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

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Dollyla said:
I honestly believe that it’s just because the town is too small. They don’t want someone from local law enforcement to give away secrets nonchalantly in passing or at dinner with extended family. It could tip a potential suspect off. Or perhaps they have found dna at the pig farm (or perhaps thought to be potentially in manure?..) but they are not telling anyone until a positive dna match comes back since it is not anything immediately identifying as being Mollie’s.

When I was browsing Mollie’s Facebook I cam across her liking a post where one of her friends was sworn into the sherriffs reserves. The town it literally so small Mollie had a friend on reserves. It is very easy for a cousin to let slip to cousin the smallest detail of a case that could actually matter a lot.
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Yes. This.
 
Dudda said:
I do not know why I didn’t think this before. She had a very big SM presence. What if she meet someone online? What if she met up with them that night? That would make since that no one local besides her is missing. Full disclosure I got sucked into the SM catfish thing. People are not who they say they are and some are very charming. Her address can be found on her SM. Maybe she told that person she was going to be by herself and they took it upon themselves to drive there. They called her from her driveway. Shocked she went outside.
Also I’m not judging her in any way. I remember being that age. I also keep thinking I was an angel in my parents eyes. Oh if they only knew some of the crazy stuff I used to do. They’d be shocked for sure. So that LE lead investigators comment of “getting to know Mollie” really stands out.
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I feel dumb but what is SM catfish thing
 
Kitagrl said:
There would be some sort of evidence that this was planned ahead for. She would have been videoed in a store buying a phone. She would have been acting slightly “off” to people who knew her. And I’m pretty sure it’s only in books/movies that somebody shows up in a car, and she hops in, and the guy happens to have all the fake paperwork she needs to start a new life.

I don’t think Mollie is alive today. I don’t think she was alive past the first 24 hours. And I’m still sticking to a stranger (or relative stranger, maybe a vague acquaintance from college or from town, somebody she had seen before but didn’t actually know very well personally) because I guess, in my mind, it would be even more horrifying that Mollie was close friends or family with a cold killer.

The easiest way to leave zero trail behind you is to be a complete stranger, come in, hit fast, and leave. That, or be a vague acquaintance with no connections. No motive, no reason for anyone to suspect you, zillions of choices on where to hide the body—no trace. If you’re a stranger or a friendly, one-time acquaintance, the police have to go through tens of thousands of possible suspects...and if you’re new to crime or really smart, it’s probable you’re not even in the criminal database yet.

Unfortunately Mollie’s has all the markings of a future cold case, IMHO. That, or maybe they will find the perp when he gets careless and strikes again.

WC still needs to be watched, however, and whatever reason the FBI is not including the local LE....that needs to be watched carefully as well. Again, though, for the reasons mentioned above, I honestly do not think they are going to be able to pin this on anyone without finding a body.

Speaking of a body.... Anyone know if they went over that pig farm property with a metal detector to try to see if that FitBit was there? Or more than the FitBit?
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Great post and thanks for sharing.
 
Just thinking out loud (figuratively) here. I live in a smaller community than Brooklyn, IA. But similarly rural, agricultural, etc.

I tried to envision someone approaching me, someone I don't know well but who is still familiar enough for me to feel trusting towards.

Lots of folks fit that category here. Many people I don't really know but who are familiar faces from around town.

Ok, so if MT was taken and is alive, we don't know if someone drove her out of the area, or is keeping her nearby somewhere.

The thing is, all those people have their own roles in the community. Their own family, neighbors, jobs, etc.

If someone here kidnapped someone and drove away with them, certainly those other neighbors, family, coworkers etc would notice if (the potential perp) went missing. Hopefully those folks would also notice if someone was acting odd or spending more time than usual in odd places (barn, cellar, field, "driving around" etc).

What other scenarios would work? An isolated person, maybe, retired or off work for the summer, someone without friends or family nearby to notice? Or someone who is part of what I call the 'troublemaker' community already -- the druggies etc who are frequently in trouble and known to LE.

So hard to imagine that all folks in likely categories haven't been looked at already... It does lead to the thought of someone not from the local area, who either took her away (but was also known to her? from school perhaps?) or who is in the part of town where strangers are expected -- motels? Jobs that hire seasonal workers? Maybe someone whose job just finished a month ago, so that they're not currently being noticed as absent, but whose family elsewhere doesn't expect them home or can't check up on whatever story they were told about where that person was expected next?
 
Dudda said:
I do not know why I didn’t think this before. She had a very big SM presence. What if she meet someone online? What if she met up with them that night? That would make since that no one local besides her is missing. Full disclosure I got sucked into the SM catfish thing. People are not who they say they are and some are very charming. Her address can be found on her SM. Maybe she told that person she was going to be by herself and they took it upon themselves to drive there. They called her from her driveway. Shocked she went outside.
Also I’m not judging her in any way. I remember being that age. I also keep thinking I was an angel in my parents eyes. Oh if they only knew some of the crazy stuff I used to do. They’d be shocked for sure. So that LE lead investigators comment of “getting to know Mollie” really stands out.
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I keep thinking about her SM as well. Kids that grew up with smart phones and the internet seem to have a more slacked view of safety for themselves and what they share on SM. (Growing up I was always taught about internet strangers, don’t share your full name, where you live, etc) If she nonchalantly posted a Snapchat or something stating about being home alone or missing the BF because he was away, it could be completely innocent but be perfect information for someone wanting to find their opportunity to strike. All JMO but it’s what I keep coming back to in my mind. That would be a lot to comb through though in regards to checking all her FB friends, Twitter/instagram/Snapchat followers, comments on posts, etc.
 
This case has really led me to reconsider my approach to managing my online footprint (and my kids). For as long as I have had the means to create a digital footprint, the goal has always been to maintain privacy to the greatest extent available. It’s occured to me that if I were to vanish today, getting the necessary info to track my locations would be a nightmare for LE and a lot of valuable time would be spent to do so. This is because I have always meticulously managed my privacy settings on all devices in addition to safeguarding my passwords to the greatest extent possible. Obviously, the same is true for my teenagers and their devices. Although sharing passwords amongst family members is a start, is if there isn’t a better way?

What I’m trying to say is I wonder if we should strive to find that balance between maintaining online privacy while still allowing for crucial info to be available to LE as soon as possible in the event of an unthinkable. Does that balance even exist?
 
Opnion here. If it was someone local....I think it would be much more difficult to find her...if that's the case....than say someone random. If It was a crime of opportunity...they would not be super organized. Thoughts? Granted I'm holding onto hope it's all a misunderstanding and she's going to be ok.
 
midwestseeker said:
I sincerely hope that we hear "something" today in the briefing but I don't expect it. I live in a very rural town not unlike Brooklyn, IA. My husband made a comment on the size of the reward a couple nights ago. I told him that this is why I feel that just like Abby and Libby, we are not going to find easy answers to this case. They have a similar size reward and look how far we are there. In towns and areas this size, if someone out there new ANYTHING, they would be falling over themselves to get at that reward money. In my town, with the use of social media these days, someone does not catch cold on one end of town that you don't find out about it in 24 hours. Something happened here with a total stranger and it appears he is getting away with it. This case is going cold. I still say that my only desire is that when the crops are brought in, I hope (and expect) they will find a body that the family can lay to rest. I am such a cynic but I am too often proven correct. Sigh! Please.....prove me wrong. I want to be wrong.
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I think Mollie went with someone she knew, or thought she knew, or someone she deemed safe, and the person turned out to be the opposite.

How many times have we heard from family and friends about a perp--so nice, wouldn't hurt a fly, such a great ______ (fill in the blank). Most people are not suspicious of others, even when our instincts are trying to warn us (yes, I gave the book The Gift of Fear to all of my kids as soon as I read it). We explain away overt warnings (if there are any) and discount the less obvious, we think "he's a nice guy, works with my brother," "she's a friend of my coworker," "I see him all the time around town," "she's an old girlfriend of so-and-so."

And then there's the female factor (as I see it, my opinion): girls and women don't want to seem rude to anyone. So if a guy on crutches, or a guy with his arm in a cast, asks for help with something, well, most times that's just what a girl will do.

If Mollie got into a vehicle with, or opened the door to, a person she knew, (in whatever way), then that is fairly unremarkable, and no struggle or drama for witnesses to recall.

moo
 
Auntie Cipation said:
Just thinking out loud (figuratively) here. I live in a smaller community than Brooklyn, IA. But similarly rural, agricultural, etc.

I tried to envision someone approaching me, someone I don't know well but who is still familiar enough for me to feel trusting towards.

Lots of folks fit that category here. Many people I don't really know but who are familiar faces from around town.

Ok, so if MT was taken and is alive, we don't know if someone drove her out of the area, or is keeping her nearby somewhere.

The thing is, all those people have their own roles in the community. Their own family, neighbors, jobs, etc.

If someone here kidnapped someone and drove away with them, certainly those other neighbors, family, coworkers etc would notice if (the potential perp) went missing. Hopefully those folks would also notice if someone was acting odd or spending more time than usual in odd places (barn, cellar, field, "driving around" etc).

What other scenarios would work? An isolated person, maybe, retired or off work for the summer, someone without friends or family nearby to notice? Or someone who is part of why I call the 'troublemaker' community already -- the druggies etc who are frequently in trouble and known to LE.

So hard to imagine that all folks in likely categories haven't been looked at already... It does lead to the thought of someone not from the local area, who either took her away (but was also known to her? from school perhaps?) or who is in the part of town where strangers are expected -- motels? Jobs that hire seasonal workers? Maybe someone whose job just finished a month ago, so that they're not currently being noticed as absent, but whose family elsewhere doesn't expect them home or can't check up on whatever story they were told about where that person was expected next?
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The problem with the 'stranger' theory is that there is nothing, no evidence. Even Jodi Husentruit's apartment had evidence -- her shoes, broken car key, earrings, etc. near her parked car (which could be plants, no doubt).

A 20 y/o college student (unless stunned) would not go without a fight if a stranger grabbed her.
 
Harmony 2 said:
A tribute to Mollie and her family.

If I could turn back the clock
I'd make sure the light defeated the dark
I'd spend every hour, of every day
Keeping you safe
And I'd climb every mountain
And swim every ocean
Just to be with you

link


Mollie-Tibbetts.jpg

source for photo
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Thank you Harmony. Sometimes there are just no words.
 
I think the only reason why I think she left willingly is because of the lack of evidence of a struggle or any kind of abduction as far as people seeing something. I also would like to think that I would’ve put up a fight. I would’ve screamed, I would’ve kicked up dirt or grass or whatever. I don’t know that they could’ve grabbed her with nobody seeing and forced her into a vehicle with nobody seeing or hearing? Unless it was incredibly dark or remote where she was?
 
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