IA - Mollie Tibbetts,20, Poweshiek County - MEDIA, MAPS & TIMELINES - NO DISCUSSION

[PommyMommy]

AUGUST 22, 2018
Mollie Tibbetts murder suspect told police he'd seen her before

Police didn't definitively say Rivera and Tibbetts were strangers. "He tells us that he had seen her before but beyond that, I can't tell you anymore," said Rahn.

Police sifted through more than 4,000 tips but say the big break came over a week ago when investigators obtained surveillance video of Tibbetts jogging and noticed a black Chevy Malibu following her. Police traced the car to Rivera and brought him in for questioning on Monday.

 

[PommyMommy]

AUGUST 21, 2018
Autopsy Wednesday to Determine Mollie Tibbetts’ Cause of Death

A criminal complaint in the case says the video showed Mollie jogging in the area of Boundary and Middle streets and a black Chevy Malibu that drove back and forth in the area several times. Investigators were able to determine the car belonged to 24-year-old Christhian Bahena Rivera.

Investigators contacted him Monday and he admitted to making contact with Mollie while she was running and said he pursued her in his vehicle.

Rivera described Mollie’s clothing to investigators and then described how and where he hid Mollie’s body.

 

[PommyMommy]

AUGUST 22, 2018 - Map of the area where Mollie was abducted
Mollie Tibbetts case mystified police until a security camera offered a key clue - CNN

They watched the footage for hours before they could spot Tibbetts, said Rick Rahn, a special agent in charge at the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

The footage showed her running through an area east of Brooklyn and a car moving close to her. The black Chevy Malibu drove back and forth numerous times before it just started following her, according to an affidavit.

They linked the car to Rivera and "from that we were able to track his pattern in the routes in which he took," Rahn said.

 

[PommyMommy]

AUGUST 22, 2018
Neighbor's Security Footage Helped Detectives Crack Mollie Tibbetts Case, Investigator Says

Rahn said an autopsy is planned to take place today but it will take authorities four to six weeks to receive the final results.

 

[PommyMommy]

AUGUST 22, 2018
'A tragic end' to Mollie Tibbetts case: How Iowa jogger's killing was solved

Slain jogger Mollie Tibbetts and her alleged killer lived in the same rural Iowa town but it’s unclear whether they knew each other, investigators say.

Either way, "there was something that drew him to her," Mitch Mortvedt of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation told ABC News Wednesday.

"Mollie was a sweet girl," added Katie Murphy, principal at the Corpus Christi School where Tibbetts was a former student. "The best gift we can give is to be a little like Mollie today."

 

[PommyMommy]

AUGUST 22, 2018 - Today Show Video
Missing Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts found dead, undocumented immigrant confesses

Cristhian Bahena Rivera, a 24-year-old undocumented immigrant from Mexico, has been charged with the murder of Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts. Tibbetts, 20, had been missing for more than a month before Rivera told police he “pursued” Tibbetts during her jog, at one point parking his vehicle and running alongside her. At some point, he said, he blacked out and realized he put her body in the back of his car. Tibbetts’ body was found in a cornfield. NBC’s Ron Mott reports for TODAY.

 

[Barb Wire]

A first-degree murder charge was filed Tuesday against 24-year-old Cristhian Rivera, an undocumented immigrant, Rick Rahn of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation said. He is due to appear in court Wednesday.

A body recovered Tuesday morning in a farm field is believed to be Tibbetts, Rahn said, but the identity has not yet been confirmed.

(MORE: Suspect in Mollie Tibbetts' murder passed background check despite immigration status, employer says)

After Tibbetts vanished July 18, and her disappearance turned from days into weeks, federal and state investigators joined the search in the small town.

"Ultimately, what led us to Mr. Rivera was surveillance video from a residence here in the community of Brooklyn," Mortvedt said.

The video was found late last week, Mortvedt said, and "investigators went through the video and it took hours and hours and hours, frame by frame ... and eventually saw Mollie."

The video showed Tibbetts’ jogging and Rivera's car going by, officials said, and Rivera was tracked down by investigators Monday.

(MORE: Dad of missing Iowa jogger Mollie Tibbetts 'reluctantly' returns home to California as investigation continues)


yahoo.com

 

[PommyMommy]

AUGUST 22, 2018
CBS Live Stream: Cristhian Rivera appears in court

KCCI Live Stream
Authorities hold news conference in Mollie Tibbetts case

 

[PommyMommy]

AUGUST 22, 2018
Mollie Tibbetts’ Family Releases Statement

“Our hearts are broken.

On behalf of Mollie’s entire family, we thank all of those from around the world who have sent their thoughts and prayers for our girl. We know that many of you will join us as we continue to carry Mollie in our hearts forever.

At this time, our family asks that we be allowed the time to process our devastating loss and share our grief in private.

Again, thank you for the outpouring of love and support that has been shared in Mollie’s name. We remain forever grateful.”

 

[PommyMommy]

AUGUST 22, 2018
The suspect in Mollie Tibbetts' killing held on $5 million bail

Rivera, 24, was arraigned on first-degree murder charges and his bond was set at $5 million. His next court hearing is scheduled for August 31.

Rivera, a Mexican man who officials said came to the US illegally, largely remained silent, answering yes or no questions in Spanish through an interpreter. His defense attorney, Allan Richards, said Rivera came to the US as a minor, held a job in the community and has no prior criminal record.

An autopsy to determine when and how Tibbetts died is planned for Wednesday. The final autopsy results are expected in four-eight weeks, although some preliminary results may be available in the next few days, according to Mitch Mortvedt, assistant director of the Iowa Department of Public Safety.

 

[PommyMommy]

AUGUST 22, 2108
Mollie Tibbetts murder suspect makes first court appearance, Tibbetts family releases statement

Rivera was mostly stoic and looked straight ahead in the courtroom. He wore headphones and used an interpreter when the judge spoke, only answering "Yes" when asked if he understood the proceeding. Later, given another chance to speak, Rivera declined.

Rivera's lawyer, Allan Richards, filed a motion for a private hearing, after an earlier defense motion for a gag order was rejected. Richards argued the case had already become too politicized.

 

[BUF]

Watch Replay: Yarrabee Farms holds press conference on Cristhian Rivera employment

 

[PommyMommy]

AUGUST 22, 2018
UPDATE: US official: No record Rivera has legal status

The manager of a dairy farm that employed the man charged with killing an Iowa college student says he has received dozens of threatening phone messages and other contacts in the last 24 hours, including death threats.

Dane Lang, manager of Yarrabee Farms in Brooklyn, Iowa, says one person threatened to kill his dog and another said he would burn down his farm buildings. Lang says, "this is a really scary situation."

The farm employed Cristhian Bahena Rivera for four years but knew him by a different name, which he did not disclose.

Government officials say Rivera was in the country illegally but his defense lawyer says he had the proper papers to work in the U.S.

 

[PommyMommy]

AUGUST 22, 2018
Farm that hired Cristhian Rivera, Mollie Tibbetts' suspected killer, did not use E-Verify system, official says

Yarrabee Farms co-owner and manager Dane Lang clarified Tuesday afternoon that the farm did not use a federal E-Verify check on suspect Cristhian Rivera, despite the company's claim earlier in the day that it did.

Lang said Rivera provided a state-issued photo identification and social security card. “We learned that our employee was not who he said he is.”

 

[Barb Wire]

MONTEZUMA, Iowa (AP) — Attorneys in the case of a Mexican man accused of killing an Iowa college student sparred Wednesday over the suspect's immigration status, and a defense lawyer lashed out at President Donald Trump for suggesting that his client is guilty in comments that he said would "poison" the entire jury pool.

So far, prosecutors are standing by their allegations that Cristhian Bahena Rivera, 24, was in the country illegally when he abducted and killed Mollie Tibbetts, a 20-year-old student whose body was found Tuesday. Prosecutors have charged Rivera with first-degree murder, and he's being held on a $5 million bond.

But Rivera's lawyer filed paperwork arguing that Rivera had legal status to be in the country, and he referred to comments by an employer that believed Rivera was able to work at a nearby dairy. In the documents, defense attorney Allan M. Richards noted Trump's use of the case to rail against the nation's immigration system.<snip>

Shortly after his arrest, investigators stated that Rivera did not have legal status, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials lodged an immigration detainer for Rivera, a move that means the agency has probable cause to believe he is subject to deportation.
On Tuesday night, the owners of the dairy farm said they had confirmed Rivera's immigration status with an E-Verify electronic status check. But on Wednesday, the dairy owners said Rivera was hired under a different name after presenting an out-of-state photo identification and a matching Social Security card.

The employer, Yarrabee Farms, ran it through a Social Security verification system.
more at
Attorney challenges whether Iowa suspect is in US illegally

 

[PommyMommy]

AUGUST 22, 2018
Friend of murdered Mollie Tibbetts reveals chilling texts with Cristhian Rivera, Mollie's killer | Daily Mail Online

• HV, 18, went to school with Mollie Tibbetts in Brooklyn, Iowa
• Three weeks ago, she ran into Cristhian Rivera, Mollie's killer, who is an acquaintance
• HV tells DailyMail.com that he was uncomfortable and did not want to discuss Mollie's disappearance
• He only said she was 'from his area' and that she had 'probably run off' with someone
• HV revealed that Rivera moved from Mexico to Iowa for a better life with his family
• She says he was known to have a short fuse and could be 'pretty explosive'
• Rivera confessed to Mollie's murder on Tuesday and made his first court appearance on Wednesday

 

[PommyMommy]

AUGUST 22, 2018
Mollie Tibbetts investigation: Chevy Malibu seen in surveillance video not registered to suspect Rivera, source says

The Chevy Malibu that investigators linked to Cristhian Rivera was not registered in Rivera's name, a law enforcement source revealed to Fox News on Wednesday.

The surveillance footage in which the Malibu was seen was not able to capture the vehicle's license plates, but there were "unusual markings" on the car which helped lead investigators track it down, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation special agent Rick Rahn told Fox News.

 

[PommyMommy]

AUGUST 22, 2018
UPDATE: US official: No record Rivera has legal status

Immigration authorities say they have no record of granting admission into the United States to the man suspected of killing an Iowa college student.

A spokesman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said Wednesday that a search of the agency's records found nothing indicating that Cristhian Bahena Rivera "has any immigration status."

That potentially contradicts the statement of Rivera's attorney that he "has the legal documents" to work in the United States.

 

[Seattle1]

UPDATE: US official: No record Rivera has legal status

22 AUG 2018
MONTEZUMA, Iowa (AP) - The Latest on a man in the U.S. illegally who is accused in the kidnapping and killing of an Iowa college student (all times local):

4:05 p.m.

Immigration authorities say they have no record of granting admission into the United States to the man suspected of killing an Iowa college student.

A spokesman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said Wednesday that a search of the agency's records found nothing indicating that Cristhian Bahena Rivera "has any immigration status."

That potentially contradicts the statement of Rivera's attorney that he "has the legal documents" to work in the United States.

Rivera is accused of killing 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts. His immigration status has drawn national attention, and the White House has said Tibbetts' death has underscored the need for immigration restrictions proposed by President Donald Trump.

___

3:40 p.m.

The manager of a dairy farm that employed the man charged with killing an Iowa college student says he has received dozens of threatening phone messages and other contacts in the last 24 hours, including death threats.

[SNIP]...
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12:05 a.m.

Authorities say a man in the U.S. illegally has confessed to kidnapping a 20-year-old University of Iowa student, killing her and dumping her body in a cornfield.

Twenty-four-year-old Cristhian Bahena Rivera is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Mollie Tibbetts of Brooklyn, Iowa. Rivera is being held on a $1 million cash-only bond. An initial court appearance is scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday.

Tibbetts' July 18 disappearance set off a massive search involving state and federal authorities. Division of Criminal Investigation special agent Rick Rahn says Rivera led investigators early Tuesday to a body believed to be Tibbetts.

 

[cybervampira]

Mollie Tibbetts went jogging and never came back – she's not the first

The account of Tibbetts' tragic death echoes several other highly publicized murder cases in which women were victimized while out for a run. Two such attacks made headlines in the summer of 2016.

In one of those cases, 27-year-old Vanessa Marcotte, who worked for Google in New York City, didn't return from her jog in August 2016 while visiting her mother in Princeton, Massachusetts, about 40 miles west of Boston. Her body was found hours later in a nearby wooded area.

[...]

Karina Vetrano was reported missing after she didn't return from jogging in a park near her home in Queens, New York. Her family described her as a "force to be reckoned with," but she was overpowered by an unknown assailant.

[...]

Brooklyn, Iowa, city clerk Sheri Sharer said Tuesday was a sad day for Tibbetts' hometown.

"It never crossed our mind that she wouldn't come home safe," she said.