Found Deceased IA - Mollie Tibbetts, 20, Poweshiek County, 19 Jul 2018 *Arrest* #48

[otto]

I've been searching for that link that described her heart rate spiking, then finally slowing down, and I can't find it either. There was a lot of discussion about it but I can't find which thread it was on.

I only read here, and I remember info about two heart rate spikes. I can't find it right now, but heart rate spikes were followed by heart rate silence within an hour of abduction. I'll keep looking, because when I understood that this was all over in an hour, it gave insight into how fast abduction/rape/murders can occur. And remember, the suspect appeared completely normal following the murder at work the next day.

 

[Megnut]

I only read here, and I remember info about two heart rate spikes. I can't find it right now, but heart rate spikes were followed by heart rate silence within an hour of abduction. I'll keep looking, because when I understood that this was all over in an hour, it gave insight into how fast abduction/rape/murders can occur.

And just how long and terrifying and terrorizing that amount of time can be. Absolute nightmare, absolute monster.

JMO

 

[otto]

And just how long and terrifying and terrorizing that amount of time can be. Absolute nightmare, absolute monster.

JMO

I was shocked today to learn the brutality of the attack. The upthread reference to Dru Sjodin is the same. Brutality beyond belief - a young, kind woman doing what is normal, and she was attacked in the evening with a weapon, abducted, dragged into a field and, in Mollie's case, stabbed in the head causing a wide cut in the skull. It's shocking, especially that he said he had no remorse.



This the neck injury. That testimony reminded me of the Belanglo Forest murders, where there was a cut at the base of the neck, as with slaughtering animals, so that the victim is alive but paralyzed.

 

[otto]

I too am curious whether he is right or left handed. The stab wound in her head is on the right.

If he was facing her at the time, then he's left-handed. If she was facing away from him, then he's right-handed. Knowing whether he is left or right handed tells us whether he was looking at her, or she had her back to him, when that happened.

Was she stabbed in the head at the time of abduction, or was that the last offence as she died?

 

[chihuahua]

This goes out to Mollie Tibbets and her family tonight.
Sunflowers grow everywhere in Iowa.
Chi

 

[geevee]

I too am curious whether he is right or left handed. The stab wound in her head is on the right.

If he was facing her at the time, then he's left-handed. If she was facing away from him, then he's right-handed. Knowing whether he is left or right handed tells us whether he was looking at her, or she had her back to him, when that happened.

Was she stabbed in the head at the time of abduction, or was that the last offence as she died?

I would like to know that as well, he hasn't been taking any notes, like so many defendants we see during trial, so not much way to figure it out on our own.

I also wonder if the defense will recall all of those they asked the judge not to release from their subpoenas, it seemed like they held all of the witnesses from the first day of trial, can't recall if they held any others though.

 

[otto]

I would like to know that as well, he hasn't been taking any notes, like so many defendants we see during trial, so not much way to figure it out on our own.

I also wonder if the defense will recall all of those they asked the judge not to release from their subpoenas, it seemed like they held all of the witnesses from the first day of trial, can't recall if they held any others though.

Does he adjust his chair in the morning? When he wipes the sweat off his left brow - which he has done on camera - which hand does he use. He did that today, but I can't remember which hand he used.

Whatever hand he uses to scratch and fidget, that's his dominant hand. I'm going to watch for it while his lawyers present their case tomorrow.

 

[mickey2942]

After following many cases on WS, I have become more careful.
My dog walks, only round the block, whereas previously, deserted beaches and quiet tracks: locking doors at home etc.
My friends just don't understand.

I had a dog, running with him for protection would have been a joke. He just wanted to lick everyone's hands, and then roll over for a belly rub. Not the world's greatest guard dog. But great with kids.

 

[otto]

I had a dog, running with him for protection would have been a joke. He just wanted to lick everyone's hands, and then roll over for a belly rub. Not the world's greatest guard dog. But great with kids.

The dogs that Mollie was babysitting were left in the basement of her boyfriend's house while she went for a run. She spoke to her mother that late afternoon and planned to stop in at home for a quick meal.

Thing about dogs is that they can be a tripping hazard.

 

[MsBetsy]

Does he adjust his chair in the morning? When he wipes the sweat off his left brow - which he has done on camera - which hand does he use. He did that today, but I can't remember which hand he used.

Whatever hand he uses to scratch and fidget, that's his dominant hand. I'm going to watch for it while his lawyers present their case tomorrow.

I think he's right handed. He used his right hand to take a sip of his water at the beginning of day 3 of the trial.

 

[TL4S]

The heart rate data on the day that she was abducted had to come from the technology expert. The Medical Examiner said that she'd been in the corn field for 5 weeks and she was mostly skeleton. Hour of death is impossible after 5 weeks.

The tech expert was up today, correct? I'm unable to watch the trial in its entirety, but able to catch up with twitter feeds here and there. From what I saw, fitbit was only a mere mention and nothing about her heart rate, etc. Why would that information not be asked about? I guess I thought establishing time of death (if possible, via technology vs examination, etc.) and the location she died would be part of the trial. Is Fitbit inadmissible here?

 

[otto]

I think he's right handed. He used his right hand to take a sip of his water at the beginning of day 3 of the trial.

Right handed. Okay. Her head stab wound injury is on the right side of her head, and, if he's right handed, it was most likely inflicted by his right hand. That suggest to me that he was behind her, or she was turned on her stomach, at the time of that head injury.

 

[otto]

The tech expert was up today, correct? I'm unable to watch the trial in its entirety, but able to catch up with twitter feeds here and there. From what I saw, fitbit was only a mere mention and nothing about her heart rate, etc. Why would that information not be asked about? I guess I thought establishing time of death (if possible, via technology vs examination, etc.) and the location she died would be part of the trial. Is Fitbit inadmissible here?

Maybe it's a question of whether it's worthwhile to try to establish Fitbit data as evidence in the court. Maybe it's an investigative tool. It's well known that Fitbit is not 100% accurate, and that would be a muddy slope to pursue in court.

Not that long ago, finger print evidence and DNA analysis was argued as good evidence and accepted by the courts. Fitbit is not yet that perfect.

 

[MsBetsy]

I too am curious whether he is right or left handed. The stab wound in her head is on the right.

If he was facing her at the time, then he's left-handed. If she was facing away from him, then he's right-handed. Knowing whether he is left or right handed tells us whether he was looking at her, or she had her back to him, when that happened.

Was she stabbed in the head at the time of abduction, or was that the last offence as she died?

He stabbed her five times on the left side of her back so she must have been facedown at that point, and also when she recieved the wound on the side of her head. Imo

 

[MsBetsy]

Right handed. Okay. Her head stab wound injury is on the right side of her head, and, if he's right handed, it was most likely inflicted by his right hand. That suggest to me that he was behind her, or she was turned on her stomach, at the time of that head injury.

Yes, I would think most of the wounds were inflicted in the cornfield. I don't see how she could have been stabbed so many times before he put her in the car without there being blood all over the trunk.

 

[otto]

He stabbed her five times on the left side of her back so she must have been facedown at that point, so that's probably also when she recieved the wound on the side of her head. Imo

There were several cuts to the front of her pink sports top that were interpreted as shallow injuries. Five stab wounds in the back, one on the right side of the head. I missed whether there was testimony about the neck wound angle (right or left). Is the left photo standing and the right top-down view? I can't quite figure out these photos yet.

 

[otto]

Yes, I would think most of the wounds were inflicted in the cornfield. I don't see how she could have been stabbed so many times before he put her in the car without there being blood all over the trunk.

There was blood in the trunk of the suspect's car, but it's obvious given the location of Mollie's shorts, underwear and head band that she was alive in the corn field.

Head wounds cause a lot of blood, more than murderers expect (see: Russell Williams, Jessica). Maybe he hit her in the head with a tire iron to abduct her, and threw it away. Did he have a tire iron in his car for changing a tire?

There's enough blood in the trunk of the car to suggest more than a nose bleed, less than a sliced carotid artery, although that is one of the injuries connected with the neck injury.

 

[MsBetsy]

There were several cuts to the front of her pink sports top that were interpreted as shallow injuries. Five stab wounds in the back, one on the right side of the head. I missed whether there was testimony about the neck wound angle (right or left). Is the left photo standing and the right top-down view? I can't quite figure out these photos yet.

View attachment 298324

I can't really tell by the pictures, either. I thought the ME examiner said that the neck wound may have been consistent with a slashing motion. It was near the jugular and carotid artery. Whatever the case, it was a frenzied, brutal attack.

I don't know how someone escalates to this kind of violent crime without any history of assault or aggressive behavior.

 

[geevee]

There was blood in the trunk of the suspect's car, but it's obvious given the location of Mollie's shorts, underwear and head band that she was alive in the corn field.

Head wounds cause a lot of blood, more than murderers expect (see: Russell Williams, Jessica). Maybe he hit her in the head with a tire iron to abduct her, and threw it away. Did he have a tire iron in his car for changing a tire?

There's enough blood in the trunk of the car to suggest more than a nose bleed, less than a sliced carotid artery, although that is one of the injuries connected with the neck injury.

View attachment 298325

Since we didn't have any testimony of blunt force injuries to her head, only the stab that went through the bone, I don't think he hit her head with anything but the knife (although that was some blow, even with a very sharp knife it must have taken some force to get the blade back out of her skull). Hated imagining that last bit.

I fully agree about her being alive in the cornfield, all of the evidence points to it, the stabs and major blood loss from the neck wounds, the cuts through the sports bra before it being rolled up under her chin, too many bleeding injuries for what we see (or don't see) in the trunk.

 

[MsBetsy]

Since we didn't have any testimony of blunt force injuries to her head, only the stab that went through the bone, I don't think he hit her head with anything but the knife (although that was some blow, even with a very sharp knife it must have taken some force to get the blade back out of her skull). Hated imagining that last bit.

I fully agree about her being alive in the cornfield, all of the evidence points to it, the stabs and major blood loss from the neck wounds, the cuts through the sports bra before it being rolled up under her chin, too many bleeding injuries for what we see (or don't see) in the trunk.

I've always thought he hit her in the head with something, maybe even his fist, to disable her before putting her in the trunk.