IA - Mollie Tibbetts, 20, Poweshiek County, 19 Jul 2018 *Arrest* #36

[Pixie Dust]

I'm just not onboard with him lacking emotion. If anyone else watched the court proceeding, you witnessed a man with shame (of some kind) & fear all over his face (and body). He barely looked anyone in the eye, and kept his head down the majority of the time (did someone possibly whisper threats in his ear on the way into the courtroom? Possibly. Heck, part of me hopes so. But, no matter the cause, he was clearly scared). I think it's easy to say only someone with no emotion and no conscience could do something so horrific, but that isn't what I saw when I watched him, so my mental jury is still out. After all, rage is an emotion.

 

[Chebrock]

Looks like there's a creek nearby? Maybe he rinsed off / jumped in that real quick to clean up.

Autopsy....UGH!! He had a knife???
Preliminary autopsy findings show that Mollie Tibbetts was killed by 'sharp force injuries'

I apologize about all the quotes above.

My thoughts on the "sharp force injuries" are that they may not be actually have broken the skin. Maybe she didn't bleed.

 

[bestill]

I did notice on Mollie's obituary they have these dates May 8, 1998 - August 21, 2018. They've also added the service information too:
Mollie C. Tibbetts

 

[cluciano63]

What is with Ws today...

 

[jillycat]

Wow I hadn’t thought of that - is it possible that he did hold her captive for a while and then killed her and put her in the cornfield? That would make this even more horrific. I’m assuming the autopsy would show how long she has been dead? If it showed she was killed more recent than 5 weeks, that would mean he kept her alive a while, right?

I honestly don't think he's innovative enough to successfully keep her captive for 5 weeks. I also don't think that would have been appealing to him. He's a hunter not a captor.

 

[MsBetsy]

why was he trying to say she had a head injury? I think its possible he either hit her on the head, she fell and hit her head, then he took her to the area she was found, SA and then the sharp force injuries. Poor Mollie :*(

To distract from the unspeakable things he DID do to her, I imagine.

 

[TL4S]

It's anyone's guess on what the truth actually is, Based on the map I am leaning towards he got her in the car either by force or talking her into it. Can't figure out the phone unless he knocked it out of her hand and broke it. I don't see him blacking out and driving past his own house so something could have happened there. And who knows when she was placed in the corn field.

Maybe he went home to get his knife.

 

[MntnHiker]

Obviously it's sickening already that she was murdered (and possibly sexually assaulted before that), but to know the cause of death now....how horrid. I am sick over thinking about the end of her short life happening this way.

I also tend to believe IMO that he struck her enough to subdue her and put her in the trunk, then took her into the corn to assault and murder her.

I'm so sorry, Mollie.

 

[DizzyB]

We don't know it was a knife. The info released today did not include info about the weapon.

It could've been a knife, which seems most likely. But that is not a known fact. It could have been an ice pick or stick for all we know.

jmo

And they may have either found the murder weapon and are awaiting forensics to determine, or are still looking for it. Won’t list it as anything until further on.

 

[Inthedetails]

I apologize about all the quotes above.

My thoughts on the "sharp force injuries" are that they may not be actually have broken the skin. Maybe she didn't bleed.

The sharp force injuries are the cause of death, according to the autopsy.

 

[Stormy21]

I apologize about all the quotes above.

My thoughts on the "sharp force injuries" are that they may not be actually have broken the skin. Maybe she didn't bleed.

MEs use precise language. You have to read it as they mean it.

Sharp force injuries are characterized by a relatively well-defined traumatic separation of tissues, occurring when a sharp-edged or pointed object comes into contact with the skin and underlying tissues. Three specific subtypes of sharp force injuries exist, as follows: stab wounds, incised wounds, and chop wounds.

 

[SharonNeedles]

Those are ears, not stalks. He didn't boil her up some roastin' ears, he covered her dead body with corn stalks.

Although he may very well have said he covered her with corn stalks, that’s not going to be technically correct. He would use corn leaves, much easier to just tear off. The stalk itself would not cover much at all.

 

[PrairieWind]

I did notice on Mollie's obituary they have these dates May 8, 1998 - August 21, 2018. They've also added the service information too:
Mollie C. Tibbetts

August 21? Thats interesting. I guess they didn't really know what date to use so they just used the date she was found.

 

[Jeng1810]

I apologize about all the quotes above.

My thoughts on the "sharp force injuries" are that they may not be actually have broken the skin. Maybe she didn't bleed.

Not to get technical but the definition includes “separation of tissue” which would cause blood loss.

 

[Seattle1]

@Pixie Dust said: ↑
I'm a little confused. I keep reading that CR's employer insists he was 'cleared' to work because he gave a fake name. However, the only 'alias' I can find in MSM is Cristhian Bahena, which is actually part of his name. Can anyone clarify this discrepancy for me? TIA.

If he had false identification, I assume his name at work was "Leif Erikson" or something equally ludicrous for a Mexican native.

AFAIK, they haven't released the name he used for employment.
jmo

CR was reportedly gainfully employed, in good standing, for at least 4 years (i.e., earnings reported to fed & state agencies with certain name, ssn without rejection). Reports are stating CR's fake name was "Baena" [Bahena]. There's always a bit a truth to identity fraud, and I see it here. I've not seen where "Cristhian" was part of the fake name. It's very difficult to prove true names for Latin/Central America and Mexico because of their historical use of compound, family names. MOO

 

[1987]

I did notice on Mollie's obituary they have these dates May 8, 1998 - August 21, 2018. They've also added the service information too:
Mollie C. Tibbetts

the dates are interesting. I can see why use that date for more than one reason though.

 

[Lovecats]

I did notice on Mollie's obituary they have these dates May 8, 1998 - August 21, 2018. They've also added the service information too:
Mollie C. Tibbetts

21st?? Does that mean she was kept alive for 3 days??

 

[cvaldez1975]

From what I've read, the death penalty costs tax payers quite a bit more than LWOP. (I'm not arguing for or against, just commenting on tax payer dollars)

New study of Utah’s use of the death penalty suggests life without parole costs less, prompts another call to abolish capital punishment

To execute or not: A question of cost?

it cost at least 3x as much in the 90's and im sure it has skyrocketed since. I did a term paper on it.

 

[jillycat]

I'm just not onboard with him lacking emotion. If anyone else watched the court proceeding, you witnessed a man with shame (of some kind) & fear all over his face (and body). He barely looked anyone in the eye, and kept his head down the majority of the time (did someone possibly whisper threats in his ear on the way into the courtroom? Possibly. Heck, part of me hopes so. But, no matter the cause, he was clearly scared). I think it's easy to say only someone with no emotion and no conscience could do something so horrific, but that isn't what I saw when I watched him, so my mental jury is still out. After all, rage is an emotion.

FWIW, my unfortunate experience with a narcissist/sociopath is that the 'shame' is really about being exposed to others for what you are. These people are obsessed with a fantasy image of themselves.

 

[MyBelle]

This is so awful. I had hope for her to be found alive.

I think his "black out" moments are really fits of rage, he most likely uses the term "black out" as a cover. I bet his mothers knows exactly what he's capable of.

He didn't say he had a black out, he said he then "blocked" his "memory." This makes no sense whatsoever. One can't intentionally "block" their memory and then remember the act of blocking but not remember what was blocked.

All of his babblespeak tells me is that he's likely committed previous crimes.