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

[BeeVee]

Nah, you're nowhere near crazy. I've had almost the exact same scenario play out in my own mind and I'm definitely NOT crazy (wink wink).

Same. This is similar to what I imagined, & I have a specific person in mind, as well.

 

[Mom24]

Fantastic post and a belated Welcome! Seems really well thought out. Unlike what I'll post below as some notes on my impressions thinking out loud, off all you sleuthers great post.

For me, the things that stands out the most, now that we know much more about Mollie, considering we have a better idea since yesterday the loop she may have taken on her jog, is how well planned this may have been.

The perp may know Brooklyn very well and how not be noticed, especially at night.
The perp may have struck with either intrusive or natural awareness of her habits, thus able to create or take advantage of a window in time when Mollie would not be missed.
If that is true, then why go through all this trouble to end her life?
I think the trigger for this may have been the feeling of losing her or access to Mollie, or not having a chance with her after the wedding trip.
The perps sense of owning Mollie by whatever lurking habits they had may have been extremely challenged by the idea of her flying away and returning committed, so a plan may have formed over time, was maybe even tested. Like she ran into this person before on her jogs, maybe chatted in a friendly way.
A well planned perp would perhaps not leave her initial reaction to chance.
Did Mollie ever say she ran into an unexpected acquaintance during her jogs?
If this is true, then the perp may have resources, may be very technically adept at covering their internet tracks, as Otto mentioned, an IT pro on some level, who can make it seem she did homework that night, sent a snap chat, planned distractions, able to cover their tracks online.
If this is true, then the time window that was taken advantage of was in part to confuse the search and get away.
If any of this is true, could it being summer and the perp not being noticed in any way mean they too are on summer vacation, thought to be away?
Sorry for the mess above, just wanted to get it down, it is probably all wrong.

As women we've all had that slightly off guy who we felt kindly toward and tried to be friends with even though deep down we knew any glimmer of friendship was seen as more to him. It's a common pratfall of young single women and at some point there's a "moment". Like when I was dating my husband I had a male friend who had been by my side like a brother. We were all at a big party and I was his ride, so at the end of the night I gave him a ride home, alone. When we pulled into his driveway things went south very quickly and I was surprised at how angry and volatile he became. This was not the guy I had known for years. So I can see how the timing of this makes sense for that scenario. It might not even be someone she's close to, but someone she knows from around town or had a class with. If this person was able to make it appear she had logged on to do her homework, then it would be more likely that it's someone from U of I, maybe someone she worked on a project with who may have seen her log in or she may have shared her password with.

 

[crumbcleaner]

Nothing against local LE, but they are just not experienced in such a bizarre and 'rare' 'crime' (I feel like I am over-using air quotes too much). That is not to disparage them. Local doctors refer all the time to experts in university medical centers when they come across something unusual.

However the haste the FBI came in suggests they are worried about: 1.) kidnapping; 2.) trafficking; 3.) something serial; 4.) Cyber related crime

Or 5.) Conflict of interest

 

[SheriBerry]

Do you think the latest news from the FBI profiler that Mollie left with someone she knew or had a relationship with, indicates that possibly WC passed his lie detector test?

 

[Mom24]

First post here.

I grew up in a small, rural, agricultural town, very similar to Brooklyn, so my experience prompts a couple of thoughts & questions:

*Info is likely being kept from local LE because everyone in a small town knows nearly everyone. It would be too easy for case info to slip &, possibly, even for some LE to, intentionally or not, have a sense of allegiance to certain families or individuals.
*I lean toward her going with someone familiar just because there are so many familiar faces in a small town. So many connections through friends, family, school, work. You're bound to, at minimum, recognize someone & politely converse with them, if approached.
*I am wondering if this could've been an unintended incident by a local, who was in over his/her head? Maybe a friend or acquaintance, who knew DJ was out of town, so the person approached her with mild intentions (maybe were confused about her interest in that person & assumed she would return the person's advances), she refused, & things escalated from there? Total speculation, but that type of miscommunication is very common among young adults, especially because social media allows for online flirting, etc.
*Lastly, what if the hog farm is a familiar location to someone local, but not specifically WC? Maybe someone who worked there at one time? Or, maybe even some ground that young people secretly used for partying, etc? Being from a rural town, myself, there were lots of fields that teens used to drink, party, etc. Could the hog farm connection be to the land, but not necessarily WC? The kidnapper took Mollie there simply because it is a familiar, remote location?

Wow. For a first post well done!! Can any locals chime in about the hog farm or the reserve? Is it a common gathering place for young people?

 

[keddiecutie]

This is still an important "clue" we have in understanding Mollie Tibbetts:

“I was looking at some of her poetry in her bedroom the other day and, even when she was young, there were six, seven or eight drafts of a poem,” her father told Dateline. “She really worked hard at it.”

College sophomore Mollie Tibbetts still missing after two weeks of searching​

 

[SharonNeedles]

For a federal crime. Doesn't have to cross state boundaries, but must be a federal crime.

Frequently Asked Questions — FBI

Sorry - I got cut off before completing that thought. The FBI’s role is to investigate whether a crime occurred or not. That might well be limited to federal crimes, but that is not established prior to FBI involvement.

 

[Stormy21]

Do you think the latest news from the FBI profiler that Mollie left with someone she knew or had a relationship with, indicates that possibly WC passed his lie detector test?

That 'expert' was a former FBI agent who heads up a department at George Mason University. She likely has no inside info.

 

[Dushi]

Do you think the latest news from the FBI profiler that Mollie left with someone she knew or had a relationship with, indicates that possibly WC passed his lie detector test?

I think he has no inside information
He may be basing this opinion on other case histories.

Sorry... she

 

[MisterMayor]

A few other people have said that cornfields are so thick you could easily hide something in them. I don't know about hiding a person in them, but I know they are thick. I took a close look at the cornfield around me driving home last night. Where I live the corn is so closely planted that there aren't even rows to walk between actually. It looks like just a couple inches between rows. It is packed so close that even a small dog couldn't walk through the field here in IL. lol

The rows themselves are certainly far enough apart for a full grown man to walk through; however, the leaves of the plants grow together such that a cornfield is effectively a jungle...with healthy corn, you probably can't see much past 6-10 feet into the field when looking down a row. That said, if you're willing to swat leaves a person can definitely walk into the middle of a cornfield...the bigger obstacle would probably be mud if its irrigated.

 

[darmela]

deleted

 

[Vedder]

Do you think the latest news from the FBI profiler that Mollie left with someone she knew or had a relationship with, indicates that possibly WC passed his lie detector test?

I don't think we should read anything into it, to be honest. She's stating her opinion; she's not involved in the investigation itself.

Moooo

ETA - changed pronoun

 

[Bravo]

I still say and have been from the start, the cornfields...…..

 

[Bits777]

I am still stuck on the "getting to know Mollie" statement made at the first PC- what exactly does that mean- does that mean that the FBI needs to go thru all of her social media sights to gain insight? If so why announce that at a PC if the public's help wasn't necessary to get to know her- yes it was stated long ago- I just have never been able to get a firm grasp on exactly what that meant

 

[Stormy21]

Sorry - I got cut off before completing that thought. The FBI’s role is to investigate whether a crime occurred or not. That might well be limited to federal crimes, but that is not established prior to FBI involvement.

If a citizen gives information about a potential crime to the FBI and there is a question on whether a federal violation has occurred, who in the government decides?

The FBI may conduct an investigation in order to obtain sufficient facts concerning the allegation. If there is a question as to whether or not a federal violation has occurred, the FBI consults with the U.S. Attorney’s office in the district where the alleged offense took place.

(so yeah, mostly)

 

[FindHG]

I’m going to go on a couple rants today so please bear with me... and first I’d like to address us.

I follow Facebook groups and Reddit, I don’t mind that much of it’s absolute garbage because I know that up front. But seriously, this is getting out of hand and I think some introspection would be appropriate at this point.

My tipping point came yesterday when the story broke about possibly the last person to see Mollie jogging. I don’t know why this came to a head yesterday, he reported that weeks ago. But now this guy is being treated with suspicion? His daughters hide in the house terrified while reporters pound on his door? People are digging as much dirt as they can and treating him with suspicion? What?

Brooklyn is a very nice little community. It’s safe, friendly and a great place to raise a family. Even if something terrible did happen to Mollie it’s disgusting how her friends, family and community are being torn apart by baseless accusations. These people are hurting, they care about Mollie more than you do. Please, show them respect and curtesy. Respect their privacy. Stand with this community. We’re better than this.

Good for you, SharonNeedles. Trolling and hate baiting of any well followed situation is what makes social media so profitable, click bait, through provocation and hatefulness. It's the currency we buy into by paying attention to it. I try not to focus on it as engaging it is giving it more due than is worth.

If somebody is poking you in the eye and all you have to do is turn your face to stop it, why not make that choice. Trolls will never define Brooklyn or Mollie.

 

[PNWgirl10]

My newest scenario (of the many that play in my mind each day)...Mollie goes for a run, stops home (or doesn't, scenario could play out the same either way) and goes back out to walk to her moms. A friend drives by and asks if she wants a lift or maybe even if she wants to grab a bite to eat, she says yes and gets in (edited to add, they never made it to eat, you could feasibly insert any reason for her to get in the car). This friend has always had a secret crush on her, maybe has had a drink (or few) and has some courage to go for it and tries to make a move. Mollie politely declines. This person gets upset, loses his **** and accidentally kills her. He has easy access to a farm, disposes of the body and purposely places her phone & fit bit on WC's property because the entire town knows his history and the focus on him will give Mollie's "friend" time to cover his tracks. IF the family knows, they help to cover it up because they are tight knit and this would ruin their name, the town and their lives. I have a person in mind and an idea as to why the FBI would be brought in.
I've clearly read too many psychological thrillers and have been hooked on this story. I'm still holding out hope she is still alive but with each passing day it gets more difficult to imagine. My constant prayers and thoughts are with her family. You can tell me how crazy I am now..

I don't think you are too far off IMO. And this would be inline with what Mollie's father was suggesting when saying he feels it was someone that perhaps misinterpreted their relationship. I too have someone in mind, someone that knows Mollie and her BF. To me, this makes the most sense. Someone local, someone knows, someone around her age, and perhaps this person didn't have bad intentions but the night went horribly wrong. Iv'e even wondered if perhaps someone came over late at night and stayed the night, offering to take Mollie to work the next morning. I am so thrown off by the wallet not missing. The dogs being in the basement, the cell phone gone, the red shirt missing, yet the wallet still there. I cannot come up with a scenario unless she left it on accident. However, if she was walking to her Mom's house, I don't believe she would have taken it with her.

 

[SheriBerry]

The rows themselves are certainly far enough apart for a full grown man to walk through; however, the leaves of the plants grow together such that a cornfield is effectively a jungle...with healthy corn, you probably can't see much past 6-10 feet into the field when looking down a row. That said, if you're willing to swat leaves a person can definitely walk into the middle of a cornfield...the bigger obstacle would probably be mud if its irrigated.

I took this yesterday on my way home from work. The corn right now in Indiana. It's impossible to see into. Several times a year we have a toddler wander into a cornfield and it's truely terrifing!

 

[Bravo]

That 'expert' was a former FBI agent who heads up a department at George Mason University. She likely has no inside info.

Agree. Opine given based on stats. Not facts. IMO

 

[lonetraveler]

If you were out on an exercise run that you replicate multiple times a week, why would you want a ride?

If the person offering you a ride was someone you knew and wanted to continue to talk to, I think you would end your run and take the ride just to continue the conversation. JMO

 

[margarita25]

Missing college student likely left with someone she knew, profiler says

https://nypost.com/2018/08/10/missing-college-student-likely-left-with-someone-she-knew-profiler-says/

From the above link:

“Mary Ellen O’Toole, a former FBI profiler and director of forensic sciences at George Mason University, told Fox News that kidnapping Tibbetts “would be a hard feat to pull off.”

“To have a complete stranger to come into a small town like this, someone would have come forward and mentioned that they’ve seen this person,” O’Toole said. “She either got into the car of someone she knew or had a relationship with, or it was someone who had a non-threatening demeanor.”“

——-

My opinion on the above quote, as she obviously has more qualifications under her belt than I do LOL, but my opiiiinion is that a random abduction might not be as difficult as one thinks. All it takes is a few seconds/minutes and in a rural setting there’s a very good chance nobody saw anything. Even in highly populated areas people see nothing, as with the case of Jessica R. And if Mollie had her earbuds in, and/or was tased, threatened at gunpoint...JW (Jessica H’s abductor) had a syringe...

It is very likely that Anby’s and Libby’s killer DID “come into a small town like this...”, hence the billboards and nationwide appeals.

Of course stats tell us that it is more likely for a victim to know his/her perp; however, if the motive is SA I still think a RA is on the table.

Additionally we see perps travel to commit their crimes, or they are in the area for a reason, work, etc.