Found Deceased IA - Mollie Tibbetts, 20, Poweshiek County, 19 Jul 2018 #29

[MassGuy]

Thinking about it being fairly easy for those in their circle of friends to come up with a $400K reward...what if that was reason for someone to kidnap her, for the substantial reward money they knew would be offered. Someone who was aware of the family's connection to those wealthy individuals.

Though you would think, if this was the case, they would have tried to claim it by now. Perhaps things did not go as planned??

I’m not a fan of this theory. Kidnappings for ransom (this type of victimology especially) are rare. There would be no way of knowing that the reward money would be that high, even if you knew there were wealthy individuals in Mollie’s family’s circle. If this were financially motivated, there would be a ransom request as opposed to hoping for a reward fund to be set up in an amount that would make it all worth it.

 

[PommyMommy]

1. 1. She typically picks up the car at her mom's house before dark

I snipped PommyMommy's post to just this part.

PommyMommy, can I ask where this info comes from? That she usually picked up the car before dark. I can't find any note of it in MSM. I've read the brother needed the car that night. Then he texted her in the morning to see if she needed it. The only reference I can find about going to her mom's was possibly for brats. Can anyone find reference that she was going to pick up the car that night? tia

"Brother Jake said that on Thursday, July 19, the day Mollie was reported missing to police, he'd texted her in the morning to see if she wanted to borrow a car they shared so she could go to work at Grinnell Regional Medical Center."

Mollie Tibbetts' boyfriend, brothers, father urge witnesses to 'come forward' in exclusive interviews

The list was a collaborative effort and I'm not sure who the particular contributor was at the moment, I would have to look back to see. However IIRC, her mother (aunt?) made this statement in a video, which may be why you can't find it. Either way, it says she typically picks the car up, not that she was going to pick it up that night (although I believe she was).

 

[mtnlites]

For those who have wondered if MT case is related to Evansville, IN murders ... I do wonder, would the same person who took an 8 and 10 year old (and for what reason) have the same interest in a 20 year old? Don’t normally child abductors want child age?

Honestly, I think tying the crimes together is a huge stretch. Without a motive or a weapon or a cause of death, the only thing they have in common is gender.

Delphi: 2 girls in a fairly isolated park
Brooklyn: 1 woman literally running through town
Delphi: young teenagers, one of which appears very young looking
Brooklyn: a 20-year-old college student
Delphi: victims left at the park in which they were last seen (I think they were killed onsite)
Brooklyn: victim is taken away

We don't know how the Delphi girls died and, likewise, we can't even say that Mollie IS dead.

As far as the Evansville crime goes, LE has already said that there is no connection to Delphi.

There are plenty of crimes out there that are similar to Mollie's: Kristi Cornwell was abducted while walking at sunset, Tara Calico was abducted while riding her bike, Rachel Cooke was taken while jogging around her neighborhood, etc. If we were comparing THOSE, I could see it. (I am not saying they are connected, just saying I could at least see the similarities.)

Just because 2 crimes involving women are getting a lot of media coverage, however, doesn't mean they are connected. I understand the desire to connect them; one serial killer committing both crimes is, in a way, easier to stomach than knowing that there are multiple "bad guys" out there committing each crime.

 

[jman07]

Errol posting

 

[Spartygirl]

I agree Jax49. They all look like they COULD be related to me. Maybe this perp tried to change his MO or something and try abducting an older girl this time. Maybe he tried something different (like abducting one girl) because the last time he ALMOST got caught with the two girls (the Delphi murders). Just a thought. Maybe he figured ONE girl would be easier. I don't know. Just all speculation. I got some of this info though from Otto by the way (he is to credit for it).

I agree also...although the MO is a bit different in the ages and one victim vs two however, there could have been a trigger or an event that just happened and he saw the opportunity. JMO

 

[Medical_man]

This reminds me of the movie "Lovely Bones" Girl lured to an underground "playhouse"

And the necklace is found or something? Imagine if the perp hung earbuds on the front door handle a year from now.... Creepy

 

[coffeeandacig]

I don't remember reading that MT Dad said that MT didn't drive. The interview I saw was him talking about how she wasn't the best driver.

Video from Fox News digital that is being discussed by Gray Hughes.
At around 9:34 mark, talks about Mollie.
At around 9:51 about "but her rooms a mess, and she can't drive...and so"
BBM

 

[Wagtales10]

Honestly, I think tying the crimes together is a huge stretch. Without a motive or a weapon or a cause of death, the only thing they have in common is gender.

Delphi: 2 girls in a fairly isolated park
Brooklyn: 1 woman literally running through town
Delphi: young teenagers, one of which appears very young looking
Brooklyn: a 20-year-old college student
Delphi: victims left at the park in which they were last seen (I think they were killed onsite)
Brooklyn: victim is taken away

We don't know how the Delphi girls died and, likewise, we can't even say that Mollie IS dead.

As far as the Evansville crime goes, LE has already said that there is no connection to Delphi.

There are plenty of crimes out there that are similar to Mollie's: Kristi Cornwell was abducted while walking at sunset, Tara Calico was abducted while riding her bike, Rachel Cooke was taken while jogging around her neighborhood, etc. If we were comparing THOSE, I could see it. (I am not saying they are connected, just saying I could at least see the similarities.)

Just because 2 crimes involving women are getting a lot of media coverage, however, doesn't mean they are connected. I understand the desire to connect them; one serial killer committing both crimes is, in a way, easier to stomach than knowing that there are multiple "bad guys" out there committing each crime.

I agree and grasping at straws to connect them is more for entertainment than realistic situations. It derails the momentum of the case IMO.

 

[Spartygirl]

Sure, like 16 maybe. 8-10? No way.

But,let's not forget about the security guard/cop that approached her in the library when a young girl went missing...maybe she could have been mistaken for a younger girl. JMO

 

[otto]

I'm not great at making maps, so I just wrote out my idea for what her route was that day. It starts at DJ's goes around town, back past his place and ends at her mother's house (I didn't use her full address because I wasn't sure if that was acceptable). It ends up being 4.3 miles, which I think is a reasonable distance for that amount of time. Since she was said to vary between 3 different routes, I thought this might be the one she used when she planned to go to her mother's house. I hope I got all the directions in here - geography was never my forte. (In college on a geography test, I once put NYC in Pennsylvania)

622 W Des Moines St
Head east on W Des Moines St
Turn right onto West St
West St turns left and becomes W Pershing Dr
Head east on W Pershing Dr
Turn right onto Mills St
Turn left onto E Pershing Dr
Head south on Boundary St
Turn right onto E Green St
Turn left onto Mills St
Turn right onto E 2nd St
Turn left onto Jackson St
Turn right onto W Front St
Head north on N Orchard St
Turn left onto W 2nd St/Historic US 6/Old 6 Rd
to 385th Ave
Sharp right onto 385th Ave
Continue onto W Des Moines St
to 622 W Des Moines St ... Back to DJ's house
Head east on W Des Moines St
Turn left onto State Hwy 398/Jackson St
Turn right onto Bear Dr
Bear Drive

That's actually just a big loop that ends with her running straight up the highway, which has a very narrow shoulder and a speed limit of 45mph. I don't see anyone, particularly someone with asthma, running along the narrow shoulder of a highway.

 

[ChuckMaureen]

The FBI involvement is necessary to supplement a law enforcement organization that has no experience with something of this scope. The reward money has nothing to do with law enforcement. It was raised by private individuals. There is no connection between the two, even if you believe that the involvement of the FBI signals a larger concern.

I believe the reward would not have grown to the current value if there weren't such a strong showing of LE (FBI)... it had to have had some effect on the desire to contribute.

 

[MassGuy]

I believe the reward would not have grown to the current value if there weren't such a strong showing of LE (FBI)... it had to have had some effect on the desire to contribute.

I think it’s more a product of media attention and the small town connection. We just disagree.

 

[chihuahua]

IF LE thought there was a connection between Evansdale and Brooklyn, wouldn't they warn the public in some way..more than they have?

We would all hope so.
But in a Serial situation, there is often only the next victim to lead Law Enforcement to any possible link in those cases.
They are active all the time, as we well know.
I am not saying this is what happened to Mollie.
I'm just thinking about it.
She was mistaken for a child of 10 once wasn't she?
FBI statistics show how often the public is completely unaware of an offender in their general area.
Also many of them roam and they are transitory in nature.
I think the man in the sketch from the Delphi, Indiana murders looks like he could be a lineman, an electrician that works out on the road for many days at a time. This thought did not originate with me.
The TIP electrical co-op is so close to where MT was staying.
I am not pointing a finger at anyone, just thinking out loud as always.
jmo

 

[Fire Fox 2]

That's exactly the road I was asking about earlier. I don't know if anyone answered me, I mentioned that gravel road and asked if that one led straight to Grinnel. I'm sure one of those roads do. If I remember correctly from the videos of Brooklyn it's a long road that actually turns into a dirt road and looks pretty isolated. But no one can seem to confirm it. I'm just wondering if that's the road you are referring to. It's before you get to the house she was staying.

So since it is on HER FB page, can I say the roads and times?

 

[feralwriter]

Traditionally, in missing persons' cases, does the FBI enter in such large numbers? I ask only because they could have perhaps pulled in Des Moines investigators. Even Iowa City (though IC is a very busy college town, that jail they just had to make bigger).

I get the FBI -as he put it- "techy" help being needed, but... I simply do not recall the FBI called so fast & in that amount on a missing person before.

And I believe a lot of us here will continue to second-guess aspects of the FBIs presence in this one case. Some are convinced there's a bigger picture than just one 20 year old vanishing in that area of the U.S., while other say this amount of FBI, this fast, is SOP for a tiny town like Brooklyn.

I do still believe it's serial, that he came in off I-80. Nothing else makes sense to me at this juncture.

 

[Quill]

I ran my long runs of 25-30+ miles every Saturday when I ran ultra marathons. But it was 6 days a week of running and varied workouts

Yeah, 6 days a week is the norm I would think, allowing that necessary rest day. My training plan was pretty cool with coaches and classes. 40 weeks taking you from 1 mile all the way to 26.2. Such an amazing experience. 4 days of running a week. 3 days during the week of no more than an hour on your feet, 2 days of cross training, 1 long run that was pretty well scheduled run with a large group and then 1 rest day. Of course it was for everyone including beginners and was not going to get you elite times.

I wonder if Mollie was following a training plan or she was just winging it. If she was following some sort of training plan, she undoubtedly had an established routine which means that someone could have watched her and waited for their opportunity. We know how regimented we get on our plans when there is a goal in sight.

I am on a break from running right now due to IT band syndrome. Since I run on some isolated stretches, I'm glad I'm on a break right now. I think I might be a bit spooked at the moment.

 

[Confusion]

That's actually just a big loop that ends with her running straight up the highway, which has a very narrow shoulder and a speed limit of 45mph. I don't see anyone, particularly someone with asthma, running along the narrow shoulder of a highway.

Which highway? I didn't notice that on the map I was using, but that sure doesn't mean it isn't there.

ETA: Do you mean 398? I don't know any other way to get to her mother's place.

 

[ChuckMaureen]

bbm

For those who have wondered if MT case is related to Evansville, IN murders ... I do wonder, would the same person who took an 8 and 10 year old (and for what reason) have the same interest in a 20 year old? Don’t normally child abductors want child age?

This is one of the profile points of the Evansdale perp:

• The offender may have attempted to abduct children or adults in the past.

 

[zecats]

I assume LE does not want to spook the SK in to relocating his spree or simply stopping for long enough until tensions lower.

Warn who? Which areas? Towns within a 200 mile radius? All of Iowa? Without knowledge of a specific threat LE would be reluctant to speculate in public.

Yes I see your point, it is a large area...but they have stated that there is no danger to the public. I would disagree with that if in case the same person has accomplished both of these abductions (and murder in the case of Evansdale). I'm using that thought to question a connection. No one even knows if Mollie has been harmed.

 

[MsBetsy]

IF LE thought there was a connection between Evansdale and Brooklyn, wouldn't they warn the public in some way..more than they have?

In the case I detailed earlier about how they caught Nathaniel White, they never warned the public, even though he had just murdered seven women after just being released from jail. He was on the loose for quite a while, there was a massive search for him and I don't remember them warning us at all. Two bodies were found in an abandoned house about a mile away from where I lived in a small town, but we didn't even here about that. Not till they arrested him about a week later.