Found Deceased IA - Mollie Tibbetts, 20, Poweshiek County, 19 Jul 2018 #28

[bizzle2]

That was my point. We can only speculate. Just not define something as evidence when it's not. The " evidence" you are referring to can point to different scenarios, that's all.

The evidence is that all the things that she usually wore/took with her when she was running were missing and nothing else was missing so the speculation on here becomes that she was taken while running. What other likely scenario could that point to? I'm genuinely curious.

 

[MsBetsy]

It could mean a lot of things, but that doesn't explain why you think people shouldn't be allowed to voice their opinions as to what happened.

Let me be VERY clear, I have never ever, EVEN INSINUATED others can't voice their opinions and have ALWAYS been respectful of everyone on this site. PLEASE DO NOT insinuate that I have. It is insulting. What you are accusing me of has no basis whatsoever. You need to go back and read if you have actually come to this conclusion. Thanks a lot for making sure everyone sees your post.

 

[Veracity]

I have no doubt that the person who abducted Mollie is a sex offender. He may or may not have an arrest record. Based on the last press conference, my understanding is that he is not from the Brooklyn community, but he is familiar with the community. Someone who lives 100 miles away from Brooklyn might be familiar with the community. I'm sure that police have interviewed people who are on the sex offender list near Brooklyn.

Your thoughts Otto are appreciated. As I read your post I suddenly was struck by the article I read in the local Brooklyn paper about John Wayne AKA Marion Morrison who apparently lived in Brooklyn for a short time. According to the article John Wayne was a "native of Brooklyn IA" yet according to John Wayne's actual bio he was born in a town called Winterset, IA which is all the way over on the other side of DesMoines!

The day John Wayne got punched

This made me wonder how "locals" are defined out there? And how wide the radius much be drawn when it comes to this case.

The more I read the more I seem to be starting with places like Iowa City and DesMoines. With the black minivan event in Minor, MO It just makes LE's job even tougher in my opinion. They really need the good people of this region to help them by providing any tidbit of information to them.

By the way Mollie and her college roommate's new housing arrangement in Iowa City has bubbled to the foreground of my mind since the map was published and I am not sure why? Mollie's roommate did an interview early on where she said Mollie and she had signed a lease on an apartment. I wonder with whom they may have come into contact as they were looking? If there is any correlation between the property owners or renters there in Iowa City and any property or near Brooklyn or which might take someone through Brooklyn?

When it comes to the south of I80 though I am not sure how LE could isolate sex offenders? There are so many country roads and tiny towns? Do LE have a more comprehensive database that stores anyone who has been charged with particular crimes? I believe such a database might help LE very much. We, John Q Public, may not need access to information which can be isolated in such a manner. But LE in this day and age deserve it.

 

[InvSmith]

Is there any scenario that accounts for a missing person for a month within a known range of law enforcement spotted on video that would not be arrested? This case has been odd from the beginning but for as much as I would like there to be definitive known facts in this case I just don't see it. If there were, Mollie would be at greater risk leaving her there unless some additional women are missing and it is a bigger operation.

 

[Ember123]

MOO If I go off the theory that this was a regional local who was a stranger to MT (or at least not a close acquaintance), and the first two red dots are related to his whereabouts vs. hers, then I begin the trail at the red dot near bf's house, where I believe she was taken. I've mapped the route from there, as has been discussed a few times before, with the ending being at the pig farm, not the last red dot. (See map: red is route with MT, yellow is perp's route home, black Xs are red dots from LE map)

Now, here's a couple ideas (IMO):

1) The route is rural and specific, and while I don't necessarily think it was planned, I do think the drive is familiar to the perp. Maybe he is also a creature of habit and is more comfortable in locations he already knows. (As I noted yesterday, the northern red dot on V21 used to have a stand of trees and a silo on the northwest corner, which has been converted to cropland at some point (can be seen from various views on bing maps - don't know if this is important).

2) If this was an opportunistic event, then the perp already had a reason to be on that route within Brooklyn between the truck stop and car wash. Basing off the time of day, I'd guess it's his route home from work, which means he lives to the north. V18 to Hwy 6 seems like an obvious possibility. From there he could head any direction to any neighboring town or rural property.

3) If he does live to the north, then I think heading south for the crime suggests he does not want to do it near home. If he left MT near the pig farm (maybe around 9:45pm) (with crimes happening along the V21 route - abandoned buildings at southern red dot), I don't think he'd back track, I think he'd get out the quickest way, which would be to jump onto hwy 21. If he's going to head home, then going north on hwy 21 would take him right back to hwy 6 (without having to go back through Brooklyn).

4) Moo I think he was scared/freaked out, not bold. He wanted to go home unseen, but fast, thus taking the hwy.

5) I don't think he bothered one bit worrying about fitbits and cell phones. I think they are still on her. I think if the cell phone suddenly died it was because it got wet.

6) One consideration: Perhaps LE has stated that the community is not in danger because they already have the perp in custody- on another, unrelated charge. Something to get him in on. Maybe this happened sometime between PCs. Now they are trying to gather as much evidence, witnesses, etc. to build a case against him so that the formal charge sticks. Maybe this is wishful thinking.

Wow!! Impressive. Very persuasive theory! I hope LE sees it!

 

[MsBetsy]

The evidence is that all the things that she usually wore/took with her when she was running were missing and nothing else was missing so the speculation on here becomes that she was taken while running. What other likely scenario could that point to? I'm genuinely curious.

I have already answered that question. Maybe you should take the time to read other posts.

 

[1987]

I get stuck on one idea and cant let it go. I was stuck on tech being the answer if LE could just sift threw it. last night I just let all of anything I though go and went back to all I know is she is missing. that that was the only hard fact, maybe there are others but for the sake of my thinking I just went with that. this morning my thoughts go strait to the car wash and truck stop, maybe the car wash was used to clean up a car, maybe even spray off their shoes. then the truck stop was used to shower. trying to remove as much evidence as they could, maybe discard the clothes they were wearing, who knows. then either just go on down the road or go back home. a truck stop shower would be a nightmare to try to recover dna from the drains. moo

 

[Al Hoffman]

BBM (Bolded By Me, LOL) I just want to point out that the source for there being a POI who is a single, divorced, or widowed male is a rag that is not permitted to be used as a source on this forum. Credible sources have NOT quoted LE stating that as fact. As to the rest of your statement regarding the performance of LE and the FBI, I prefer to think that they are working diligently to solve this case. This case is more complicated than most for various reasons; 1) the crime occurred in a rural area with few security cameras, 2) the boyfriend was ruled out very early on (as were her family members), 3) no obvious POI, 4) lots of private farmland to search.

To crib from a previous post the "Rag" you mentioned has also been called "the publication that shall not be named" (TPTSNBN ? - any adopters out there?).

But, yeah, anything from that digital Rag needs to be taken with a 5 pound grain of salt. I might also be skeptical of any News site that repeats content from TPTSNBN.

Also, Kapua, those are very solid points that you make at the end. Thanks

 

[kc1023]

The ignore button is certainly an option. But I think it is a mistake to utilize it. Though you may disagree with someone's position, content, or manner of presentation I think it is important to be aware of such. Choosing to ignore someone or information you disagree with just increases your own rigidity.

Agree. Also, I am simply too nosy to not be able to see it all.

 

[TL4S]

Wow!! Impressive. Very persuasive theory! I hope LE sees it!

The whole thing is based off the map LE put on the website. The problem is we don't know the rest of the information they have, so my theory, or anyone else's, is purely speculative and most likely wrong. Like putting a square peg in a round hole.

 

[gillglock]

Does anyone here think it makes sense that she was taken near the house on her way back......say someone was laying in wait at the TPI parking lot. They close at 4:00 and suuposedly the cameras were out so it would be easy for someone to loiter there until she returned. That would make sense as to the theory she never went back inside the house.

I think it makes sense that she disappeared anywhere between 5pm and 6am the next day

 

[Charliegizmo49]

This is a superb breakdown of the possibilities. I'm going to copy and save it, if that is OK with you. Building off your ideas:

1) The two farmland areas scream "known to the perp" to me as well. I don't see someone completely unfamiliar to the area turning off on the gravel roads in those areas. Like I pointed out yesterday, gravel roads are noisy, suggesting to me that the perp knew where he was going and how remote it was, and that the likelihood that he would be seen would be very small.

2) I'm not ruling out opportunistic, but I find it more difficult to assume that the perp arbitrarily picked up Mollie and then came up with the idea to take her to/through one or the other remote areas. (I always come back to 'why those two areas'?)

3) I want to explore the 'living to the north' idea a bit more. Most of use are assuming that the area near the truck stop is relevant because the perp entered town from there. But it could simply be that someone thought s/he saw Mollie there.

4) Spot on. He was and is scared spitless.

5) Spot on. Many here are assuming that the perp went to great lengths to dispose of Mollie's electronics. This doesn't always happen in criminal situations.

6) Interesting thought. I think LE has a list and has not narrowed it down to a particular individual as yet. Maybe they're going in the other direction and ruling people out. I hope they've dumped the cell towers. That would narrow the possibilities down to all numbers pinging the towers between 5PM and 10PM. However, we don't know if the perp had a cell phone with him and whether it was on. It would be tedious work to eliminate all of the possibilities, but this is Brooklyn, IA, not Brooklyn, NY, and I think it could be done with enough people working on it.
All MOO

 

[Charliegizmo49]

Sorry I genuinely didn’t mean to cause you any offence. I had heard of BBW but not Big Beautiful Man before. Sincere apologies.

There is an acronym section At WS. Good to know.

 

[chihuahua]

And one more thought before I start plastering trucks and truckstops with flyers again today:
I assure everyone this case is not going on the "back burner" with anyone. It absolutely is not. There is so much going on in the background all of the time.
I don't claim any insider knowledge, just saying.
Chi
Edited to add (ETA) Many many of us read here and elsewhere constantly but don't post all that often. So many cases, each of them vital.

 

[klind55]

I am confused on just where Blake Jack's house is. Poweshiek County, IA has him owning a house on Jay St and the maps I am seeing of Mollie's starting point are almost 10miles away. Please un-confuse me.

 

[Veracity]

I think the sex offender could be from a neighboring country because they are only registered in the country in which they live and people in the next county over know nothing about them. They may be very familiar with Brooklyn because of the close proximity to where they live plus they could get out of the area rather quickly

I was reading IOWA's sex offender's laws -

» Iowa Code 692A.101 – DefinitionsLawServer

Here is some interesting definitions:

"13. “Habitually lives” means living in a place with some regularity, and with reference to where the sex offender actually lives, which could be some place other than a mailing address or primary address but would entail a place where the sex offender lives on an intermittent basis."

"20. “Principal residence” for a sex offender means:
a. The residence of the offender, if the offender has only one residence in this state.
b. The residence at which the offender resides, sleeps, or habitually lives for more days per year than another residence in this state, if the offender has more than one residence in this state.
c. The place of employment or attendance as a student, or both, if the sex offender does not have a residence in this state."

"24. “Residence” means each dwelling or other place where a sex offender resides, sleeps, or habitually lives, or will reside, sleep, or habitually live, including a shelter or group home. If a sex offender does not reside, sleep, or habitually live in a fixed place, “residence” means a description of the locations where the offender is stationed regularly, including any mobile or transitory living quarters. “Residence”shall be construed to refer to the places where a sex offender resides, sleeps, habitually lives, or is stationed with regularity, regardless of whether the offender declares or characterizes such place as the residence of the offender"

I couldn't find a definition for PRIMARY RESIDENCE exactly in the code - so what is used where the IA Sex Offenders Database goes?

Also:

"33. “Student” means a sex offender who enrolls in or otherwise receives instruction at an educational institution, including a public or private elementary school, secondary school, trade or professional school, or institution of higher education. “Student” does not mean a sex offender who enrolls in or attends an educational institution as a correspondence student, distance learning student, or any other form of learning that occurs without physical presence on the real property of an educational institution."

I just keep finding more questions as this case drags on.

 

[duster1979]

and the missing articles are evidence of that.

This is what's tripping people up. We are using terms loosely. That's it. If you out there, dear reader, want to use terms closer to their legal definitions, go ahead. But not all will adhere to your specific definitions. That's fine. It's a public website of pure speculation. Yes, it's preferable to go from facts on the ground. Not all are going to do that. That's why we have the ignore button.

Well said. I think people are getting hung up on what they've seen in crime shows regarding admissible evidence vs. inadmissible evidence, physical vs. circumstantial, etc.

We're not talking about evidence that one might take to court, but rather the broader definition of the term. A wet sidewalk in the morning is evidence that it rained overnight. A fifth wheel hitch in the back of a truck is evidence that the owner of the truck like to camp. Cows on the road is evidence that a fence is broken somewhere. And the fact that MT's only possessions that aren't accounted for are the things she would take running is evidence that she didn't return from her run.

 

[bizzle2]

It could also mean she had just returned to the house, or that she was getting ready to leave the house, or that she got in a car willingly with someone she knows..OR, it could be a scenario that no one has even come up with yet.

Just returned or just getting ready to leave are possible, but not very likely. My main issue with those two is that we would be focusing in on a really small window of time. I mean, maybe 30 seconds or so for each. For most runners, one of the first things you'll do after getting home is take off the armband with your phone. Those get really sweaty and gross.

As far as getting into a car with someone she knows -- of course that's possible. Getting into a car with someone she knows and being taken on her jog are not mutually exclusive. Possible theory: She slows down on her run because it's really hot and humid..friend/acquaintance drives by and offers a ride...she's exhausted and sweaty so she gets in...something goes wrong from there.

For those of us who think it was an abduction of some kind I'd say that 1) doesn't mean we think it couldn't be someone she knows -- I personally think it is likely someone she had at least seen before though a stranger abduction is possible, and 2) doesn't mean we think it started out as an abduction, could have started as a ride from a friend/acquaintance and then turned ugly for whatever reason.

Edited to clarify a theory was being presented

 

[DizzyB]

Everyone is different. I don't sweat easily, I don't run very fast, and I live in a part of the country that is not hot, even in the summer. After my slow-ish run, I will be sweating on my face and back, maybe a bit on my arms, but I will not be dripping.

I'm sweating when I'm done. If I don't immediately shower, tho, I'm okay after a bit. There are many nights that I run, cool down, make myself dinner, do whatever, and shower before bed.

 

[Veracity]

Not true. "Communications with" does not necessarily include her one-way communications with a class server, yet you seem rather definitive that it does. I disagree with your conclusion.

And again, there are countless texting and other communication apps that leave no evidence of contact, so just because they say there is no evidence of communications does not mean that no communications exist.

JMO.

Please educate me what these "countless texting and other communication apps that leave no evidence of contact" are. I am intrigued.