Found Deceased IA - Mollie Tibbetts, 20, Poweshiek County, 19 Jul 2018 #8

[Cardinal47]

Anybody happen to remember the Abigail Hernandez abduction back in Conway, New Hampshire. Lots of FBI brought in almost immediately and very little information given out. For some reason this reminds me of her.

 

[Momma2cam]

The reward should be higher. Who would tell on a family member or boyfriend for 2grand.

Thats barely enough to escape town for a week.

Respectfully, I don't think any amount of money would make a difference in those scenarios. Ultimately it would be ones conscience. MOO.

 

[Hatfield]

Rob said that while his daughter studies psychology, writing poetry has always been one of her passions.

“I was looking at some of her poetry in her bedroom the other day and, even when she was young, there were six, seven or eight drafts of a poem,” he told Dateline. “She really worked hard at it.”​

I find this very interesting. It suggests she was not spontaneous - an overrated virtue, spontaneity. If she disappeared voluntarily it would not seem to be on the spur of the moment.

And thus if this is what happened, she did not plan to be, it would seem, soon found.

(Some poets do tend to overrate tragic circumstance, however - and sometimes they do see it as a virtue. A dubious belief, perhaps - but there it is.)

JMO
I agree.
This part really raised an eyebrow to me. Any chance that pressure to get married was coming from more than just the BF and the joke his brother made.

"Rob Tibbetts told Dateline. “I told him the other day, as soon as she gets back, I’m going to push her to make him my son.”

College sophomore Mollie Tibbetts still missing after two weeks of searching

 

[rosesfromangels]

I find it kind of awkward. There is no reason for men to feel weird about discussing bras, sports bras, or women wearing them. It’s a part of life.

O.K. you win. Let's sum it up to me liking bashful men. : )

 

[watson1]

a reward of $2k might appeal to a meth head who may have seen something...a motivator to get them to come forward and talk...

 

[JDough]

Someone on HLN just said a 30 year old man was taking pictures of the route Mollie ran!!!??? Said it was on an earlier HLN interview. We'll have to find that.

Man Turns Himself In to Pella Police After Being Caught on Camera Taking Teens’ Pics

PELLA, Iowa – Pella police say a man they had been seeking, who was caught on surveillance video taking pictures of young women jogging last Friday, has come forward.

<snip violation of the 10% rule>

The police department posted about the incident on its Facebook page Friday evening.

<snip violation of 10% rule>
Police say, out of abundance of caution, they have shared information about this case with investigators in Poweshiek County who are investigating the disappearance of Mollie Tibbetts.

 

[MassGuy]

Technically we don't know this, since LE still are receiving "tips" every day - who knows how many of those are alleged sightings. With the limited details we have, I'd say anything goes.

You can throw all of those reasons out, and still come to the determination that the reason for this massive LE response, and the continuation of it, means that foul play is highly likely as opposed to her willingly leaving. They have her devices, those of others, and her social media footprint, yet their response continues to be one indicative of foul play. We’ll see, and yes, anything is possible.

 

[cluciano63]

I hope you all who think LE knows what happened are right...not seeing it myself but I am a cynic and longtime WS member who has seen far too many cases just...vanish like the people involved. With no resolution.

 

[Dee10]

Anybody happen to remember the Abigail Hernandez abduction back in Conway, New Hampshire. Lots of FBI brought in almost immediately and very little information given out. For some reason this reminds me of her.

 

[taximama24]

Something is bugging me about the co-worker who called Dalton to say Mollie hadn't come into work. Perhaps its nothing but I would think her mom would be listed as the emergency contact.

This is intriguing but I can see where you are going with it. Was it "she didn't come to work" or "why wasn't Mollie at work today?" And was it on a lunch break (first chance to use a phone) or at the end of the day after the co-worker got home? I don't remember reading much about this, but I feel like I saw the co-worker was a mutual friend and called the BF as a concerned friend not as a boss contacting an emergency contact.

 

[Jealoushe]

She doesn’t seem like she is the type of woman who would run away because of an unwanted proposal. By all accounts she was outgoing and had tones of personality, not a scared woman. I can’t imagine someone throwing away their whole life because they thought their bf was going to propose.

 

[Dollyla]

Often times a good way to check if someone Mollie’s age have been conversating with someone is to check Facebook pictures likes. In the Facebook search bar you would type “photos liked by Mollie Tibbetts” and public pictures she has liked will appear. It can show someone’s state of mine based on memes or quote pictures they have liked, and has actually revealed a friend of mines husbands infidelities.
Point being, Mollie is young. She may not have been ready to settle down and may have kept options open considering her boyfriend worked long hours away. If not to be unfaithful, perhaps for attention or companionship while he was gone?
Just a thought - perhaps this is why law enforcement can’t narrow down if she willingly left with someone or was taken. Perhaps she had someone she had been chatting with stopped by, and she ran outside or had them inside- hence putting the dog downstairs so they wouldn’t bark if someone came in- or downstairs because she was stepping outside for a minute. Just a thought and a different look at this- grasping for straws basically and looking for new places to search for info.

 

[AryaStark]

Respectfully, I don't think any amount of money would make a difference in those scenarios. Ultimately it would be ones conscience. MOO.

Also, she is missing with no real evidence (at least that we've heard about) to indicate that she was abducted and a crime was committed. I bring up the McStay's because the reward for information on the missing family was also considered very low. Sadly it did turn out that a crime was committed in that case. Very, very sad...

 

[pamelado2]

“Understanding who was in the area of Brooklyn on the evening of July 18 is important." -Quote from presser

Out of everything (and nothing) that was said during the presser, this is the only thing that really stuck out to me. The fact her description appears to include her running clothes and they want to know who was in the area that evening. Nothing about the next morning, nothing about red shirts and denim shorts.

While I have no doubt they could give the wrong or vague times or info to let a POI think they had no clue what was going on, they made it clear they have a solid timeline. They could have left that tidbit out all together. They could have easily said "around the time she went missing" to be vague, they certainly didn't have a problem with anything else being vague.

I'm also willing to admit I could be completely wrong.

That's exactly what I noticed! - evening of July 18th!!!

 

[PommyMommy]

I've been looking for links, but haven't had any luck. I'm starting to think I might just imagine things. There are a couple things I remember reading, and I was hoping someone could tell me if they were actually said or if I should stop looking. TIA to anyone who can help.
The first thing was just the wording of something the sheriff (I think) had said earlier, which was, "No, we don't have any POI we can share with the public." in response to being asked if they had a POI. The second was that searching the pig farms was because of something they read on a SM page, and they were upset with people wasting their time posting rumors. Did anyone else read these things, or am I just losing it?

Press conference: Authorities 'not giving up' in Mollie Tibbetts investigation

"There was nothing of investigative value last night that was discovered with the search," Mortvedt said. The search was the subject of speculation Wednesday and Thursday on social media.
Mollie Tibbetts: 'We follow through on everything,' investigators say of search

 

[Weeobanite]

I find it kind of awkward. There is no reason for men to feel weird about discussing bras, sports bras, or women wearing them. It’s a part of life.

We all know that but it just made him uncomfortable, its no big deal.. i think alot of older guys would be the same.

 

[renarde]

Anyone else "drive" around town via Google Maps? I was looking for cameras, like at the post office maybe... It's a cute little town. I'll bet the families there go way back and everyone knows everyone else. People would probably notice a strange person or vehicle from out of town, especially in the middle of the week.

O/T, but at one point apparently, John Wayne lived there when he was a kid.

Boyhood Home of John Wayne Historical Site

 

[ElementalLaura]

I find it kind of awkward. There is no reason for men to feel weird about discussing bras, sports bras, or women wearing them. It’s a part of life.

I took it as a natural instinct on his part, not him passing judgment on what she was wearing. Given that there were several pages of discussion here on whether her VSCO photos were appropriate, I similarly don’t pass judgment on his reticence to use the term ‘sports bra.’

I’m guessing that you’re likely a good three decades younger than he is (though if I’m wrong, it won’t be the first or the last time!). Different cultural norms and expectations.

 

[JDough]

Maybe referencing the guy in Dubuque taking pictures of the HS runners, not Mollie?

I believe they may have been referencing the 07/30/18 article from WHO Channel 13? MOO

Man Turns Himself In to Pella Police After Being Caught on Camera Taking Teens’ Pics

 

[OldCop]

At the PC it was mentioned that they wanted to find out who was in Brooklyn on July 18th. Maybe they are checking acquaintances from college? Did she ever date or spend a lot of time with anyone in particular at school? High school relationships can flounder a bit when someone goes off to college. It is not unusual for people with a hometown boyfriend to do some dating while away at school. Was anyone at school paying a little extra attention to Mollie?
In conjunction with this, if LE has one or more poi, they may be checking those people’s digital footprints against the location they believe Mollie was abducted or disappeared from.

 

[cujenn81]

First things first --
Man, oh man... these threads are moving faster than a speeding bullet! I don't know if I've ever followed a case that has moved this quickly, and I've followed a lot of cases. I spent hours trying to play catch up last night but finally called it a night still ten pages behind. I logged out on Page 30 of Thread #6 thinking I'd easily finish the catch up game today... but noooopppe! By the time I was able to log in today after work, y'all are more than halfway through Thread #8.
YEESH!

Moving on --
The press conference luckily was held during my lunch break and I was able to watch it. I took some notes.

These were my main take aways:

- Mollie was last seen on the evening of July 18 around 7:30 pm wearing a pair of dark colored running shorts, a pink sports top, and running shoes of an unknown color while jogging on the streets of Brooklyn, IA

- Mollie's family reported her missing on July 19 after she failed to show up for work

- an average of 30 to 40 investigators have been working on this case on any given day since her disappearance

- upwards of 200+ leads have been received by LE

- ground, air, and K9 searches have been conducted

- a $2000 reward is being offered ($1000 by CrimeStoppers + $1000 by the electric cooperative located next to her bf's house) for any information that might lead to Mollie's whereabouts

- LE has encouraged anyone with any information to call and report that information to the tip line that has been set up for this case @ 1-800-452-1111

- stressed they are not giving up; they know people want details but they will not be releasing any specific case facts at this time and need to focus on finding Mollie

- DCI and FBI agents (along with a dozen other local agencies including local fire and EMS departments) have provided assistance to local LE, as needed

- there has been a constant outpouring from the community and they appreciate all of the food and water that has been provided to them

- every single lead is being evaluated, prioritized, and followed up on

- they are looking at all sources of information (provided by both people and technology)

- LE hasn't identified the reason for Mollie's disappearance and they have not ruled out any possibilities

- the investigative team is confident with the timeline they have put together and believe it's a good timeline to work and develop leads off of

- another press conference will be held on Friday August 3rd to offer any updates or new info they would like to share

- they added that regular press briefings would be held from here on out and suggested the media save their questions from now on until the press conferences are held

* when asked if they had learned anything from the data on her Fitbit: "we are looking at all technology and are looking to generate leads from that technology"

* when asked if they knew when she was last active on social media: "that is being looked at and we believe those findings are best kept with the investigative team at this time"

---

Thinking about the other cases I've followed, the information provided today is pretty typical of what is often offered to the public during a press conference. Very rarely does LE share very detailed information about an investigation.

PCs are usually held for one of three reasons ---
1) to dispel a rumor that has gotten so out of hand that it's hindering the investigation
2) to notify the public about rewards, increases, searches being conducted, and/or tip lines
3) to inform the public that a missing person has been found, a missing person's remains have been found and confirmed, a suspect has been named and is being sought, a suspect has been arrested

With that being said... I usually learn something new from every one of them (even if the details given seem vague or it doesn't appear they've told the public anything new) by paying extremely close attention to what is being said and how it is being said (or not said, for that matter).

A few quotes from today's press conference that made me go "hmmmmm....":

"We are willing to talk to anyone who is willing to talk to us about Mollie."
Is there someone, specifically, LE wants to talk to about Mollie but they haven't been willing to talk to LE? Or has LE been unable to track down a specific person they want to talk to about Mollie?

"...it's important to know who was in the area on the evening of July 18."
This makes me wonder if there's someone in town (perhaps on a temporary project or job) that may have harmed Mollie? I think a few of you have mentioned this theory already.

"I'm not going to draw any conclusions about the circumstances of her disappearance, other than it is not consistent with her past."
To me, this statement almost sounds as if they believe Mollie left on her own volition... BUT the reasons why she left or where they believe she may have gone isn't typical behavior of her.

"...looking for any information that would lead us to believe why she disappeared."
See above.

"we feel it's important to get to know Mollie and learn what is normal (or not normal) for her..."
See above.

ETA: I forgot the most important thing I wanted to mention!
When asked if the public was at risk, there was a lonnnngggg pause before answering, "We don't have a, uh... (another lengthy pause), we can't tell you why Mollie is missing, so that's a difficult question to answer."
This response is very, very strange to me.
"We can't tell you why Mollie is missing..." sounds a lot like "we know why Mollie is missing but we just can't tell you! (At this time, of course. Ahem.)"


These are just my measly two cents and probably not worth a whole lot... but I thought I'd share anyway.