Found Deceased IA - Mollie Tibbetts, 20, Poweshiek County, 19 Jul 2018 #7

[JB225]

We don’t know what type of contacts she wore. If they were dailies, she might have had a few pair at the house. She apparently stayed there often/sort of lived there with the boyfriend. We don’t know for sure that she DIDN’T have a pair in - we have only been told “her contacts and glasses” were there. If she wore monthlies or whatever, that’s a different story. Just throwing that out there.

 

[Deleted member 227095]

Where was she last seen?
Jogging while house sitting

Not much solid news today sadly. The interview of the father is worth a look and was frankly heartbreaking. LE did make the announcement of press conference tomorrow at 1:30 which could be helpful. Gossip and speculation unfortunately continue on other sites unabated.

 

[Normancita]

I’m leaning toward stranger abduction, but....

I know Mollie worked at a medical facility in the day camp.....maybe someone in the center did this to her? I worked at the University of Nebraska Med Center in Omaha back in college.

There was a guy who was a food service worker that stalked me, even though I worked at the birth registry counter!

My point is, there are lots of eyeballs and lots of moving parts, always coming and going in a med center.

 

[otto]

But is it confirmed about the dogs? Or just a rumor?

I just don’t get why she didn’t have glasses on. Especially if they were neatly sitting on her bed stand/bathroom counter to indicate she put them there.

If her glasses were on her night stand, were the dogs in the basement? She wouldn't leave the dogs in the basement if she was taking off her glasses to go to bed.

Where were the dogs when investigators arrived on July 19?

 

[brainstorm2018]

My apologies. Just in from my country fair.
11,880 donuts and 12 hours later (wonderful volunteers and customers, all benefits community fire cos. and EMS outside Philly PA) 5 days left

Community

Websleuths
Brooklyn IA and beyond
Working together for Mollie, family and one another.
Great

I'm about thousand posts behind with quick glean. See PC called for Tues.

I'd like now to speak to MT's dad and LE request for tips called in and hope Mollie alive.

Case in DE 1998. Individual (in daylight, in neighborhood alone with pop of Brooklyn) shot/killed man in yard. Abducted wife from in home. LE had no trace to go on. Individual carried on daily work schedule while holding wife captive. Multi layers of LE (town, county, state). It was even considered wife was involved. 5 days later woman freed herself, called 911, suspect captured, ordeal ended.

Thus, i give utmost respect to LE as investigation continues for MT.
Great chance darkness and remote area compounds difficulty solving.

Hence pleas for calling in slightest of tips. Never know what cobbled together, results might be produced.

Thanks for reading
Keep the faith

 

[Normancita]

Im of the opinion that she met with foul play and was probably deceased before she was even reported missing, but this is certainly plausible too.

Even if she went to Walmart or something, for them to know that she was there would take the loss prevention staff watching everyone enter and recognizing her. If she's out of state I don't think it'd be all that hard to blend in.

Her leaving without wallet, contacts or glasses and no car makes it less likely but stranger things have happened.

Hmmmmm...could she have been planning to buy a dessert for the coworker’s birthday party on Friday instead of baking something at her mom’s?

With no car, could she have gone for a quick walk to the local grocery store? Not sure about the area, what’s near or how late things are open...but maybe she was abducted at that point.

 

[Detective Willy]

I think she made it back to the house after the jog. How do we not know that maybe she was trying to do homework and left the dogs in the basement so as not to be bothered? OR she was lured out later that night and put them up first and never returned (less likely since she didn’t bother grabbing glasses). OR someone who knew the dogs and the routine put the dogs up after taking her. Someone could have returned to the house after whatever happened happened and put the dogs up as to make things look normal. Anyone who knew the routine could’ve done that - and I’m sure a lot of people knew the routine. OR there is more than one perpetrator and one of them put the dogs up as the other was doing whatever.

After reading almost everything on this case including all of the threads and the news articles that I can find, my theory is that she did make it home from the jog. Different relatives are saying this not just the brother. I believe that somebody has followed her home from running and waited or came back to the house later waiting for an opportunity to attack. Maybe Mollie was in bed or heard a noise outside or a doorbell ring hence was not wearing any glasses or contacts. She seems to be happy and stable in her life to take off like this, particularly with an overseas holiday to the Dominican Republic coming up in a few days. I think she was excited, not down so have ruled out that she has voluntarily taken off.

 

[otto]

Anyone know where the dogs were found when police arrived at the house-sit location?

Were they in the basement?

My impression is that they were in the basement, but does anyone have a quote from a reliable source to confirm this?

 

[SecretGarden]

After reading almost everything on this case including all of the threads and the news articles that I can find, my theory is that she did make it home from the jog. Different relatives are saying this not just the brother. I believe that somebody has followed her home from running and waited or came back to the house later waiting for an opportunity to attack. Maybe Mollie was in bed or heard a noise outside or a doorbell ring hence was not wearing any glasses or contacts. She seems to be happy and stable in her life to take off like this, particularly with an overseas holiday to the Dominican Republic coming up in a few days. I think she was excited, not down so have ruled out that she has voluntarily taken off.

I agree with your theory, just some small things bother me. Wasnt she was supposed to go home for dinner that night, but never did? That seems very out of her reported character.

 

[Deleted member 227095]

Thirteen days later, finally a real news conference. I'm mulling over the reasons;

• Strategic announcement designed to make someone squirm.
• Really have no idea what happened to Mollie, and want to renew interest in submitting tips.
• Release limited details to quell the rumor mills, and improve public perception of the investigation.

Or, maybe it will just be a repetitive bunch of "we can't comment on that right now" ...

The press release had the State of Iowa report on Missing Persons attached in a pdf file. Given that the national and world press (I saw references to Iowa crime in Germany, UK and France press today!) have been hammering away at crime stats in Iowa my guess is this will be a focus. The perception of Iowa crime needs to be addressed as frankly on paper it looks horrific (look at juvi stats in particular). Also, the Senator from Iowa getting involved in the case and discussing the human traffic issue is generating press. Iowa has alot to lose by being perceived as a hotbed of juvi missing persons, sex traffic and I-80 drug traffic. A New Yorker commented on a New York Times chat page today that thank god they didn't live in a crime filled state like Iowa! Can you imagine?!

 

[slowpoke]

“What they have told us is their search is significant and aggressive,” Rob Tibbetts said. “It's nationwide.”

It's still unclear if Mollie Tibbetts returned to her boyfriend's house after her jog on July 18. Investigators said they do not want to reveal what they call the "solid timeline" they've pieced together.

“They don't want to give anybody an advantage who might be involved in this,” Rob Tibbetts said.

'Just come home': Mollie Tibbetts' father shares emotional plea

This article is dated today, 7/30, and it says the investigators don’t want to reveal their solid timeline. And Mr. Tibbetts says it is because they don’t want to tip off anyone who may be involved.

So, as others have suggested, what will they reveal at the press conference tomorrow?

I think investigators know a lot. Interesting how he says their search is nationwide. Hmm..

 

[gitana1]

I don't think we have any substantiated information from LE on exactly why the farms were searched. SM was full of speculation as to why the farms were searched but LE said little to nothing to explain what led them to the farms. Sure it could have been a tip or gossip on SM. But IMO it seems logical that LE was instead following the cell data or fitbit to the farms as it was probably around that time that the data started to flow in following the legal process that had to be followed to gather the digital data. Its also possible that camera footage along the main routes (to the extent it exists) might have led them to the farms. This is all speculation on my part but I would bet that the assumptions I'm making about timing of what information was available to LE during this period isn't far off. It also might not be a big logical leap to think that they were following an individual or truck to the farms. What I thought was interesting though was that shortly after the farms were searched that LE went radio silent and never issued any warnings to the local population about safety awareness. My guess is that MT was out of Brooklyn by this time and LE knew it and was doing their best to track her. I just pray she is still alive.

Precisely. It was right after they stated they obtained data from her electronics that they conducted those searches.

I don't believe for a moment it was from tips or gossip from social media.

 

[JudgeJoe]

First comment on this case....

I agree it’s not human trafficking. Like, not at all. I live in a city with one of the largest human trafficking problems because we have the largest and busiest airport. My husband is a commercial pilot. We learn a lot from the news here about how to spot human trafficking. He is also highly trained on how to spot it on planes and in the airport. She does not fit the profile one bit. Not at all.

I know we are not allowed names or anything of that sort, but I have my theory, and it’s seeming to me it is definitely someone known to her. The whole left without contacts/glasses (my daughter does it all the time when in a hurry or lazy) sounds to me like she either left in a hurry or someone came in while she was asleep or knocked on the door after she had gotten into bed. She would be wearing the Fitbit to bed for sleep monitoring. The phone could have been grabbed by her or the perpetrator. If she were lured out, they probably knew she had it but took it from her. Who knows. But....I completely think this was done by someone she knew pretty well - maybe even a prank or someone just getting mad at her and it all goes wrong/a little too far. I’m totally not thinking a sex offender.

Side note: I didn’t have time to read through the entire thread. What does the father do? Does he make good money? Ransom worthy? I don’t think this was an abduction, though.

Another side note: has it been said that she ever wanted to move to a larger city (say San Francisco near dad) to work after college? What were her aspirations? Did she want to get out of the small town? She seemed pretty darn close to her father and seemed excited about her “new family”. Edited to add: someone might be mad about this idea of leaving Iowa.

Could be. Ppl were angry with me when I left Iowa. I think some ppl experienced it as some sort of insult or betrayal. It was bizarre.

 

[otto]

Like a relative?

As in "totally wild shot in the dark?"

 

[Normancita]

One more thing...

Being from Nebraska originally and having a decent enough understanding of rural areas, I have to wonder if they’ve checked wells and old coal mine shafts.

 

[gitana1]

Not much solid news today sadly. The interview of the father is worth a look and was frankly heartbreaking. LE did make the announcement of press conference tomorrow at 1:30 which could be helpful or not. Speculation is that press conference will be very focused on the missing person stats for the State of Iowa. If you want to look at the report that will no doubt be discussed in excruciating detail then go to the press release and its attached as a pdf file. Gossip and speculation unfortunately continue on other sites unabated.

I can't watch the interview with the dad. I'm too sad for him.

 

[Deleted member 227095]

Anyone know where the dogs were found when police arrived at the house-sit location?

Were they in the basement?

My impression is that they were in the basement, but does anyone have a quote from a reliable source to confirm this?

I think one of the relatives has commented on the dogs being in the basement and ok. I recall hearing this in one of the short interviews on one of the local stations (think it was either Fox or CBS). Sorry, I cannot recall.

 

[otto]

Precisely. It was right after they stated they obtained data from her electronics that they conducted those searches.

I don't believe for a moment it was from tips or gossip from social media.

Not all tips are phone calls. Tips are "clues" that police use to investigate crimes like an abduction. I would guess that the "tip" that led to the farm searches is digital footprint. What's the alternative?

 

[Deleted member 227095]

I can't watch the interview with the dad. I'm too sad for him.

I hear you! I watched it because we haven't heard much from him and because he is supposedly very close to his daughter. I wanted to understand the family dynamic a bit better and so watching his interview was helpful. My sense is that MT was super close to her father while the brothers not so much. Divorce is always tricky for kids and it certainly seems like its impacted this poor family.

 

[WildcatRunner]

How much money she might have had is unknown, especially if she had a mad-money stash like every one of us should have. Riding as a passenger she wouldn’t even need to get out of a car, pull up a hoodie and nobody sees anything. In 10 hours she could be Dallas, TX before anybody even knows she’s missing.

She's a 20 year old college student, I don't think at that age and place in her career she'd have the ability to have a "mad money" stash.