Found Deceased IA - Mollie Tibbetts, 20, Poweshiek County, 19 Jul 2018 #18

[MassGuy]

Obviously sex trafficking is an issue in our country, albeit, one that doesn’t get enough press... I do not think that’s what we are looking at with Mollie. At least, I hope not. She has a family, connections, was missed almost immediately etc... I understand the high FBI presence could cause some people to sleuth down that route, but in my honest opinion, she’s too “high risk” (for the perp) to kidnap into trafficking. Unfortunately, I feel like trafficking victims are more often than not, people who won’t bring press attention, and not make headlines. I’m sure their are outliers but, I sincerely do not believe that’s what we are dealing with. Which, leaves the question, why the heavy FBI presence? State lines, info not being released, a POI already identified, did mom or dad have a higher up that they called a favor into? I honestly do not know.

No conclusion should be drawn from FBI involvement. They can be called in at any point, for any reason, by local law enforcement. They have expertise and resources that local law enforcement can’t usually match, especial rural departments. Their being involved doesn’t mean that they think sex trafficking (super unlikely here) is involved, or that state lines have been crossed. They can simply supplement and aid in any investigation, especially one indicative of foul play.

 

[Cardinal47]

What point on the map did you end up at after 15 minutes, if you google-jogged the route neighbor's reported seeing her?

It ended at her mothers house. I think it was a video over on youtube by Gray Hughes.

 

[MsBetsy]

So, going back to the facts because maybe something will come up.
Mollie Cecilia Tibbetts
Twitter handle-Motibbs Mollie Tibbetts (@Motibbs) | Twitter
FB-https://www.facebook.com/mollie.tibbetts
Father- Rob Tibbetts, married, lives in CA
Mother-Laura Calderwood, divorced from Rob, lives in Brooklyn, IA
Brother- Jake Tibbetts
Brother-Scott Tibbetts
Boyfriend-Dalton Jack
Boyfriend's brother-Blake Jack
Fiance of Blake-Aimee Houghton

Mollie is:
20 years old
student at U of Iowa in Iowa City
brown hair
brown eyes
5'2" 120lbs
wears glasses/contacts
uses fitbit
avid runner
psychology major
intern at childcare daycamp at Grinnell Regional Medical Center
shares car with brother Jake
was best man at father's wedding earlier this year in CA
was supposed to be in Blake and Aimee's wedding/Dominican Republic
was living between her mother's home and house owned by Aimee
camera from elec-coop was broken
video taken from Casey's General store

July 17:
Dalton left to work on a construction site 100 miles away "early morning".
At some point Aimee went to Ames, IA for job and Blake went to be with her (not sure if Blake left on the 17th or 18th)
Mollie was staying in Aimee's house to dog-sit two dogs belonging to Blake and Aimee.

July18:
Mollie went to work, taped by friend and video released of her laughing and sticking out tongue.
Jake picked up Mollie and dropped her off at Aimee's at 5:30pm
Mollie chatted with Dalton on social media and text msg just before she went out for her routine evening jog. Timeline of the disappearance of University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts
Mollie was last seen at 7:30pm jogging in black shorts, pink sports top and sneakers. She had a cellphone in an armband, fitbit and earbuds.
At 7:30 she texted with mother about items needed for children the next day and asked what was for dinner, mother replied "brats", Mollie responded "ok". MISSING WOMAN: 20-year-old missing in Poweshiek County
At 10pm Dalton opened a snapchat from Mollie, she appeared to be inside but he couldn't be sure and no other details about the snap. What Snapchat can and can't do to help find Mollie Tibbetts
Local hardware store vandalized

July 19-
Dalton sent good morning text, but it wasn't answered
Jake sent a message asking if she needed ride to work, no answer.
Child care center called Jack in the afternoon looking for Mollie.
Jack called her family.
Mollie's mother called LE to report her daughter missing

Possible facts:

Dave Collum: police interviewed him, he was on Mollie's running path. He stated Mollie regularly ran by his home, he didn't see her on the night of July 18th, but stated LE told him she had run by his home. He also states that LE told him Mollie made it home and was studying "late into the evening" on her computer.
Mother of missing Iowa college student recounts last text she sent to daughter

Roger Thompson: says he saw Mollie that night, walking nonchalant.
Neighbor offers new testimony about the night Mollie Tibbetts disappeared

Rob Tibbetts: Feels someone may have misinterpreted relationship and Mollie is still with that person.

WC- Previous hog farmer, has been questioned by FBI, home and land searched, cellphone confiscated for 24 hours, 2 previous stalking violations. (as per Heavy.com)


If you'd like me to add anything, let me know. I'm unsure about when Blake and Aimee left Mollie alone with the dogs, there's no articles that state whether she was alone on the night of the 17th or if it was just the 18th.

Excellent post, but it's Allie, not Aimee

 

[kkdj]

Apparently Molly went jogging daily and had a few different routes she frequented. That tells me she is a familiar face in the town. Iirc only 2 people said they saw her jogging or walking the evening of the 18th. How far do these two live from the bf's house? Are these 2 people that saw her in close proximity? Maybe right after being seen by the last person someone coaxed her inside their home and have kept her. Remember how many times LE came by the guy's house who kidnapped Jaycee Dugard? She was there the entire time and LE never found her! It can and does happen.

 

[Cardinal47]

I too think it’s probable that she headed towards her mother’s house. But since you’ve navigated the route, you don’t think it’s possible that she could have been abducted quickly under the cover of darkness, while traveling that route?

No I don't. It stays light out almost until 9pm in the midwest. I think it happened about 7 or 7:30.

 

[Hatfield]

My theories flip all over the place. One day I'm convinced she was abducted on the way to Mom's, next day I'm convinced she left with someone willingly - but thinking they were just going somewhere or hanging out, and that person abducted her.

JMO
I have flip flopped too on theories since she first went missing. Here is the progression for me.

*At first I thought she had run off on her own to prevent being proposed to by the BF at the upcoming Wedding

*Then I had the same theory but figured a friend took her to "save her" from those pressures and after the wedding date passed, he is now holding her against her will because he is obsessed with her. (still kind of hope this one may be true because it means she is alive still).

*Today I am shifting theory towards the random predator that tried to abduct the Miner, Missouri jogger girl and after failing he ran from that state to avoid arrest. He could have ended up going straight North on I-55 to Peoria, Ill to I-74 Northwest to I-80 West and right into Brooklyn, Iowa area and may have happened to run into MT jogging.
The fact that we are going on 3 weeks now with no resolution is making me lean towards the random abductor now.

This case is a real stumper and I pray for MTs family and friends. It is looking grimmer and grimmer the longer this goes on.

Was just thinking today after seeing her poster on back of a Semi truck picture that there is no way she would not try to contact someone if she was alive and had the ability to do so. No human wants their picture on backs of semis if they can prevent it. Whatever happened to her is looking grim at this point and I am so sad to feel that way

 

[MassGuy]

No I don't. It stays light out almost until 9pm in the midwest. I think it happened about 7 or 7:30.

Ok. But say it happened when it was dark, say after 10, does that change anything for you?

 

[gregjrichards]

@StevenFabianTV

I'll be joining @TVAshleigh tonight on @CrimeJusticeHLN to discuss the latest on #MollieTibbetts and her disappearance -- 7PM EST on @HLNTV

Just posting in case anyone wants to watch.

 

[DocBrew]

No conclusion should be drawn from FBI involvement. They can be called in at any point, for any reason, by local law enforcement. They have expertise and resources that local law enforcement can’t usually match, especial rural departments. Their being involved doesn’t mean that they think sex trafficking is involved, or that state lines have been crossed. They can simply supplement and aid in any investigation, especially one indicative of foul play.

True, but my concern is that they were on this case seemingly from the get-go. Same day, IIRC, and that is certainly unusual.

ETA: the chances of this being sex trafficking, by default and by situational context, is slim to none, so I don't see why some folks always posit this.

JMO.

 

[NewYork625]

t.

The perpetrator may have had the cover of darkness, it may have occurred in a remote area, or she may have initially gone willingly. Without knowing where/when she was abducted, there are countless reasons why nobody saw a thing.

There's a stretch of road on the way to her mom's house that is fairly unpopulated. I wonder if she ever went jogging and while jogging jogged to her mom's house for dinner without going back to the boyfriend's house first to shower. Maybe she was actually on her way to her mom's for dinner when she disappeared, although being sighted by the funeral home earlier makes that seem unlikely since that is in another direction.

 

[Purplepixii]

Ok call me Thomas but show me where anybody other than the BF and Mollie's two brothers have been cleared by LE!

As you say, they’ve been cleared by LE. I don’t think anyone else has been officially cleared. But per WS rules we can’t sleuth (or post about sleuthing) anyone else not named a POI (except WC).

 

[Cardinal47]

We don't know, for a fact, her exact jogging route, or that she was ever on her way to her mother's though. It's a possibility, but nothing was confirmed.

That's true. But if you kind of follow a timeline and include those that saw her and the route she usually ran it kind of makes sense with her mother saying all of that about dinner at I think 7 or 7:30.

 

[Parks]

Have you seen

No conclusion should be drawn from FBI involvement. They can be called in at any point, for any reason, by local law enforcement. They have expertise and resources that local law enforcement can’t usually match, especial rural departments. Their being involved doesn’t mean that they think sex trafficking is involved, or that state lines have been crossed. They can simply supplement and aid in any investigation, especially one indicative of foul play.

A presence of 15 plus FBI agents on a case seems normal to you, without it being a state line crossing? I do not think trafficking is involved. I’m honestly just asking. The number of 15 seems high to me and leads me to believe they are following a trail of some sort. But perhaps, you have more knowledge and or other comparisons where this has been the case. If so, I would love to hear it. Since, text vs face to face, can be difficult, I want to say that I’m not be snarky but purely inquisitive.

 

[MassGuy]

True, but my concern is that they were on this case seemingly from the get-go. Same day, IIRC, and that is certainly unusual.

JMO.

According to the Fox News timeline, FBI agents and state investigators took control of the investigation on the 24th, which was about five days later. That’s enough time for local law enforcement to realize that they are dealing with something that is beyond the scope of their abilities. Of course they may have been involved earlier, and the characterization of their involvement as “taking control” may be incorrect, but taken at face value, this looks normal under the circumstances as we know them.

 

[Cardinal47]

It wouldn't have been dark if she jogged at the same time she usually did. That she jogged at her usual time on the night in question seems to be corroborated by what the witnesses who last saw her have stated. Her family also said she was a creature of habit.

Thank you. You said it much better than me!

 

[crumbcleaner]

Can someone help me out...I'm looking for the article about WC's ex, the one he stalked...I read it on here somewhere but can't find it now.

 

[MassGuy]

Have you seen

A presence of 15 plus FBI agents on a case seems normal to you, without it being a state line crossing? I do not think trafficking is involved. I’m honestly just asking. The number of 15 seems high to me and leads me to believe they are following a trail of some sort. But perhaps, you have more knowledge and or other comparisons where this has been the case. If so, I would love to hear it. Since, text vs face to face, can be difficult, I want to say that I’m not be snarky but purely inquisitive.

Not for a rural department. It would certainly be abnormal for a larger city and department, but not here. The FBI will provide more resources in direct relation to the extent of resources already existing in an area.

 

[Michael Collins]

Is insider edition reliable

 

[Whiteorchids]

More than likely this is the case. Who was in town during the summer visiting relatives/ home from college that is not there any longer. I see either 2 possibilities. 1. Someone relatively local ( within say 50 miles) knew her daily jogging routine, lay hidden, subdued her quickly and then took off with her ( I've been thinking taser or stun gun) or 2. she voluntarily took off because she was tired of small town Iowa life and she made an online connection with someone from a metropolitan area who picked her up and now she is either voluntarily or involuntarily in a large metropolitan setting ( think NYC) I vacillate back and forth between thinking which one is more likely.

This this could have similarities to the Mickey Schunick abduction murder. Brandon Lavergne bumped Mickey from behind with his white truck while she was riding home late at night. He bumped her hard enough to knock her over and get her and bike in the truck. She fought for her life and managed to stab him in the neck.

I’m thinking while Mollie was jogging along the road with earbuds in listening to her tunes Perp saw her liked what he saw gently bumps her from behind hard enough so she falls and is disoriented, dizzy perp manages to get her in the vehicle.

 

[DocBrew]

According to the Fox News timeline, FBI agents and state investigators took control of the investigation on the 24th, which was about five days later. That’s enough time for local law enforcement to realize that they are dealing with something that is beyond the scope of their abilities. Of course they may have been involved earlier, and the characterization of their involvement as “taking control” may be incorrect, but taken at face value, this looks normal under the circumstances as we know them.

When Feds "take control", as far as I know, it means that they have assumed jurisdiction. Wouldn't that mean jurisdiction has to be warranted? Can jurisdiction be ceded? I honestly don't know.