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

[Stunned]

FOllowing

Hi! Just wanted to point out what was pointed out to me not long ago. You don’t have to put following...you just go to the top and click on go to first unread. It will take you to your spot.

 

[Onescout]

An article stated that LE was reviewing surveillance video, (I will look for a link) but there has been no indication that Mollie was seen on any surveillance video. We know that she jogged through town. I think there's a fair likelihood that video exists but we do not know that for a fact.

THANK YOU

 

[Madeleine74]

This occurs in every case: LE will not disclose the evidence they have or lots of information they've gathered. They will say limited things only and won't deviate from that. It happens in every situation like this, ending in a murder case, as this one likely will. They don't answer more questions than the ones they do.

The public will not be told much. LE won't tip their hand, alert a suspect, or do anything to negatively impact the case or hurt an eventual prosecution.

This is a localized case, she will most likely be recovered within 25 miles of where she disappeared, but it might not be quickly. These things can drag on. I hope that doesn't happen but have seen too many times when it does.

 

[ptandj]

With everything we know, I think this was her route for the jog.
Starting at the house,
East on W Des Moines
Take West St to
East on W Pershing
East on E Pershing
South on Mills
West on 2nd
North on Jackson

I think this is too short. It says 2.2 miles, and at a running speed a 45 minute run would probably take her more like 4-5+ miles, I'd guess.

 

[Deleted member 155000]

To the extent that "family kidnapping" probably includes non-custodial parents and family members and younger children, I would love to see the data broken down for adult women as well. Maybe it's there, I find that site hard to read for whatever reason (font, way it's worded) so I just skimmed.

I thought the same thing. It certainly does contain a majority of abducted children, I'm sure. I think the same general patterns would hold for adult women, if they were excerpted into their own segment, though. Children are sometimes targeted by strangers too, so it could even be possible that less adult women are abducted by strangers not more (since an adult would be more wary and less easy to be manipulated by a stranger).

 

[renarde]

The comments on here this morning about the seeming cone of silence from friends and locals seems totally on point. I am not sure if this has been dictated by LE, the MT family or small town walls being put up? The comments from posters that have lived or do live in small towns have been super helpful IMO to provide understanding as to why locals might not be stepping up to possibly report on their neighbors and possibly even family members. I agree with whoever said money most likely won't move a local whose life and livihood revolves around Brooklyn. I am glad this investigation is out of the hands of the locals and that state and federal authorities are involved. This isn't to say that local LC can't add a huge amount to the investigation, they absolutely can, but the interrelationships amongst the townspeople might make solving this particular case virtually impossible by anyone other than a state or federal official. The town history is particularly interesting and there is some great information online and there definately is a sense of 'founding families' that is present. Wonder how this all plays into town social dynamics?

Not only that but some of the families are related to local law enforcement...

Every time I see Sheriff K., I think about the John Wayne story.

 

[ChuckMaureen]

Can you tell when they posted this? LE has been mostly clear in the PC's about disappearance date being the 18th but I'm confused about the 18th being the reported date as everything I'd seen said it was the 19th? Is this an error or is this correct? Ideas?

I believe the report was file don July 18 because I believe something LC said confirms the date. LC said, (bbm) "The night she went missing, I was distraught." Since it wasn't until July 19 that MT did not show up for work, we must conclude LC was distraught on the night of July 18, which coincides with the "reported missing July 18, 2018" information on the Missing Persons Clearinghouse website.

 

[Kapua]

Regarding her open social media/Twitter page. What I could see happening is someone in town is intrigued by her from seeing her around running or at Church, at the grocery, etc. It's a small enough town that they probably know or can easily find out her name.

So they take to Google and voila. Tons of info on her routine, the fact she is alone often at the house, runs routinely, etc. And I could see that person using her SM to stalk her that way and figure out a time to pursue her.

I'm thinking that the probability of the theoretical abductor being local is higher than the probability that it was someone just passing through town. Like you, I think this person has seen her jogging through town before; she had regular routes. Mollie was a college student. My theory is that it could be someone she knew from school - a fellow student, professor, administrator, facilities... someone who also lived in town and commuted to her school.

 

[2Hope4]

Trying to clear this up, Linda said she didn't see anything unusual but I didn't base that off her watching surveillance video(s)? Sounded to me she was talking more off the whim?

According to the article:

Linda says "...she's unable to share the surveillance tape with Fox News Investigates, but talked about sharing it with authorities and what she remembers from those nights..."

Listen to her interview. She and a coworker watched the tape.

 

[Deleted member 227458]

This was discussed many threads ago. I don't believe there was any example of the police publicly clearing someone just to get them off their guard.

PR, I agree. While LE frequently will say that a person is "not a suspect at this time," it is much more rare to hear them saying they have "cleared" someone. When LE says they have "cleared" someone, to me, that means they have done their due diligence, verified alibis, etc., and really are certain that individual was not criminally involved in whatever they're investigating. A lot of people seem to think that LE saying someone is "not a suspect" is the same as LE saying they "have cleared" them. These 2 statements do not mean the same thing.

 

[PaulR]

This (in addition to no signs of struggle, as of yet) leads me to lean toward known acquaintance.

The problem is that we don't know where she went missing, so we can't say if there were any signs of a struggle or not. There aren't going to be any signs of a struggle in the house if she wasn't there when she was abducted.

I'm not sure there would be much physical evidence if she was abducted while jogging, unless she or the perp dropped/threw something, either intentionally or not.

 

[Veracity]

This is something that I have been mulling over -

Anyone know the codes in IOWA or this county for STORM CELLARS? Here is my thinking and it is bit and pieces -

Iowa is tornado row.

I know in KC there is NO code requirement for basements or storm cellars. IT is a thriving biz where one pays from $15,000 (may be more now depends on the cost of concrete) for a cellar to be built - it could be inside a garage, part of the floor is jack hammered and dug out. Could be in the backyard, under a terrace/patio. Could be ANYWHERE!

The number # employer in Brooklyn deals with concrete! At first when I read that I said WHAT? Not an ag biz owner? But then I started thinking - you have three little towns GRINNELL, BROOKLYN, and MONTEZUMA.
The Sheriff's office is in Montezuma, county seat. The County Commissioners meet in Grinnell - at least they have at least once (there is one commissioner from each of the towns and that is all there, no at large there) , not sure if that is normal or rotating or what. Then there is tiny Brooklyn, once called Greenfield -

If a tornado comes it may drop quickly so I would think some folks either have basements or storm cellars.

Have they all been searched? I recall talking to a man in OK who had not been in his storm cellar for over three years! I wonder if because of the really bad weather the 19th that could be eliminated. Everyone has checked.

But then I started thinking about if they were all known. Would permits be required to even construct one? Often times in counties the zoning differs from in the city limits right?

If this was a planned event, could someone have constructed something without anyone knowing?

I would say NO - someone either bought a lot of bags of concrete or ordered concrete or works for a concrete company and has access to it. So I ask - is there shrinkage in the concrete biz which would allow anyone access to making a shelter - in order to pour there would be either a lot of movement from concrete truck to location or the location would have to be within a particular reach of the truck itself.

And can anyone make such a place on their own? I would think it might take more one person - but I honestly am just brainstorming here. Contemplating where Mollie might be held. If she was snatched and the storms were predicted or just came in - could a storm cellar be involved? And could employees/owner of such a biz help police make sure all places where they know of such a structure?

I recall a case a long long time ago where a little girl vanished. The region was peppered with wells. many dormant. A concrete vendor who had been hired to fill in some of the wells helped LE locate where the little girl was. I can't recall the name of the little girl- it was a long time ago.

Maybe it is the location, maybe it was the stormy weather - I don't know. I just haven't been able to turn off the little voice in my head about storm cellars. It may also be the fact there was never an actual grid search method to this case as far as I know.

Just me thinking...

 

[tokyorose]

I wanted to respond to @Safeguard’s post in the last thread regarding Mollie’s SM accounts being public.
There could very well be someone on the periphery of Mollie’s life stalking her, an acquaintance of sorts.

It’s so important to safeguard your info online. If you use Snapchat, make sure you’re on “ghost mode”. I’ll give you an example: I have a “friend” on insta and snap who I don’t know in person. We chat often and he said a couple things that set off my BS meter. His snap location is not hidden. From that little bitmoji standing on a map, I found his home address, phone number and email, his last name, his Facebook (of which he said he didn’t have), down to his family’s FB accounts and his wedding pictures. Prior to his triggering my BS meter, I didn’t even know his last name.

Now imagine I had nefarious intentions rather than being just a nosy sleuther?

I completely agree.. I do not have snapchat or facebook or Instagram...people are so unaware of just how much information they have online...and how much personal information they share with the world.

 

[crhedBngr]

Now that they've recovered the red shirt that Mollie may have worn, I'm hoping they are running DNA tests. Possibly, the same type of DNA test that caught the Golden State Killer.

 

[ptandj]

I believe the report was file don July 18 because I believe something LC said confirms the date. LC said, (bbm) "The night she went missing, I was distraught." Since it wasn't until July 19 that MT did not show up for work, we must conclude LC was distraught on the night of July 18, which coincides with the "reported missing July 18, 2018" information on the Missing Persons Clearinghouse website.

I don't think so - LC wouldn't have been distraught on July 18 because she didn't know she was missing yet. I think the night she's referring to is the evening of the 19th. They reported Mollie missing after 5pm, so I think it's that evening once she was reported missing and they really started to realize something was very wrong that she's talking about. I think the clearinghouse report is either an error or is reporting last seen as "reported missing" date.

 

[Considering]

Since LE is saying they don't know what happened, if this was a stranger abduction or not, one would think they would warn the people of Brooklyn to be aware of their surroundings, keep on the buddy system, keep your doors locked and by all means keep an eye on your children.
The fact that they haven't done this is telling, to me. I think LE has a POI in mind and that person is not a danger to the rest of the community. jmo

About an hour due north of Brooklyn lies Evansdale, Iowa, where in July of 2012 an unknown perpetrator(s) kidnapped and murdered Elizabeth Collins and her cousin Lyric Cook Morrissey while they were riding bicycles one afternoon. Their bodies were not found until six months later at the Seven Bridges Wildlife Area near Readlyn. LE did not warn people then, either. When asked, they gave the same general safety measures as LE gave in Brooklyn. I don't think it means they have a POI and/or the person is not a danger to the community. I don't think it means anything other than people should always be cautious.

 

[Deleted member 155000]

The problem is that we don't know where she went missing, so we can't say if there were any signs of a struggle or not. There aren't going to be any signs of a struggle in the house if she wasn't there when she was abducted.

I'm not sure there would be much physical evidence if she was abducted while jogging, unless she or the perp dropped/threw something, either intentionally or not.

Agreed. Her location at the time of the disappearance would add clarity. That's why I do think it's most probably that she disappeared while jogging. But I still do think it's more plausible that it was an acquaintance than a stranger. Either is possible though.

 

[MrsWatson]

I completely agree.. I do not have snapchat or facebook or Instagram...people are so unaware of just how much information they have online...and how much personal information they share with the world.

I'm married to a long time IT guy who used to specialize in high level security. I could write a book based on his online security rules. Don't get me started on using your mobile for anything other than Candy Crush and you know, actual phone calls.

 

[Fascinated1]

If she was indeed abducted on her jog-what would the fit bit show? Increased hr—probably a spike—but then it should not show steps, right? Just trying to re-center. The GPS has been discussed but is there a way of looking at steps and correlating that to when those stopped to know WHERE she was (approximate distance based on steps taken?). I think they show steps by hour....

 

[taximama24]

I believe the report was file don July 18 because I believe something LC said confirms the date. LC said, (bbm) "The night she went missing, I was distraught." Since it wasn't until July 19 that MT did not show up for work, we must conclude LC was distraught on the night of July 18, which coincides with the "reported missing July 18, 2018" information on the Missing Persons Clearinghouse website.

When she was first quoted as saying that, my ears perked up as well because it definitely seems to fit more in line with the fact that she was expecting her for dinner and she never showed. Did she give it a few hours and then swing by the house and when Mollie wasn't there she called LE sometime in the night but she didn't call DJ because she knew he was out of town? Is this a detail that is purposely being withheld by LE for when they have a suspect detained...hmm.