IA - Mollie Tibbetts, 20, Poweshiek County, 19 Jul 2018 *Arrest* #39

[Anthony D]

Again, there is probably something wrong with them. It is certainly not normal to stalk, run down, sexually assault, and stab someone multiple times with a sharp object, and afterwards hide the body under a bunch of corn stalks!

While it hasn't been proven that he didn't SA mollie, it hasn't been proven that he did either yet there are so many posts that just add it in like its a known fact that he did. We have no evidence showing that at this point.

As far as we know anything from the "chasing Mollie" to "finding her in the trunk with a bloody side of the head" is in the black/blockout period.

I am sure we will find out a lot more eventually, but I just wouldn't make any assumptions at this point.

 

[MassGuy]

I don't think it's that rare...maybe for you if you are a guy. Otherwise it is not that rare. Female by themselves must be constantly aware...just doing everyday things.

Statistically, hence, “on the whole” the number of women murdered while jogging is low in terms of the number of women who jog. The point is that if you are running, you are far more likely to not be murdered (huge understatement), than be murdered.

It doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t take precautions, or that this should ever happen (obviously).

 

[gliving]

Snatching a phone in San Francisco from a stranger in order to sell it is a far cry from snatching a phone in a town of 1500 people. She probably knew who he was and at minimum, saw the car.

I'm going to go with there was as much of a possibility he stalked her to take her phone as there was he went after her to ask her what time it was.

I don't think CR abducted Mollie to take her phone to sell. I do ask why a FBI agent asked Mollie's mom if Mollie was "in a house" at 9:30 pm. Was it from digital data? idk.

 

[MsBetsy]

Like Massguy said, it may be increased coverage, but a lot of women I've discussed this case with have had the attitude of, "Well, you just can't go out jogging, cuz that's when they grab 'ya." The last neighbor who said this to me- when we discussed risk factors- (I said MT had NONE) I wanted to say to her, well, yeah, you gonna be ok walking to your car after we finish talking? Cuz that's how they grab 'ya.

I mean ffs where do we draw the line, we women? Do we just not ever leave our houses again? Then when they, whoever they may be, break in, do we say, well, you just didn't have a good enough alarm system, cuz that's how they grab 'ya?

That said, I remember that cultural moment when it became a *never do* around hitchhiking- both picking them up & doing it yourself. My mom used to pick up hitchhikers with us kids in the car no problem. Then we started driving past 'em. Made her feel really bad. We kids were like oh come on, just stop the car. >shivers

And of course, hitchhiking puts you at a much greater risk than jogging. Unless they are known to you. I remember when hitchhiking became the (forbidden) thing to do too and it was no longer a common sight. When I was a teenager, it wasn't uncommon in certain places, such as the Hamptons in NY. I remember hitchhiking with a friend and we got picked up by a couple who were on their way to opening their new restaurant. We didn't think anything of it. They took us to their restaurant, gave us free drinks, and we hung out drinking margaritas and listening to music till 2:00 in the morning, then hitched home. One of the best times I had! Now I'd be called an moron for doing that.

 

[Anthony D]

Can someone explain rationale that has been posted (probably countless times... apologies but have missed this weekend threads) for scenario of 1) abduction at Mission/ Boundary, 2) CR then drives East, 3) assaults on 385 near 200, puts body in trunk, 4) then drives 10+ miles to cornfield. I just don’t get the intermediate stop at 385 & 200, presumed assault, & the added risk of being spotted outside vehicle twice. Can someone weigh in with logic?

I thought it was :

Follow in car
Get out of car try talking
Get denied and told the police will be called
Chase after her
Abduction/throw in trunk/blocked out details
Remove from trunk
Drag/Carry Body
Cover with corn leaves
Leave the scene.

I don't remember an extra stop being mentioned in-between the abduction and removing her from the trunk.

 

[Al Hoffman]

LE could get lucky and have some on her clothes or hair possibly?

Absolutely. If LE is lucky, I think that the chances of finding the perp's DNA on any of MT's clothes is much better than from her body.

As far as DNA is concerned, what they have to work with, is what they have to work with, as in what did the circumstances leave to analyze. DNA keeps best in a clean, cool, dry environment; the exact opposite of where the body was found, and after 33 days of decomp what you get is what you got. Questions to consider are were the clothes on the body, or were they in a pile protected from the elements, away frm the mire and soup and insect activity of the decomposing body.

However, the FBI has some of the best forensic labs in the world, and access to the rest through colligeal relationships. Also, amazing advances have been made in just how minute a quantity of DNA that can now be detected. If it can be done, the FBI will do it; and it is an honest forensic lab and will only report what they find.

The problem is that DNA is made from the same stuff as the rest of your body like sugars, amino acid residues and phosphates, stuff that bacteria were made to digest. There is nothing special that protects DNA from this kind of degradation, and you are looking for a very small quantity of perp DNA in a sea of trillions of hungry bacteria when talking about MT's body. When talking about the clothes, bacteria and mold can also degrade DNA from sweat, skin cells, and skin oil found on the shirt; stuff that bacteria like to eat - this is what contributes to body odor. Perhaps the best hope is to find hair from the perp with an attached follicle, that might keep the best.

This is my best informed opinion, and if anyone out there can find better in wiki, please share or give your own.

 

[Tiger Stripes]

I believe that what he said was this " I blacked out." When LE made the statement " He blocked it out," that is just the way he pronounced it. As someone said the short a in Spanish is pronounced " ah" like el gato. Or block. Many times, especially with the younger generation, they add an extra ed to a word ending in ed. For example, the word asked is pronounced, " ask ded " so blacked would be pronounce "blackded " I have heard this over and over. It sounds weird to us ( that's why I always notice it.) So " He blocked it out", is Rivera saying, " I blahck ted out. In other words , " I blacked out". It would be so much easier to say than write, but that's the best I can do. I hear it ALL the time. It may not be the case, but it sure would help clear things up if it is.

Ding, ding, ding! As one with experience teaching ESL to non-native speakers of English, I totally concur, MsBetsy!

Also, Al Hoffman's earlier comments re: CR's "cultural milieu" were insightful; thanks to both Al & MsBetsy for sharing from their own experiences and knowledge. Yet another thing I love about WS and its members!
==
IIRC someone mentioned earlier about the tendency of some non-native speakers of English to "pretend" that they don't truly understand native English speakers' conversations. Totally agree! Have often observed/experienced this in my own experiences both here and overseas while teaching ESL. Additionally, such a ploy can be used by those wishing to skip over having to take responsibility for their actions -- and the expected outcome of those actions.

NB: I do *not* hereby refer to those non-native speakers of English who find themselves in life-or-death settings, i. e., medical settings, such as hospital ERs -- where the non-fluent individuals urgently need to know English vocabulary that far surpasses that of "everyday" conversational English. Thus the need of a professional interpreter. This also applies in legal settings -- and with good reason (i. e., life-or-death decisions). Nevertheless, at least one of us on the WS site still finds troubling CR's near-silence in the courtroom, even to reply with an affirmative or a negative to the presiding judge. Perhaps he was waiting to hear through his headphones the *exact* meaning of what the judge was saying. Yet...none of those in Brooklyn who spoke w/CR mentioned having spoken in Spanish with him. And Mollie's family members (sorry, can't recall exact on-line article I read) have stated that for her "foreign language", she chose sign language (which is very cool). She very well *may* have known some words in Spanish, but...I have a strong sense that, when she asked him to stop pestering her (or whatever she said to him on her run on July 18th), she said it *in English*. All JMOO. (Still thinking about "intent to harm", and CR's ability to comprehend "everyday" English.)

 

[MsBetsy]

and we also don't know if it appeared her pants were up to her waist or hip bones or down around her ankles. if still up by her hip bones, then he probably didn't SA her, but if down around her ankles, then well I'd say he did.

Good point! I think it possible they may have been able to tell that, unless of course it had been moved by animals or something .

 

[Seattle1]

Hey Seattle1, where’s the DR video bypass thingamajig you mentioned? I’m on iPhone & don’t see it...

@JudgeJoe -- Not sure about the "mobile" edition but looking at the screen of PC, there's a "Des Moines Register" toolbar at the very top of page with about 9 tabs i.e., home, news, sports, things to do, etc., and in the center of the toolbar list is a camera icon (I think it's a camera). If you select the camera, the blue paywall goes away and the page is now "Videos" and "Photo Galleries." So far I can view videos and photos without subscription but can't read news articles without the paywall since I long ago reached my "10." Also, let me know if this works on mobile. Thanks!

 

[feralwriter]

O/T, but I wonder, does anyone know if WS has any kind of self-defense thread we ladies can talk in? Cuz it seems there's a lot of interest in this topic for us?

p.s. I believe they will find his dna.

 

[Peaches96]

I don't think CR abducted Mollie to take her phone to sell. I do ask why a FBI agent asked Mollie's mom if Mollie was "in a house" at 9:30 pm. Was it from digital data? idk.

Is it possible CR took Mollie’s phone home, turned it on quickly for whatever reason and that’s where a 9:30pm ping came from?

 

[JudgeJoe]

FWIW, here's a link to a page showing the 22 applicants for the upcoming Iowa Supreme Court vacancy:

2018 Applicants for Judicial Vacancy | Iowa Judicial Branch

Please note the application of attorney Allan Richards of Tama, Iowa. For those who may be interested, here's the file:

This nimrod must not think he has much of a realistic chance for appointment since he’s taken on a.... what? 18-36 month trial commitment?

 

[MsBetsy]

Ding, ding, ding! As one with experience teaching ESL to non-native speakers of English, I totally concur, MsBetsy!

Also, Al Hoffman's earlier comments re: CR's "cultural milieu" were insightful; thanks to both Al & MsBetsy for sharing from their own experiences and knowledge. Yet another thing I love about WS and its members!
==
IIRC someone mentioned earlier about the tendency of some non-native speakers of English to "pretend" that they don't truly understand native English speakers' conversations. Totally agree! Have often observed/experienced this in my own experiences both here and overseas while teaching ESL. Additionally, such a ploy can be used by those wishing to skip over having to take responsibility for their actions -- and the expected outcome of those actions.

NB: I do *not* hereby refer to those non-native speakers of English who find themselves in life-or-death settings, i. e., medical settings, such as hospital ERs -- where the non-fluent individuals urgently need to know English vocabulary that far surpasses that of "everyday" conversational English. Thus the need of a professional interpreter. This also applies in legal settings -- and with good reason (i. e., life-or-death decisions). Nevertheless, at least one of us on the WS site still finds troubling CR's near-silence in the courtroom, even to reply with an affirmative or a negative to the presiding judge. Perhaps he was waiting to hear through his headphones the *exact* meaning of what the judge was saying. Yet...none of those in Brooklyn who spoke w/CR mentioned having spoken in Spanish with him. And Mollie's family members (sorry, can't recall exact on-line article I read) have stated that for her "foreign language", she chose sign language (which is very cool). She very well *may* have known some words in Spanish, but...I have a strong sense that, when she asked him to stop pestering her (or whatever she said to him on her run on July 18th), she said it *in English*. All JMOO. (Still thinking about "intent to harm", and CR's ability to comprehend "everyday" English.)

Great points! See what happens when we put our heads together?!

 

[gregjrichards]

Apologies if this has been asked before but what is the normal time scale we could expect the case to go to trial in Iowa? I just wondered if anyone had a rough idea but I know every case is different. I hope the ordeal of a trial is over ASAP for Mollie’s loved ones.

 

[MassGuy]

Is it possible CR took Mollie’s phone home, turned it on quickly for whatever reason and that’s where a 9:30pm ping came from?

If that were the case, it would have likely lead police to his house early on in the investigation. I think he got rid of it around the time he dumped Mollie.

 

[Cardinal47]

There may be a postponement but whenever it does happen we will get a bit more info.

Seems to me when there is a postponement it's for months!

 

[MsBetsy]

Is it possible CR took Mollie’s phone home, turned it on quickly for whatever reason and that’s where a 9:30pm ping came from?

That's an interesting possibility!

 

[JudgeJoe]

O/T, but I wonder, does anyone know if WS has any kind of self-defense thread we ladies can talk in? Cuz it seems there's a lot of interest in this topic for us?

p.s. I believe they will find his dna.

YESSSS! And for men too. I can think of several college age young men taken too soon from foul play. Safety is gender blind.

 

[gliving]

Or by dragging her, it pulled her pants down.

I think there will be foreign dna on her sports top.

 

[bcom32]

I don't remember an extra stop being mentioned in-between the abduction and removing her from the trunk.[/QUOTE]

That’s my belief too, but there was debate/speculation late last week about an intermediate stop closer to abduction site, somewhere along 385 where a potential SA may have occurred before the final hide at cornfield.