the cornfields row by row.

It was reported that A red shirt was found, but it is not known whether or not it is Mollie's red shirt or if she even had a third red shirt. Her mother has accounted for two of them.

The first thing that pops into mind

I think they want to speak to WC again because he seems like the obvious suspect. But maybe too obvious in my opinion.. like the person in a movie that they want you to believe did it but in actuality, had nothing to do with it. I have a feeling it’s someone she knew/was close to..I don’t know why, just something I’ve felt since I started following the case.

LE would open themselves up to major lawsuit for disrupting someone’s life without probable cause, especially on such a high profile case. They are there and speaking to WC because they have reason to do so.

 

[Rocco]

They let the real killer go even though he had the profile.

Dan got teacher of year at his school and he was town treasurer so not sure how much he lost

He stated that some parents no longer wanted their children around him as a music teacher after the ongoing allegations. He lost his reputation. That's a lot. If he wins anything in his 2 million dollar lawsuit, it won't be enough.

 

[SharonNeedles]

I've seen it stated as fact a hundred times here that the fitbit 'pinged' near WC's place. Is this an actual fact or just speculation?

Fitbits don't ping, so draw your own conclusions.

 

[PommyMommy]

Yes, if someone has a MSM report that says that the Fitbit 'pinged' (which it doesn't) at all, I'd love to read it.

Believe it or not, there was an article that said that, but I can't find it now. It may have been revised to read "data from her FitBit." I didn't put any stock into the "ping" report and didn't save it.

 

[ptandj]

Where did people get and why do people still have the idea that they did not search the corn fields nearby row by row?

Volunteer crews began searching corn fields, barns, dirt roads and drainages in the area for her last Thursday, after Mr Jack reported that she had not responded to his Snapchat message.

Source: Fitbit data scanned for missing US jogger

Investigators have been combing through cornfields but they are incredibly thick.

Source: Search for Missing Iowa Woman Mollie Tibbetts Expands to Cornfields

Hundreds of volunteers have searched for Mollie, coming through cornfields and places they think she might be.

Source: How does law enforcement handle missing persons cases?

"Law enforcement will also be repeating the neighborhood canvas near Mollie’s home, jogging, and work routes. The entire community was taking part in the ground search over the last two days, so many neighbors were not at their homes at the time of the first neighborhood canvas," wrote Heaston, Tibbetts' cousin.

<snip>

Poweshiek County Sheriff Tom Kriegel "is confident that every home in Brooklyn has been visited. Every farm building, barn and shed in the area has been searched," Heaston wrote.

Source: New clues sought as search continues for UI student in Poweshiek County

Crews focused search efforts Friday on the fields between Tibbetts’ house and where she was staying when she disappeared. Crews also tried searching with helicopters, but low cloud cover prevented them from getting the aircraft up, a spokesperson for the Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Office said.

Source: http://www.kcrg.com/content/news/Se...ing-University-of-Iowa-student-488808761.html

There's also a photo in this article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ward-information-missing-Mollie-Tibbetts.html

Obviously they haven't searched every single row of corn or even every single field, nor have they been able to see every single area due to the problems mentioned in the articles, but they HAVE searched extensively and they continue to search.

 

[jashrema]

The 3rd interview is a bit misleading since the second time they were there just 5-10 minutes, basically just to tell him they would be back on Sunday.

They did search the cornfields row by row.

It was reported that A red shirt was found, but it is not known whether or not it is Mollie's red shirt or if she even had a third red shirt. Her mother has accounted for two of them.

That's what I'm asking..it was reported, but so has a lot of misinformation. Has LE confirmed it? Also, I'm talking about a row by row search of a much wider radius.

 

[Nemellotus]

After looking at WC’s recorded interview over and over IMO I don’t see or feel really any involvement. His willingness to let LE search anything and everything on his property, including cell phone... providing a secluded off property interview...interrogation I really in MO think he did not have any involvement. He seems a little challenged and may have some disability but we can’t assume anything. Was it really a “ping” from Fitbit? We don’t know. LE hasn’t said anything firm on this correct? Can someone confirm this?

 

[NewYork625]

Because it's absolutely true. I'm seeing a lot of mischaracterization here about the relationships between rural communities, and as a local to this area I'm telling you that's just not how it is. Brooklyn is four miles north then west from the I-80 exit at Hwy 21. WC lives between Guernsey and Deep River about 10 miles south of I-80 along Hwy 21. A fact of life living in these rural communities is that quite often we need to go to larger communities - Brooklyn is not one of those larger communities. And in fact, Brooklyn is primarily tied to Grinnell while rural people in WC's vicinity are dependent on Montezuma.

I seriously lived in this area for over 10 years without ever venturing into Brooklyn and that was only because a guy I work with lives there hosted our Fantasy Football draft. There's nothing there and no reason for WC to have any ties to that community.

Does the same apply in regards to where people in WC's vicinity choose to go for medical care? Or might they choose to go to Grinnell for that since there's a regional medical center there?

 

[PaulR]

This case is basically impossible to discuss on this site due to the complete lack of factual information being released. I've got 3 different suspects/theories in mind but can't discuss them in any useful manner due to these restrictions.

I don't see how you can have 3 different viable suspects if there is a complete lack of factual information. Any one of those unreleased facts could completely change your suspects, right?

 

[another-amateur]

I've seen it stated as fact a hundred times here that the fitbit 'pinged' near WC's place. Is this an actual fact or just speculation?

Fitbit's don't ping.

In order to get any location data from fitbit, a number of things have to happen :
1) You have to link the fitbit to your phone to enable "connected GPS", this then uses the GPS chip within your smartphone to record location information.
2) You have to start the fitbit app on your smartphone
3) You begin your run, the fitbit will start recording your location but only on the fitbit device.
4) The fitbit has to be synced either with a smartphone or PC. In order for this to occur the smartphone or PC "MUST", have an internet connection (either wifi or cellphone).

So the data really only exists either on the fitbit device or fitbit's servers, the synced device is just a device in the middle to pass the data to the servers.

Note, the data doesn't get uploaded to fitbit servers continuously, fitbit's site is a bit elusive about how often syncing occurs, it states if you sync with a PC it's roughly every 15-30 minutes, on a smartphone it says periodically throughout the day.

What this means is when LE ask fitbit for the data, it's only up to the point of the last sync. If you had wifi turned off on the phone (to save battery), and your cellnet coverage was poor at home, it could be a long time before the data was synced, after returning from a run. Typically I would return home, have a shower, grab a drink and then sync and see how bad my run was....

Having said all that, GPS data can be very useful :
you can look at previous routes to see if you always run a similar route
you can check interval times (e.g. how long it takes to run 1KM), and from my own experience if you run at a fairly consistent pace, you can spot if you have to wait 5-10 seconds to cross a road, or 10-30 seconds to stop and re-tie a shoe lace. If you stopped to have a short chat with someone this would clearly show up.

Finally, the GPS data is usually accurate enough not only to see which side of the road you run, but sometimes even what side of the pavement (sidewalk), and if you suddenly veered off course to cross the road, this would be highly visible if you zoom in on the map.

So, if they have the data from the last run it would be very useful, but even without it, it could prove useful for establishing patterns and other anomalies....

 

[PommyMommy]

That's what I'm asking..it was reported, but so has a lot of misinformation. Has LE confirmed it? Also, I'm talking about a row by row search of a much wider radius.

LE has not confirmed it. The clothing was spotted by someone out mowing grass but Kevin Winkler of the Iowa Department of Public Safety told a press conference Friday he had ‘no information’ to confirm that anything belonging to Mollie had been found. Mother of missing Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts says she does not believe she returned home | Daily Mail Online

I know that cornfields were searched row-by-row, but nothing about radius.

 

[bronk4]

Another slim possibility is that she was hit by a drunk driver and her body is either in tall grass or a corn field making it hard to find...

Have they had search dogs in the area?

We had a similar accident happen here in SD, where a woman was running on a gravel road and got hit...
UPDATE: Suspect admits to drinking before fatal hit-and-run near Worthing

but in your link they found the body the next day?
would they not retrace Mollies route to see if her body was near it?

 

[Marklhc1988]

I think they want to speak to WC again because he seems like the obvious suspect. But maybe too obvious in my opinion.. like the person in a movie that they want you to believe did it but in actuality, had nothing to do with it. I have a feeling it’s someone she knew/was close to..I don’t know why, just something I’ve felt since I started following the case.

I am thinking that MT's phone and or Fitbit last pinged around WC and that's why the interest in his area. Maybe not him but wanting to know if he heard/saw anything.

 

[coffeeandacig]

I don't know...but I get the feeling if Mollie is a homicide victim (God forbid), wouldn't her body be found at least a half hour from where the perpetrator lived and worked and in the opposite direction of said home and crime scene?

 

[bigdog3300]

After looking at WC’s recorded interview over and over IMO I don’t see or feel really any involvement. His willingness to let LE search anything and everything on his property, including cell phone... providing a secluded off property interview...interrogation I really in MO think he did not have any involvement. He seems a little challenged and may have some disability but we can’t assume anything. Was it really a “ping” from Fitbit? We don’t know. LE hasn’t said anything firm on this correct? Can someone confirm this?

I don't think he did either, but I wouldn't say it's because of his openness......you see it all the time if you watch the greatest show of all time, Live PD....people always give the okay to search as it's a sign of confidence, they don't think police will search if they are so open about their willingness.



On a side topic, I will say though how much I dislike people drawing conclusions based off of one interview...based off of his appearance, his speech, etc. Because he said no to a polygraph people think he's guilty? I would have said no too!!! If he passes, they will still continue....if he fails it only gets worse. There is not much benefit to it and WC has already been more than cooperative. I'm so tired of people thinking that farmers and those in the country are lower than them and therefore can be picked apart on every little thing they think they can glimmer from an interview, it says more about the person trying to do it than WC.

 

[Blissful12]

I think they want to speak to WC again because he seems like the obvious suspect. But maybe too obvious in my opinion.. like the person in a movie that they want you to believe did it but in actuality, had nothing to do with it. I have a feeling it’s someone she knew/was close to..I don’t know why, just something I’ve felt since I started following the case.

To me, this still seems like a person she had familiarity to. It’s too clean of a job in my opinion. If it was WC, I would think he’d be more sloppy due to outward personality shown. There’s a reason he was charged with so many things (some convictions, some dismissals) as stated on heavy.com. Obsessive maybe, but NOT stealthy.

And because of lack of evidence, I feel there would have to be some comfortability between MT and a perp. Let’s face it- a sweet normal girl would be creeped out immediately by someone that presented in such a way as on tv.

I truly think we need to expand our minds a bit and look outside the box instead of primarily focusing on one person. That doesn’t mean naming others, of course. I just think the media is maybe running with this a bit.

 

[SharonNeedles]

Does the same apply in regards to where people in WC's vicinity choose to go for medical care? Or might they choose to go to Grinnell for that since there's a regional medical center there?

That's really an excellent question. Brooklyn does have a medical clinic, Deep River and Guernsey to my knowledge do not. It would make more sense for somebody in WC's rural area to get regular care in Montezuma, but for anything major I'd guess they're all likely to go to either Grinnell or Iowa City.

 

[rosesfromangels]

Fitbit's don't ping.

In order to get any location data from fitbit, a number of things have to happen :
1) You have to link the fitbit to your phone to enable "connected GPS", this then uses the GPS chip within your smartphone to record location information.
2) You have to start the fitbit app on your smartphone
3) You begin your run, the fitbit will start recording your location but only on the fitbit device.
4) The fitbit has to be synced either with a smartphone or PC. In order for this to occur the smartphone or PC "MUST", have an internet connection (either wifi or cellphone).

So the data really only exists either on the fitbit device or fitbit's servers, the synced device is just a device in the middle to pass the data to the servers.

Note, the data doesn't get uploaded to fitbit servers continuously, fitbit's site is a bit elusive about how often syncing occurs, it states if you sync with a PC it's roughly every 15-30 minutes, on a smartphone it says periodically throughout the day.

What this means is when LE ask fitbit for the data, it's only up to the point of the last sync. If you had wifi turned off on the phone (to save battery), and your cellnet coverage was poor at home, it could be a long time before the data was synced, after returning from a run. Typically I would return home, have a shower, grab a drink and then sync and see how bad my run was....

Having said all that, GPS data can be very useful :
you can look at previous routes to see if you always run a similar route
you can check interval times (e.g. how long it takes to run 1KM), and from my own experience if you run at a fairly consistent pace, you can spot if you have to wait 5-10 seconds to cross a road, or 10-30 seconds to stop and re-tie a shoe lace. If you stopped to have a short chat with someone this would clearly show up.

Finally, the GPS data is usually accurate enough not only to see which side of the road you run, but sometimes even what side of the pavement (sidewalk), and if you suddenly veered off course to cross the road, this would be highly visible if you zoom in on the map.

So, if they have the data from the last run it would be very useful, but even without it, it could prove useful for establishing patterns and other anomalies....

Hey, you should become a verified techie; we could use your help on lots of cases. So glad you are here; thank you!

 

[Kapua]

Fitbit's don't ping.

In order to get any location data from fitbit, a number of things have to happen :
1) You have to link the fitbit to your phone to enable "connected GPS", this then uses the GPS chip within your smartphone to record location information.
2) You have to start the fitbit app on your smartphone
3) You begin your run, the fitbit will start recording your location but only on the fitbit device.
4) The fitbit has to be synced either with a smartphone or PC. In order for this to occur the smartphone or PC "MUST", have an internet connection (either wifi or cellphone).

So the data really only exists either on the fitbit device or fitbit's servers, the synced device is just a device in the middle to pass the data to the servers.

Note, the data doesn't get uploaded to fitbit servers continuously, fitbit's site is a bit elusive about how often syncing occurs, it states if you sync with a PC it's roughly every 15-30 minutes, on a smartphone it says periodically throughout the day.

What this means is when LE ask fitbit for the data, it's only up to the point of the last sync. If you had wifi turned off on the phone (to save battery), and your cellnet coverage was poor at home, it could be a long time before the data was synced, after returning from a run. Typically I would return home, have a shower, grab a drink and then sync and see how bad my run was....

Having said all that, GPS data can be very useful :
you can look at previous routes to see if you always run a similar route
you can check interval times (e.g. how long it takes to run 1KM), and from my own experience if you run at a fairly consistent pace, you can spot if you have to wait 5-10 seconds to cross a road, or 10-30 seconds to stop and re-tie a shoe lace. If you stopped to have a short chat with someone this would clearly show up.

Finally, the GPS data is usually accurate enough not only to see which side of the road you run, but sometimes even what side of the pavement (sidewalk), and if you suddenly veered off course to cross the road, this would be highly visible if you zoom in on the map.

So, if they have the data from the last run it would be very useful, but even without it, it could prove useful for establishing patterns and other anomalies....

You can manually sync your Fitbit with the Fitbit app on your phone at any time to make sure it's up-to-date in between auto syncs.

You can also share your Fitbit data. You can share it to Facebook, for example.

The Fitbit app on Mollie's cellphone may indeed have some *very* valuable information.

 

[SuziQ]

One of the agents mentioned that her fitbit pinged. This is a DCI agent. Not a rumor. And it is in quotes. Eta not in quotes, but quoted.

"This is a new arena for us. That's part of the reason we called the FBI in. It's probably pretty new to them, too," said Mortvedt. "I don't know of another case here in Iowa where we have used specifically Fitbit info."
When Tibbetts' Fitbit pinged at a hog farm about 10 miles southeast of the house in Brooklyn, IA, where she was last seen, police searched the area but found nothing, Mortvedt said.

Everything We Know About The Disappearance Of University Of Iowa Student Mollie Tibbetts