Found Deceased IA - Mollie Tibbetts, 20, Poweshiek County, 19 Jul 2018 #23

[itros]

more random thoughts/questions mostly stemming from my lack of experience in this type of stuff:

-how long does it usually take for feds to get involved in a missing person case, is there anything out of the ordinary regarding the start of national level le intervention

-are there any proffesors/ta's who had unusual interactions with her during her time in college

-is she on any sort of perscription medication

 

[NewYork625]

I read that too. If true, she might have come across something that cost her dearly.
eta
Looks like a burglary happened on the same street on the 16th, not the 18th.

West Des Moines on the 16th.

 

[Deleted member 155000]

Just caught up on all the posts from yesterday. Well done on finding the previous stories of Iowan joggers who were assaulted. And well done on the videos, SharonNeedles.

I have a few comments to add, but I'm going to start with the one I think is most interesting.

1. I've been doing some research and I think it's possible the FitBit Alta can be synced with more than one device. I.e. A phone and a laptop; a phone and a computer; an old phone and a new one. I've found dozens of posts from users who say they're successfully syncing to two devices. Here's an example: Solved: Can I sync my fitbit to BOTH my computer AND my ip... - Fitbit Community

This opens the possibility that investigators could have another device, that they were/are keeping charged, that reported/reports MT's FitBit movements.

2. I still think it is more likely she was picked up by a familiar acquaintance on the jog (ride offer) vs. being taken at the house. If she was taken at the house, it would be more preferable for a perp to leave her phone, arm strap, fitbit, earbuds, etc. at the home than risk being tracked by them. If she went willingly from the house, she'd take her phone, but probably not her earbuds or arm strap or jogging clothes. Unless she packed for a long trip and took them all (not likely, IMHO).

3. I don't know if they have a strong POI from camera footage, but I bet they have some footage that narrows the possibilities some. For example, if MT left her house and turned right during a jog, she'd turn up on different cameras than if she turned left. If she shows up on a camera a couple streets away, it narrows a general direction for her run. If she shows up on none of those cameras on the return run, it suggests she didn't get back (via jogging anyways). If it's small town roads like the small town I live in (and the vids suggest it is), they might even have a smaller list of vehicles (suspected colors, makes and models, prob not license plates) that they know were in the same general area as MT.

4. I continue to think the red shirt should not be given much significance unless LE confirm its hers or find her DNA on it. Lots of people have red shirts. That includes farm hands and maintenance people, and those who might use a shirt as a rag. With the whole town looking for Mollie and a red shirt, it's no surprise one turned up.

5. I also don't think the lack of a transportation plan to work is unusual at all for someone living in a small town in this age demographic. I live in a town of 1,200 and grew up in a different town of 1,200. Even though I had a good relationship with my parents and saw them often at that age, I often resisted being pinned down to specific plans just so I could keep my schedule fluid in case something came up. In a town this size, you feel like you know the whole town, so most places you go, there are many familiar people around who are willing to give you a ride. She might not have mentioned any solid ride plans because she herself wasn't too worried about it and was either going to run over in the morning to get the car, call her brother last minute, or catch a ride with a neighbor or former high school friend she knew would be driving to their own workplace in the morning. I don't think it's weird to not have confirmed, specific plans from a person her age.

 

[FindHG]

This is awesome. Thanks for everyone’s efforts.

What about adding “passport” to note re DL and ID, as well as specific device and clothing info?

Agreed, Magz. Awesome work getting done on this thread.

Popmom list:
IA - Mollie Tibbetts, 20, Poweshiek County, 19 Jul 2018 #23

SharNdl videos
IA - Mollie Tibbetts, 20, Poweshiek County, 19 Jul 2018 #23

Otto rad map
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/attachments/mollie-radius-jpg.141854/

 

[Deleted member 155000]

Just throwing out that when I was in college, I sometimes grabbed one ATM card or credit card or $20 AND MY COLLEGE ID from my wallet and left everything else at home.

Okay, I took out the references to the funeral home until someone can track down the source of that information, added the passport, and specifics of her clothing and devices. Sightings, as I understand them, are listed at the bottom.

WHAT WE KNOW​

• Mollie’s jogging clothing is missing – pink sports bra, black shorts & running shoes
• Mollie’s devices are missing – cell phone & armband, FitBit and white earbuds
• she has about 3 different routes and likes to mix them up
• the dogs were in the basement
• Dalton said the door was probably unlocked
• she typically picks up the car at her mom's house before dark
• she went for a run at 7:30
• she usually runs for 45 minutes
• LE reconstructed her run, relying on Fitbit data, cell phone pings and eyewitnesses
• a digital signal led police to the Guernsey farm area
• video was collected from various businesses, including Casey’s
• Mollie's mom was asked by FBI if Mollie was "in a home" at 9:45
• she may have done homework (time unknown & unconfirmed)
• Snapchat appeared to be indoors & taken that day, viewed at 10PM
• Mollie was a creature of habit
• Dalton sent her a text in the morning and she did not respond
• There were no vehicles in the driveway (as there usually would be)
• Her driver's license, passport and debit card were at the house
• Usual evening routine: run, shower/eat or eat/shower, homework, bed
• No signs of a struggle or forced entry

Reported Sightings

1. NH, 7:30 pm - W Pershing Dr
2. RT, time unknown - Jackson St – walking, would have to go N or S
3. DR, 8 pm - East 2nd Street - jogging west toward Casey’s

• DC, time unknown, West St - allegedly told by LE (not an actual sighting!) that MT jogged past his house and made it home

 

[lateott]

Actually not all released info points to the fact she was not taken to the house. DC stated that LE told him that MT had run past his house on her way back to DJ and was doing homework on her computer until late at night. How credible this is we do not know. Someone told him that because he was aware of her computer being on and it set on her online course. Seems pretty credible someone from LE told him that.

Also, you state dogs loose signifies her being home but in the cellar she was gone. NOT if she was just returning home. She's on the property, dogs are in the cellar because she has not released them yet. Was she coming or going we wouldn't know.

As far as what DJ may or may not noticed on SC you are assuming he studied it. I am suggesting he did NOT. Rather that he dismissed it. We do not know if he saw it and went to sleep do we? No, we don't know if he responded because that was never discussed by LE. He may have but it may have been simply him saying goodnight ASSUMING that is what she had SC him.

Do you have kids that are frequently texted or SC. I can tell you from experience that males and females do not always react the same way when they get one from their significant other. Been there and observed first hand my son and both my daughter's getting one. My son is MORE likely to blow off or ignore one from his wife because he assumes it is just her telling him to get home or to do something that he probably doesn't want to do. If it is a FRIEND of his on the other hand he is more likely to pay attention because it is a joke or meme being sent that he finds entertaining. My youngest daughter on the other hand and my oldest to a certain extent is more apt to read into whatever her bf sends her LOL. She is most likely going to analyze it to look at the entire picture to ensure whatever is in the background cooberates where he stated he was going to be and of course to see if anyone is with him. Both daughters text/SC far their s/o and friends more then my son does his wife and friends. I have made the comment to my girls many times do you live on that phone of yours.

I will stick by my belief that it is very possible her bf did not examine the SC and say whatever NOT because he does not care about MT but because they have been dating for 3 years already, not a new relationship. I don't know what their normal SC schedule was but I will stick my neck out and say I believe she SC, texted, FT'd him much more each day then he did her. I really believe this because of her personality, bubbly, giggly, silly, she has a lot of energy and very outgoing. Girls share EVERYTHING while males are not that I don't want to say needy because that is not right but feel the need to be connected 24/7 even in a loving relationship.

Some fair points, and there are always less likely possibilities. My approach is to focus on “most-likelies” and try to keep track of the “also could have happened’s” on the side.

She also very well could have been picked up voluntarily from the house after she got back from running.

I had thought about someone from the coop “watching” and making contact, but the time frame makes it unlikely (there is that word!) that anyone would stay until 9-10 pm, unless some one knows it was routinely staffed later.)

 

[PommyMommy]

i know that these things the would not be made public , but.....

1. was her bed made?
2.which of her shoes are still in the house, its likely a runner would have some specific running shoes?
3.is there a sewer system or a septic tank at the house? i know this is weird but if there is a septic tank there could be some sort of evidence in it?
4. does mt have any chronic injuries that could have flared up and caused her to want a ride?
5. how often where the dogs outside of the house?

@Kapua - Were you the one compiling the list of questions? If so, could these be added and can we see those again? TIA (Sorry if it wasn't you, I'm so terrible with names!)

 

[kkdj]

Could it be that someone paying their bill in person (maybe for the first time ever) noticed Mollie when they hadn't ever before? (iirc they close at 4:00 p.m. so this probably isn't it. ) How far does the co-op area service?

 

[PommyMommy]

Can someone map WC bog area.

WC has a bog?

 

[Q.E.D.]

The video in town starts at about 4:45pm. Worth noting that it was 86 degrees and uncomfortably humid.

The drive past the church made me wonder about other groups of people that would have been familiar with Mollie outside of Brooklyn itself (besides her college peers and anybody she still knows from CA).

As a Catholic, I immediately took note that the mass at St. Patrick on Jackson Street had already begun, and based on the parked cars near the church, it looked well attended. From what I have gathered, Mollie and her family are fairly devout Catholics and are well known in the church—and the parish, like the greater community, has probably been hit really hard by this. I also noticed online that the other church in the parish community is St. Bridget in Victor, IA, about 15 minutes away ( or sure if it is a chapel). I should point out that parishioners from both areas would likely be very familiar with each other as they share resources, programs, and even a priest. And, depending on one’s schedule, you might need to attend mass at the other church — for instance, Saturday mass is only offered in Brooklyn. Or maybe you overslept and need to go to the other church. I am just pointing out another point of contact where people might have significant familiarity with Mollie and her family outside of the more local Brooklyn community.

Although, I haven’t heard of any leads coming out of Victor, IA.

 

[Kapua]

Things we want to know:

1. What was the condition of the house? Door unlocked? Did she normally lock doors? Dogs? Shower used?
2. What time was the Snapchat photo taken?
3. Is the red shirt real evidence or not?
4. What route did Mollie jog that evening?
5. Who was also in that area?
6. Did the surveillance video provide any clues (parked vehicles, etc.)
7. Did LE find anything during their searches?
8. Who else did she communicate with that day/evening? Especially on Snapchat.
9. Who knew her housemates would be away that night?
10. When and where did her phone lose power?
11. What was her eyesight?
12. Did she run with contacts in?
13. How was she getting to work in the morning?
14. Who was the first person to enter the house after Mollie went missing?
15. How long were the dogs believed to have been left alone in the house? Mollie's BF mentioned that when he went into the house, the dogs had plenty of food and water.
16. Were the doors unlocked at the house when the first person entered?
17. Did anyone try to contact her the night of the 18th?
18. What time did Mollie normally leave for work in the morning?
19. Why do police think she was on her computer that night? (I leave mine on for days at a time)
20. Did she ever wear her armband to listen to music while doing homework? (They’re not usually very comfortable, and it seems unlikely she’d wear it for anything other than being outside).
21. Would she have taken the trash out to the curb that night? (Or have some other house chore/reason to be outside after her jog and before she let the dogs out)?
22. Which pair of Mollie's shoes were missing? Running sneakers or work sneakers?
23. Was there food in the West Des Moines house that Mollie could have chosen to eat for dinner rather than going to her mom's house?

 

[MsBetsy]

In order for them to say “this is now a homicide investigation” they would need evidence of this I think, such as blood, witness/confession, etc. So unless there is any of this, I anticipate it will remain open as a MP investigation, moo.

Of course we have no idea what they know so far, or what evidence has been collected. There could still be items that are being analyzed, etc.

So who knows what they will say on Monday! (If not rescheduled)

Correct. I just hope the postponement of 2 PC 's is indicative of just that; they have enough evidence by now to focus the investigation another direction. Meaning some progress has been made. And we have more to work with. Will be so disappointed if we are in the same place we were since the last one.

 

[SteveP]

I believe that’s solar power for the flashers, not a camera. I hope so anyway, I’m not always consistent about completely stopping...

Haha. I did notice, however, that you are pretty consistent about using your turn signals when there is no other traffic in sight! Well done! (I am getting to the age where I use mine even when not planning to turn!) lol. Btw, from this North Carolinian who has never set foot in Iowa, thank you so much for all you did. I now feel even closer to this case than I did before.

 

[jman07]

The drive past the church made me wonder about other groups of people that would have been familiar with Mollie outside of Brooklyn itself (besides her college peers and anybody she still knows from CA).

As a Catholic, I immediately took note that the mass at St. Patrick on Jackson Street had already begun, and based on the parked cars near the church, it looked well attended. From what I have gathered, Mollie and her family are fairly devout Catholics and are well known in the church—and the parish, like the greater community, has probably been hit really hard by this. I also noticed online that the other church in the parish community is St. Bridget in Victor, IA, about 15 minutes away ( or sure if it is a chapel). I should point out that parishioners from both areas would likely be very familiar with each other as they share resources, programs, and even a priest. And, depending on one’s schedule, you might need to attend mass at the other church — for instance, Saturday mass is only offered in Brooklyn. Or maybe you overslept and need to go to the other church. I am just pointing out another point of contact where people might have significant familiarity with Mollie and her family outside of the more local Brooklyn community.

Although, I haven’t heard of any leads coming out of Victor, IA.

Extremely interesting

 

[PommyMommy]

Things we want to know:

1. What was the condition of the house? Door unlocked? Did she normally lock doors? Dogs? Shower used?
2. What time was the Snapchat photo taken?
3. Is the red shirt real evidence or not?
4. What route did Mollie jog that evening?
5. Who was also in that area?
6. Did the surveillance video provide any clues (parked vehicles, etc.)
7. Did LE find anything during their searches?
8. Who else did she communicate with that day/evening? Especially on Snapchat.
9. Who knew her housemates would be away that night?
10. When and where did her phone lose power?
11. What was her eyesight?
12. Did she run with contacts in?
13. How was she getting to work in the morning?
14. Who was the first person to enter the house after Mollie went missing?
15. How long were the dogs believed to have been left alone in the house? Mollie's BF mentioned that when he went into the house, the dogs had plenty of food and water.
16. Were the doors unlocked at the house when the first person entered?
17. Did anyone try to contact her the night of the 18th?
18. What time did Mollie normally leave for work in the morning?
19. Why do police think she was on her computer that night? (I leave mine on for days at a time)
20. Did she ever wear her armband to listen to music while doing homework? (They’re not usually very comfortable, and it seems unlikely she’d wear it for anything other than being outside).
21. Would she have taken the trash out to the curb that night? (Or have some other house chore/reason to be outside after her jog and before she let the dogs out)?
22. Which pair of Mollie's shoes were missing? Running sneakers or work sneakers?
23. Was there food in the West Des Moines house that Mollie could have chosen to eat for dinner rather than going to her mom's house?

Thank you!

Regarding #3 - Mollie's mother told Fox News that the red shirt was not Mollie's.
Tracking the Mollie Tibbetts Story

(From this morning)

 

[gitana1]

Probably we all appreciate the efforts of LE, and maybe that post was phrased a bit over the top. Maybe the frustration comes from lack of results for Molly and her family (and the community, should there be an ongoing risk!)

However, I am not ready to accept without question the competency of government employees, especially at the interface of traditional investigation with modern technology and modern social patterns.

I respect their authority and dogged hours of effort.

But I cannot forget things like the failure to investigate the shooter in FL after he posted his intentions in comments to a YouTube video. Well, the FBI did investigate by sending local agents to the home of the video poster (in Mississippi!) who had no idea who this commenter from FL might be. It was as if the FBI does not know how the internet works. Multiple levels of the FBI: tip line, tip investigator, dispatcher, approver, local agents.

(Please no knee-jerk responses because I don’t want this to veer off topic into a flame war about something I didn’t say. My point is I think there are some pretty smart people here and I think it is fair to dig into the investigative process. There are LE with more info than you, but it is not a given they are making the same connections as you.)

Reports of one among hundreds of thousands of crackpots who post insane things online and have concerned friends or relatives are different from an intenstive missing person's investigation where we know a person is gone, and hundreds of investigators from multiple agencies are involved.

If this was being handled by a smaller, less experienced agency AND we had info that things were not being handled well, ivould understand the criticism.

But to suggest that the evidence in this case should be handed over to the public so the public can investigate because there has been no arrest and Mollie hasn't been found in three weeks, seems rather arrogant.

I keep going back to Katlynn Cargill's case as it's the most recent I can recall where people were just howling about how incompetent LE was. It got to me too and had me second guessing LE. They knew what they were doing all along.

I do think there are bright people here and elsewhere who can come up with things and have indeed helped solve cases or find info. that LE didn't.

If this case goes cold that might be that time for info to be released and for amateurs to see what they can come up with.

 

[Ozoner]

Are there water wells in the area where a perp could dispose of remains? It has happened before in a case here.

Interesting point! There could be some old wells in the area.

It's likely that most homes in the area have septic tanks, too; quite a few victims have been disposed of in those.

 

[otto]

I feel like I suggested that like six threads ago but man this forum is moving fast

On that note @otto you were mentioned as possibly having been the one who said the cameras at the co-op were non-functioning. Know anything about this or no?

That didn't come from me.

Just thinking back to when I first read about it, wasn't it said that people were told about the camera when they paid their bills?

 

[OldCop]

(This is off topic but I have been dyyyyying to share this booboo I saw on tv the other day...it’s almost unbelievable lol...there was a kidnapping case and the kidnapper called for a random request. They traced the number and got a warrant to track the phone...turns out the person filling out the warrant request accidentally wrote down one wrong number so they were tracking the wrong phone the whole time. Ouch....

Then there’s the case of Terrilynn Monette where LE said traffic light cam footage revealed she went in one direction, when really it was the opposite way. Tim Miller searched in a different direction, though close to where she was eventually found, but he said “off an inch, you might had well be off a mile...”.

Point is I’ve seen countless flubberies such as this, often in the lab. So LE does and has made mistakes. Hopefully none are being made here, I would be surprised if they were.)

Of course LE makes mistakes. They are human, right? I don’t think anyone on WS has ever said that they never make mistakes. However, making a mistakes is a far cry from lack of effort, loss of focus, or inability to properly investigate.

 

[Jazzy5980]

Yes, and yes

Fitbit data could be admitted in court through expert testimony.