Found Deceased IA - Mollie Tibbetts, 20, Poweshiek County, 19 Jul 2018 #21

[otto]

I spent a lot of time hunting in the South and summers at relatives in the midwest. Buzzards are usually there in a short period of time. However, we don't always go investigate. In the Hannah Graham murder case she was found a month later. One of the locals stated they did find it odd there had been so many buzzards in that area a couple of weeks earlier. But they never went to look in spite of LE telling the public to be alert.

In the midwest, we didn't pay them any mind, UNLESS we had cattle. Still, when feeding the cattle one day in the spring my grandmother noticed one of the Angus cows was missing. When she didn't show at a subsequent feeding, they looked for her and didn't find her. My brother and I found the remains and her tag later in the summer - she had apparently been hit by lightning based on the marks on the tree she was under. No one remembers seeing buzzards.

What bothers me here is that LE not only is not warning the public to be aware of personality changes in a person they know, but I'm not hearing a lot of requests from LE to landowners to search their properties. I wonder why that is? On purpose? Or poor investigative skills?

I've wondered the same thing. If Mollie's body is lying in a field, or in a wildlife area near a river, there will be animal activity. When the Evansdale cousins disappeared, police did the same thing - they did not ask property owners to check their land. After several months they did ask people to think about their family and friends and reflect on change in behavior at the time of the disappearance, but that was so long after the event that most people probably ignored this police request.

I lean towards poor investigative skills combined with police wanting to be very careful to not tip their hand about what they do know. There must be a reason that her route has not been released, but it might be something as simple as not wanting to generate hundreds of tips from nutters who were on that route and now imagine they saw something relevant. Instead, police have asked everyone to report any small thing that may help the investigation.

At the same time, I think everyone within an hours drive of Brooklyn should check their property and adjacent wildlife areas for anything unusual - just my 2 cents.

 

[Crystal Regan]

Possibly wore them on days when they had field trips planned so children could easily identify workers.

Although that could be a bad idea. It may lead kids to think people in red shirts are trustworthy.

 

[SteveP]

Right away, I know nothing about this case, but I don't think any LE has a clue where she is. Not saying they aren't very skilled and dedicated servants, but she's been gone over a month. If she was in danger, too much time has passed. No signs of any activity on any accounts, and no sightings of her. The reward is very high yet no one has offered any credible information.... that we know of anyway. I believe she is no longer with us. Hopefully, continued efforts will locate her or find who harmed her.

She has not yet been gone over a month, as she disappeared sometime between the evening of July 18 and the morning of July 19, but many would not disagree with the rest of your post.

 

[runfar262]

Man who recalls seeing Tibbetts before disappearance defends self
Man who recalls seeing Tibbetts before disappearance defends self
I can't imagine this will be good for other people who may have seen something and may now be afraid to come forward.

 

[iowa12]

The employees at Mollie's work didn't have to wear the red shirts everyday. So that video may well have been taken at the day-care/kids-camp place at Grinnell Medical Center where Mollie worked.

I could have sworn i read there was a trip scheduled the next day so the red shirt was needed

 

[R.U.Kidding!]

Did Mollie make it home
What time was it that the snapchat pic her boyfriend said was the last thing he got from her.
What time did she speak to her mom about dinner.

Hi Clucinda,

Do you know the definitive answers to theses questions? I do not I have seen a timeline from 7:30 to 9:30.

1) so when did she speak to her mom about dinner --has to be before 7;30, right--what time would they eat--she never showed.
2)I have heard she was taken while running but her boyfriend said she made it home
3) the Snapchat pic was sent around 10

you are absolutely right that LE knows these answers but I do not do you? If so , could you just fill me in on those 3 questions.
Needless to say being taken from her run early in the evening and being taken from the home or after she left the home at 10:00 is the difference between random PO and taken from home would point to someone she knew---in my mind ,anyway.

 

[Stormy21]

I’m doing exactly that tonight. Well, not the running part. I’m too old and fat to run.

Do it. We will alert LE to stand by with AEDs, oxygen, EKGs, dopamine, and a stretcher.

 

[MrsWatson]

Although that could be a bad idea. It may lead kids to think people in red shirts are trustworthy.

First thing I thought of: Star Trek=Red Shirt.

 

[First_responder]

But they would need some evidence of death, other than her just not being around? Crime scene, blood, at least threats I believe. There are cases of missing people, with POI, yet no arrest for years.

Not just blood... A significant volume where loss would result in death... Or a piece of a vital bone such as the skull, ribs, or a long bone.

 

[Stormy21]

not being sarcastic, really would like to know, exactly how can a dog tell if they smell someone from yesterday or today or last week? if she regularly run a route seems a dog wouldn't know when she was there. I understand at some point the scent will be gone, but if some is somewhere everyday then how to draw a line on time. how far can a scent drift? so if picked up scent 15 ft off road would that mean absolutely that is exactly where was or just somewhere near?
/

My neighbor (deputy sheriff) say that the dogs are only sniffing cadavers. Says they are unable to track individual scents.

 

[Deleted member 227095]

Two thoughts...

1.) when people showed up in the morning and said the dogs had plenty of food and water....that seems weird because if I left a bowl of food for my lab the night before, it would be gobbled up the minute I poured it in the bowl, no way my dog would wait until breakfast to eat it.

2.) we don’t know if MT packed a bag for the next day which included her red shirt intending to shower and spend the night somewhere else. She also could have grabbed shorts,etc for the next day too.

Absolutely agree on labs eating any and all food left in a bowl or anywhere for that matter. In my experience the only time a lab won't immediate gobble down any food set in front of them is if they are very sick. In fact most vets will first ask a lab owner if their dog is eating as one of the first questions to try and figure out what is going on. It was due to the fact that most labs have wonderful appetites that I discounted this statement as being one to pacify the public about the status of the dogs as many were concerned and asking questions.

 

[PommyMommy]

Hi Clucinda,

Do you know the definitive answers to theses questions? I do not I have seen a timeline from 7:30 to 9:30.

1) so when did she speak to her mom about dinner --has to be before 7;30, right--what time would they eat--she never showed.
2)I have heard she was taken while running but her boyfriend said she made it home
3) the Snapchat pic was sent around 10

you are absolutely right that LE knows these answers but I do not do you? If so , could you just fill me in on those 3 questions.
Needless to say being taken from her run early in the evening and being taken from the home or after she left the home at 10:00 is the difference between random PO and taken from home would point to someone she knew---in my mind ,anyway.

She texted with her mom around 7:30. Her boyfriend did NOT say she made it home. The Snapchat photo was OPENED by DJ about 10 pm and we do not know when it was sent.

 

[Jennifermn]

Hi Clucinda,

Do you know the definitive answers to theses questions? I do not I have seen a timeline from 7:30 to 9:30.

1) so when did she speak to her mom about dinner --has to be before 7;30, right--what time would they eat--she never showed.
2)I have heard she was taken while running but her boyfriend said she made it home
3) the Snapchat pic was sent around 10

you are absolutely right that LE knows these answers but I do not do you? If so , could you just fill me in on those 3 questions.
Needless to say being taken from her run early in the evening and being taken from the home or after she left the home at 10:00 is the difference between random PO and taken from home would point to someone she knew---in my mind ,anyway.

The time that Mollie sent the Snapchat picture to DJ is unknown. We only know that he saw the picture at 10pm.

 

[Seattle1]

I could have sworn i read there was a trip scheduled the next day so the red shirt was needed

I recall the same -- field trip to the fair.

 

[MsBetsy]

not being sarcastic, really would like to know, exactly how can a dog tell if they smell someone from yesterday or today or last week? if she regularly run a route seems a dog wouldn't know when she was there. I understand at some point the scent will be gone, but if some is somewhere everyday then how to draw a line on time. how far can a scent drift? so if picked up scent 15 ft off road would that mean absolutely that is exactly where was or just somewhere near?













/

The dogs can't tell when a person was there, just that she WAS there. The cadaver dogs used in the search are obviously used to detect a body.

 

[thesaint]

In the midwest, we didn't pay them any mind, UNLESS we had cattle. Still, when feeding the cattle one day in the spring my grandmother noticed one of the Angus cows was missing. When she didn't show at a subsequent feeding, they looked for her and didn't find her. My brother and I found the remains and her tag later in the summer - she had apparently been hit by lightning based on the marks on the tree she was under. No one remembers seeing buzzards.

Phew, glad is was lightning and not a chupacabra. maybe the combination of cooler spring weather + lightning strike (no open wounds/blood? heart/internal organ failure cause of death) + you and your brother found the cow quickly enough that she had not decayed enough to alert the carrion clean-up crew.

 

[MsBetsy]

My neighbor (deputy sheriff) say that the dogs are only sniffing cadavers. Says they are unable to track individual scents.

Not so at all, they can definitely pick up a scent and are used all the time. They were very important in The Golden State killer case.

 

[margarita25]

Every time I hear the word “Fitbit”, I will undoubtedly think about Mollie (and all the discussions here).

 

[Stormy21]

Everyone is wondering about wildlife and animals in the area.

There have been cougars spotted there. In fact I think it was a couple years ago one was treed by Brooklyn. Rare.

Two bear have been killed on the hiways. Very weird. As I recall one was recently on I-80.

No wolves. Millions of big coyotes ( said with the 'ee' on the end). Large, fast and smart. Lots of fox. Ask the chicken people.

Bobcats come around occasionally from the Mississippi. Not so large, but can take down a deer.

Too many deer. Obnoxious, arrogant deer. Spit on you. Gangs of deer terrorize the place. I saw a deer make gang signs the other day.

Raccoons -- and these things get large. Don't mess with an adult raccoon. Bite your hand off. Bunches of them sleep on the roads. Maybe they are not sleeping?

The birds are hawks, eagles, owls, osprey, gulls, stinky geese, loons, kites, and lots of vultures. Oh yeah, blackbirds. The blackbirds, if you listen, will often tell you what is going on.

 

[SteveP]

My neighbor (deputy sheriff) say that the dogs are only sniffing cadavers. Says they are unable to track individual scents.

Respectfully, depending on the type of dog used, your neighbor is wrong. Cadaver dogs sniff for cadavers, but tracking or trailing dogs can and will track the specific scent of someone it has been given the scent of from a piece of clothing, etc. Obviously, their ability to do that is somewhat time-sensitive. At one time, cadaver dogs were possibly at the pig farm, per some unverified reports. Maybe that is what he was referencing,