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

[Alethea]

When I saw the thread was locked I hoped we had an arrest and everyone was celebrating by behaving badly. Sad to see it's more of the same and we still don't have Mollie.

 

[Kapua]

Investigators issue polygraph test to farmer who refused test at first
Mollie Tibbetts search: Investigators issue polygraph test to farmer who refused test at first

The farmer has taken a poly. No info on results thus far.

Tibbetts Would've Fought Back If Taken from Home, Says Boyfriend's Brother
Missing Mollie Tibbetts Would've Fought Back If Taken from Home, Says Boyfriend's Brother

No sign of a struggle at home.

Planned Update Postponed
DCI Postpones Planned Update on Mollie Tibbetts Search

Update now moved to next week.

All along I've leaned toward the theory that Mollie came to harm during her run. Three witnesses saw her
running. The run was only fifteen minutes long, much shorter than MT's usual runs. I know that there was a huge ground search initially, but I cannot shake the feeling she is hidden somewhere close but out of sight. Perhaps I watch way too many crime programs but in so many missing persons cases a body is found in an area that was previously searched. It might be a cornfield, a culvert, a gully, a drain pipe. Somewhere that you couldn't see driving by in a car. If people know MT's average time to run a mile, they could figure out
approximately where she'd be 15 mins. from home. Folks could search on foot or on bikes to get a better view of those hard to access places. Anyway, this is my personal theory. I sure hope I am wrong. My heart goes out to family/friends hoping against hope.

We do not know that MT's run was 15 minutes long.

 

[Stormy21]

Latest from the Cedar Rapids Gazette. Nothing new really.

Mollie Tibbetts case: Investigators quietly continue search for missing Iowa student

 

[Kapua]

If she was spotted at 7:30 headed east and again around 8:00 headed west, that’s at least 30 minutes. Several earlier posts have presented some calculations regarding her distance traveled, timing and how soon she would have arrived back home.

We don't know if she planned to go to her mom's for dinner before she went home.

 

[MsBetsy]

If she was spotted at 7:30 headed east and again around 8:00 headed west, that’s at least 30 minutes. Several earlier posts have presented some calculations regarding her distance traveled, timing and how soon she would have arrived back home.

At some point it was stated that her run lasted 15 minutes. Did that come from the cell phone data that LE retrieved or did that come from a reporter, does anyone remember? In one of the earlier articles it stated she was jogging from 7:30 to 7: 45. Or maybe it was 8:00? Does anybody know?

 

[jawndough]

This is an earlier video posted on Ashleigh Banfield's fb page (CNN/HLN), and is a phone interview with LC. The video was posted on July 27th.

There has been significant discussion about Mollie's jogging route. I thought LC comments in this video are of interest.

LC was asked: "In regards to her jogging, was there a particular route she would follow?"
LC responds: "It was through the community of Brooklyn, but from what I understand she changed her route." (bbm)

I've debated about posting this for almost two weeks, as LE has kept (appropriately) quiet about the timeline. Personally, I haven't decided whether LC unintentionally let this slip, or whether it is no big deal.

(note, transcription is mine, and hopefully error-free)

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10156467452424757

Interesting... I would have asked her to elaborate if I was asking the questions.

 

[Jennifermn]

We do not know that MT's run was 15 minutes long.

If the eye witness on 2nd St. is correct that would have put MT 30 minutes into her run. Though that is the witness who changed the time from 9pm to 8pm, so who knows how accurate his recollection is.

 

[borndem]

(duplicate post)

 

[PaulR]

At some point it was stated that her run lasted 15 minutes. Did that come from the cell phone data that LE retrieved or did that come from a reporter, does anyone remember? In one of the earlier articles it stated she was jogging from 7:30 to 7: 45. Or maybe it was 8:00? Does anybody know?

I think the only people who have a timeline with any level of confidence is the police and they aren't releasing it (yet.)

 

[BullBear77]

While the thread was locked, I was looking over the Google Maps that I believe Jennifer marked with locations and information (wonderful job btw, thank you for taking the time to do so) and my heart sunk when I realized there is a Truck Stop of America just off I-80 to the south of Brooklyn and a Pilot Travel Center to the southeast of Brooklyn and due north of WC's location off I-80 as well. At this point I imagine somebody else on WS has noticed this and mentioned it, if so I apologize.

 

[Jennifermn]

While the thread was locked, I was looking over the Google Maps that I believe Jennifer marked with locations and information (wonderful job btw, thank you for taking the time to do so) and my heart sunk when I realized there is a Truck Stop of America just off I-80 to the south of Brooklyn and a Pilot Travel Center to the southeast of Brooklyn and due north of WC's location off I-80 as well. At this point I imagine somebody else on WS has noticed this and mentioned it, if so I apologize.

I noticed as well.

 

[kay74]

We don't know if she planned to go to her mom's for dinner before she went home.

Her mother said her two red shirts were there, in her bedroom, so she would have to go there to get one of them for work the next day. If she jogged the mile there, I HOPE investigators interviewed every neighbor along that route.

 

[bcom32]

Why doesn't LE go back over her route to see if there is any sign of a hit a run?..they know the routes she took...Check garages to see if anyone has had to get paint or parts for their vehicle recently..

I’m not buying hit/run scenario. Would have likely caused more physical evidence at point Mollie disappeared which would have been located by LE

Investigators issue polygraph test to farmer who refused test at first
Mollie Tibbetts search: Investigators issue polygraph test to farmer who refused test at first

The farmer has taken a poly. No info on results thus far.

Tibbetts Would've Fought Back If Taken from Home, Says Boyfriend's Brother
Missing Mollie Tibbetts Would've Fought Back If Taken from Home, Says Boyfriend's Brother

No sign of a struggle at home.

Planned Update Postponed
DCI Postpones Planned Update on Mollie Tibbetts Search

Update now moved to next week.

All along I've leaned toward the theory that Mollie came to harm during her run. Three witnesses saw her
running. The run was only fifteen minutes long, much shorter than MT's usual runs. I know that there was a huge ground search initially, but I cannot shake the feeling she is hidden somewhere close but out of sight. Perhaps I watch way too many crime programs but in so many missing persons cases a body is found in an area that was previously searched. It might be a cornfield, a culvert, a gully, a drain pipe. Somewhere that you couldn't see driving by in a car. If people know MT's average time to run a mile, they could figure out
approximately where she'd be 15 mins. from home. Folks could search on foot or on bikes to get a better view of those hard to access places. Anyway, this is my personal theory. I sure hope I am wrong. My heart goes out to family/friends hoping against hope.

I must have overlooked, but where has it been reported her run lasted only 15mins? Has this been confirmed? One could come up with reasonable assumption of a search radius based on a good guess of her pace, but may not matter since LE reportedly already has the digital footprint.

 

[MsBetsy]

I think the only people who have a timeline with any level of confidence is the police and they aren't releasing it (yet.)

I just wish I knew where the source came from

 

[CrimeReporter]

Yes, but what if the person that happened to hit the person had prior convictions for DUI, hitting a pedestrian and fleeing the scene and abduction of a female while themselves under the influence? Hitting another person while possibly under the influence would mean significant prison time as this is the third offense. Admittedly far fetched but stranger things have happened. Would this scenario for the perp change your POV?

No, it wouldn't change my opinion. In every case that I know of, where a motorist hits a pedestrian and tries to get away with it, the motorist high-tails it out of there. Sticking around even a few seconds would increase your chances of getting caught. And in the heat of the moment, the perpetrator isn't taking into account the possible sentence associated with each option -- they're only thinking about getting away fast.

I had a particularly interesting case where the motorist fled after fatally striking a pedestrian. He later told police that he fled because he was drunk and afraid of getting in trouble. He even went so far as trying to get his truck crushed at a salvage yard -- that's what got him caught. Ironically, if he had stopped and tried to help the victim and called for help, he would have gotten a lighter sentence. Why? Because in our state, the max sentence for reckless homicide is less than the max sentence for failure to report a motor vehicle accident involving death or great bodily injury.

That perpetrator got caught because he did stupid things afterward, in an attempt to cover it up. If you stop and start trying to cover things up, you're probably increasing your chances of getting caught. Think of all the risks you'd be taking if you stop and pick up the body: another motorist passing by, getting DNA in your own vehicle, getting seen disposing of the body, leaving your own DNA at the scene, leaving your footprints at the crash scene, leaving evidence at the body-disposal scene, etc.

Bottom line, I highly doubt that a motorist accidentally hit her and then undertook a very risky, time-consuming, labor-intensive effort to hide the body, and that this effort was so smart/lucky that it has confounded a team of FBI investigators.

 

[WhimsicalWillow]

Wasn’t she moving to a new apartment?

Could she have come in contact with random people via internet virtual garage sale websites? They need to look at her internet and see if she sold anything or was planning to.

Craigslist, as we know, is one way for a random person to get your address and come by. They should also look at any previous sales via the web she may have made because someone could have bought something from her in the past and knew she’d be there alone.

Was she looking for roommates? Many college friends would post on Facebook groups that they were seeking a roommate.

What if she came in contact with a stranger via apartment hunting and TOLD them she’d be spending time alone at her BF’s house?

 

[Kapua]

It is one of three things:
1. He is innocent and knows nothing.
2. He is guilty and knows all.
3. He is tangent to the event and knows something of the crime.

What do we think his actions say?

With regard to this case he:

- Consented to a search of his house w/o a warrant
- Surrendered his phone to LE overnight
- Submitted to a polygraph exam (after initially balking)
- Allowed LE and media to interview him several times

All I can say it that it seems to me that he’s been pretty cooperative, FWIW. None of HIS actions would lead me to draw a conclusion one way or the other. Now if we consider LE's actions:

1. Interviewed him at least 3 times
2. Searched his house
3. Searched his property
4. Asked him to take a polygraph test

That might lead some people to draw a conclusion. But not me, because we still cannot place him in Brooklyn the night MT went missing.

 

[Trino]

No, it wouldn't change my opinion. In every case that I know of, where a motorist hits a pedestrian and tries to get away with it, the motorist high-tails it out of there. Sticking around even a few seconds would increase your chances of getting caught. And in the heat of the moment, the perpetrator isn't taking into account the possible sentence associated with each option -- they're only thinking about getting away fast.

I had a particularly interesting case where the motorist fled after fatally striking a pedestrian. He later told police that he fled because he was drunk and afraid of getting in trouble. He even went so far as trying to get his truck crushed at a salvage yard -- that's what got him caught. Ironically, if he had stopped and tried to help the victim and called for help, he would have gotten a lighter sentence. Why? Because in our state, the max sentence for reckless homicide is less than the max sentence for failure to report a motor vehicle accident involving death or great bodily injury.

That perpetrator got caught because he did stupid things afterward, in an attempt to cover it up. If you stop and start trying to cover things up, you're probably increasing your chances of getting caught. Think of all the risks you'd be taking if you stop and pick up the body: another motorist passing by, getting DNA in your own vehicle, getting scene disposing of the body, leaving your own DNA at the scene, leaving your footprints at the crash scene, leaving evidence at the body-disposal scene, etc.

Bottom line, I highly doubt that a motorist accidentally hit her and then undertook a very risky, time-consuming, labor-intensive effort to hide the body, and that this effort was so smart/lucky that it has confounded a team of FBI investigators.

That's why it's called hit and run.

 

[BullBear77]

I noticed as well.

I feel better knowing I wasn't the only who thought/noticed this.

Jennifer, thank you for creating the map I believe that was you? Great looking dog on your profile photo too! Love German Shepherds! Incredibly loyal and intelligent dogs. It's comical how many people confuse my Belgian Malinois for one.

 

[borndem]

I had to laugh at your post because I was remembering my earlier days on this site. I had been a member nearly a decade when I decided to ask what MSM meant. Tricia herself sent me a message, shocked that as long as I was a member that I did not know that it meant Main Stream Media. LOL. I also messed up when I used LOL to reply to a post where one of our members had lost their husband. I honestly thought it meant Lots of luck. Now I'm horrified at posting "Laugh out loud" to someone who just lost someone.

Yep, I went through the same thing here, but I asked about "bbm" and was told about the glossary. A wonderful thing it was!

I remember, when lingo first began appearing (several years before I joined WS) -- I saw "LOL" in an email to me, and thought it meant "Little Old Lady," and it kind of pizzed me off!

All we can do is LAL -- live and learn!