Found Deceased IA - Mollie Tibbetts, 20, Poweshiek County, 19 Jul 2018 #28

[MsBetsy]

All this time it never dawn on me it was a laptop. I always assumed it was a desktop with an Ethernet connection.

Funny I didn't think college age kids would have anything OTHER than a laptop.

 

[1987]

You think? It probably won’t be the first time or the last time.

reading here, signed in here, posting here...it normaly doesn't bother me...tonight I went in the bathroom and had to run for my life before my shower curtain had the chance to get me....

 

[Seattle1]

Darn work has gotten in the way of me being able to follow this thread but when did Mollie's last seen clothes description change? On page 1 on this thread, the clothes description is denim shorts and red t-shirt. I thought it was pink sport bra and black capris. TIA.

That's a #232

 

[Deleted member 227095]

Putting aside the meaning of "communications," I think LE could have been mistaken early on.

Here's a scenario: Mollie may have logged into various programs on her computer before she went for her run, and when LE spoke to different people they may have said they logged into the programs at XYZ time and saw Mollie was online. For example, Mollie says she can't go out with her friend because she has to write a paper. Mollie is on Facebook before her run, and her chat status is active. She leaves to run, never comes back. Her friend logs on to FB at 11pm and notices Mollie's chat status is "active." That friend might have honestly and truthfully testified to LE that Mollie said she was staying home to do homework and she was online at 11pm.

Later, when Mollie's computer is forensically investigated, they may have seen that the last activity was actually at 7pm. They believed the initial reports, and the person was being truthful, but the digital evidence did not support it. Based on the evidence, LE may not be able to identify any verifiable message sent or received after she was seen by witnesses (or on camera) on her run.

Agree that your 7 pm scenario is possible. But I still believe the LE statement to be too vague to figure out whether or not MT returned to house or not. The LE statement is simply explaining what they knew at that time and communication term is vague as to whether it included digital communication. All we seem to know is that brother dropped her off at 5:30 pm, some eyewitness accounts of MT on jog during the evening and the dogs were found in the basement by BF when he returned the next day. As doors were unlocked always it seems like she could have returned after jog and either left later that evening with someone she knew or didn't know, continued doing homework until the late evening online or offline and simply not on SM as she was jammed finishing a paper or project or put the dogs in the basement in the morning and left for work with someone. She didn't need to communicate, either verbally or digitally, after her jog. Even though she was very active on SM, maybe this is what LE meant by 'getting to know MT' that maybe she did have periods where she went radio silent on SM. I don't know the answer to any of this but I don't 100% see the conclusion that she never made it home based on the statements we have in MSM and from LE to date.

 

[amland01]

I asked this same question back when this was said. It is a strange comment and I am not sure what she meant by this, or if she misspoke.

I interpreted it to mean that LE was not sharing details with the family or anyone so that it would not jeopardize the investigation. Not knowing who was involved (family or otherwise early on), they didn’t want to potentially tip off the perpetrator.

The wording was a little bit strange, but I don’t think that he meant that he or LE thought family was involved.

MOO

 

[DocBrew]

Putting aside the meaning of "communications," I think LE could have been mistaken early on.

Here's a scenario: Mollie may have logged into various programs on her computer before she went for her run, and when LE spoke to different people they may have said they logged into the programs at XYZ time and saw Mollie was online. For example, Mollie says she can't go out with her friend because she has to write a paper. Mollie is on Facebook before her run, and her chat status is active. She leaves to run, never comes back. Her friend logs on to FB at 11pm and notices Mollie's chat status is "active." That friend might have honestly and truthfully testified to LE that Mollie said she was staying home to do homework and she was online at 11pm.

Later, when Mollie's computer is forensically investigated, they may have seen that the last activity was actually at 7pm. They believed the initial reports, and the person was being truthful, but the digital evidence did not support it. Based on the evidence, LE may not be able to identify any verifiable message sent or received after she was seen by witnesses (or on camera) on her run.

In your example, I'm not sure how LE could determine "active" from "inactive". Seems that they would be seeing the 11pm active status as well. Doesn't mean she was physically there and typing at 11pm, but without pre-existing software on her local machine, how does one determine whether she was or wasn't?

JMO.

 

[Deleted member 227458]

I just wonder if the perp knew Mollie was going to be staying alone because vehicles weren’t outside the house that normally were at that time and the perp knew it would buy him time. He possibly knew people wouldn’t immediately be out looking for Mollie if she didn’t come home from her run. Why was Mollie attacked on that night and not another night? Was it just bad luck at the hands of a random stranger or did the perp know that tonight was the night to strike?

BBM: I wonder if LE is asking themselves that exact same question right now.

 

[Mauig’ma]

I’d like to search this weekend. Are locals allowed to search in areas highlighted by LE?

 

[oldtxlady]

However a murderer chooses to do it. Too many ways to list and I don't even want to think about it.

I was curious because it would mean to look for a freshly dug grave vs buzzards in the sky due to a body left above ground... sad thinking about it... just trying to come up with an idea about where she could be.

 

[who knew?]

No guests would not keep me from posting. It just makes me wonder if at any point in any case, would it be helpful to LE to be able to find out... but yea I get it. Some people don’t want to be involved, just watch

The perp could be on here posting or watching, but so can (and probably are) the investigators. I'm sure they key in on certain posters, maybe even converse with them. So I guess it works both ways.

 

[i'm someone]

Can a perp take off someone's FitBit and wear it? So as to make it look like the person is still alive?

That's what I was initially trying to get an answer on as well, but more along the lines of just making it look like she was still running.

 

[SharonNeedles]

I don't disagree with much of your assessment, but we also have to keep in mind that she may have left the house with someone voluntarily - perhaps even planned - and then it ended badly.

JMO.

Certainly don’t discount that, it remains the most likely scenario.

 

[amland01]

Nice. *dingdingding pick up your check* Post of the day.

"This could also account for her sending a SC at 9:45, just before she went out the door," Does anyone remember DJ's characterizing that last snap as a goodnight type communique? Like, she was saying goodnight? If so, it very well might have been sent to DJ 9:45pm, no? We only know for a fact the snap was not sent post-ten p.m.

I seem to remember early on he did characterize it that way. But based on general comments since then (he fell asleep with phone on his face without responding, tired not paying close attention) that he just interpreted it that way since at glance it seemed innocuous and it was when he was about to fall asleep. I don’t get the feeling that he felt the snap itself said goodnight. I think it was just due to the time of evening that he opened it.

 

[AuctionGal]

Can a perp take off someone's FitBit and wear it? So as to make it look like the person is still alive?

Yes, they could do that. But no one will know unless they have access to the device that it is synced with, like a cell phone or tablet, or they insert the fitbit into the dongle on a computer and sync the information into the fitbit website.

 

[di anna]

When you live an hour away fom your university, that means you are taking an online course.
I don't know where the other students sharing this course live, but it has to be a certain amount for the class to hold. You often are interacting sometimes in joined discussions, sometimes independent and sometimes you have a TA as well as a professor to interact with. Also sometimes you have to meet in person with someone else. Just saying, she did have a life outside of her small town.

 

[Al Hoffman]

There is a lot of discussion of electronic devices, but the obvious question, when and where was the last electronic ping off a tower I don't see mentioned. Most people that age keep their devices on 24 7 so it was probably turned off by another person against her wishes. The first data police would have collected was the last ping so they would know when and where her attacker, if that was the case, became aware of her electronics, assuming there is cellphone coverage throughout the area.

There is a consensus that the last "ping" (geolcation) from MT's phone was from the area near WC's property. This being the likely reason that LE was so interested in the area. I can't cite it, but I saw a MSM video clip of a LE officer, after a search of a hog farm where nothing was found, expressing frustration that this was the last location that her 'Fitbit pinged' (e.g. geolocated). Interestingly, the southernmost 'red dot' on the map of LE areas of interest is just South of this point.

 

[jman07]

The perp could be on here posting or watching, but so can (and probably are) the investigators. I'm sure they key in on certain posters, maybe even converse with them. So I guess it works both ways.

Certainly possible!!

 

[Warwick7]

That's what I was initially trying to get an answer on as well, but more along the lines of just making it look like she was still running.

I found this. Interesting.....

Can another person wear my fitbit? - Fitbit Community

 

[SharonNeedles]

I’d like to search this weekend. Are locals allowed to search in areas highlighted by LE?

I would suspect searches on private property would require permission, and I’m sure LE would prefer to organize the searches.

 

[Kensie]

Seattle, I looked at #232 and it was discussing the spelling of Mollie's middle name. What am I missing?? TIA again.