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

[Fukiyama]

After following the Jacob Wetterling case for several years, I am not going to put too much stock in LE focusing on this WC character without firm and convincing evidence.

 

[ChuckMaureen]

Since we're reading "pig farm" and "hog farm", I thought it might be interesting to know the difference, simply a knowledge pursuit...

When a Pig is a Hog (and When It's Not) - Prichard Farms

WHEN A PIG IS A HOG (AND WHEN IT’S NOT)

 

[mnnative]

I keep hearing WC being referred to as "pig farmer" but I'm pretty sure he sold his interest in the nearby hog operation 5-6 years ago. Maybe he still has a few pigs of his own or something. I'd imagine that the interest in him and this hog operation is that he likely knows it better than most and could easily access the property to hide a person or dispose of a body in one of the slurry pits.

I'm guessing that LE doesn't have enough evidence to garner a warrant to search the hog operation nor WC's property which is why they asked, and were allowed to, search his place without warrant.

 

[zencompass]

Something has led the authorities to that area. Maybe the Fitbit data received from the company?

There is no way of knowing as the authorities have kept their timeline (which they have stated they are confident with) as well as all of the details of their investigation privy to their team only.

I think that the investigative team must have evidence, especially the massive amounts of data, which points to the likeliest time period Mollie disappeared.

I believe that there are "details" in the house that tell the story of the time period. For example, did Mollie take a large water bottle to work usually? Is it there? Something she wouldn't take jogging but something she would take if she was heading to work (or to her Mom's first).

It's these small details that can help inform an investigation, in my opinion.

As they have said, they are not divulging anything because they have deemed it "vital" to the investigation.

I have faith in this investigative team and I feel (and I hope!) this is solved soon.

 

[Rocco]

After following the Jacob Wetterling case for several years, I am not going to put too much stock in LE focusing on this WC character without firm and convincing evidence.

I was thinking the same thing. Dan Rassier was interviewed, interrogated, suspected, harassed and accused for years because he lived right off the road from where Jacob was abducted. Who else would have been on that road late at night in small town Minnesota except for someone who lived there? It ruined his life as a music teacher, they dug up his farm, and he lost most of his friends. And............he had nothing to do with the disappearance and death of Jacob.

 

[MillyM]

WC can’t be connected to Mollie in any way prior to her disappearance. Or the town of Brooklyn either for that matter.

The only connection seems to be he lives close to where the FitBit pinged, and obviously showed up on police records. But while he may be an oddball - and here in UK we have had three major crime cases where the 'oddball' was the prime suspect and actually jailed in two cases before later miscarriage of justice rulings - he doesn't seem to have a record of sex offences, violence or the like which may connect him here.

I saw elsewhere that the prior charges were all related to an ex partner, not a random individual as Mollie would appear to be, and his family have undergone a lot of tragedy over the years so may account for his character. And I also read somewhere that there are no pigs on that farm anyway now as apparently there was a fire in recent past - not sure how recent - and they were all relocated. Maybe someone else knows more on that and can confirm/deny?

 

[SharonNeedles]

This cougar was photographed 8.2017 in Iowa. The source is a news article.
I wonder if Mollie ever took a shortcut thru the cornfields while running.

Nobody takes a shortcut through standing corn.

 

[SuziQ]

I don't find it unusual that WC refused to take a poly. What I find interesting is LE asked him to take one! And LE keeps going back. And searching over and over. I wish we knew if the tip that led to that area was electronic or not.

 

[Stippling]

Remember Richard Jewell.

 

[jrolson]

Nobody takes a shortcut through standing corn.

Agreed, The only reason to go in a corn field is if you were being chased...

 

[Schmitz5100]

WC can’t be connected to Mollie in any way prior to her disappearance. Or the town of Brooklyn either for that matter.

Why do you say this?

 

[chihuahua]

Sorry to butt in like this with an obvious question but I'm overloaded this morning. TIA
Am I correct in thinking that psychology was MT's declared major? And was her homework on the Roman Empire?
just wondering as this entire thing reads like an extremely fast-paced book, unfortunately of the non-fiction verity

 

[shanadk]

I worked picking corn as a teenager. We did cut thru, to get to a main road more easily.

If she had not been feeling well, or something had frightened Mollie, there is every possibility she could have panicked (or at least felt anxiety), and attempted to cut thru.

 

[PaulR]

I don't find it unusual that WC refused to take a poly. What I find interesting is LE asked him to take one!

Sometimes LE just decides to ask for blanket polygraphs. Bryan Shaffer's dad was given a polygraph, I don't think anyone ever remotely suspected he had anything to do with his son's disappearance.

 

[mnnative]

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?

 

[SharonNeedles]

Would Brooklyn have the closest grocery store though? The closest hardware store, bank or post office? Would there be a reason for individuals who live more rural to travel to Brooklyn?

No, not at all. People in the Deep River / Guernsey area are economically tied mostly to Montezuma. There would really be no reason to go to Brooklyn at all.

 

[distracted]

Sorry to butt in like this with an obvious question but I'm overloaded this morning. TIA
Am I correct in thinking that psychology was MT's declared major? And was her homework on the Roman Empire?
just wondering as this entire thing reads like an extremely fast-paced book, unfortunately of the non-fiction verity

Yes, to both.

 

[PaulR]

Am I correct in thinking that psychology was MT's declared major? And was her homework on the Roman Empire?

She's a rising sophomore, so she was almost certainly still taking required courses outside her major and basic intro courses.

 

[PommyMommy]

I keep hearing WC being referred to as "pig farmer" but I'm pretty sure he sold his interest in the nearby hog operation 5-6 years ago. Maybe he still has a few pigs of his own or something. I'd imagine that the interest in him and this hog operation is that he likely knows it better than most and could easily access the property to hide a person or dispose of a body in one of the slurry pits.

I'm guessing that LE doesn't have enough evidence to garner a warrant to search the hog operation nor WC's property which is why they asked, and were allowed to, search his place without warrant.

Yes, from the DM article dated August 3:

WC, a man with stalking convictions in 2009 and 2014, lives in a trailer home about 500 yards from a pig farm that was searched by investigators eight days ago.

The 56-year-old told DailyMail.com he sold the facility to Prestage Farms five or six years ago.

Mother of missing Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts says she does not believe she returned home | Daily Mail Online

 

[mnnative]

I worked picking corn as a teenager. We did cut thru, to get to a main road more easily.

If she had not been feeling well, or something had frightened Mollie, there is every possibility she could have panicked (or at least felt anxiety), and attempted to cut thru.

The type of corn fields in this are are not sweet corn fields that are picked by hand, they're massive field corn acreages that are harvested with combines. Detasseling is done by hand sometimes when certain hybrids are being developed on seed corn plots.