Found Deceased IA - Mollie Tibbetts, 20, Poweshiek County, 19 Jul 2018 #31

[Deleted member 155000]

Throughout the Chelsea Bruck case, people said so many of the same things being theorized here.

The police must know who it is and they are watching someone...

They must have footage that hasn’t been released...

It must have been a serial killer because no evidence was found...

After an outdoor party in a small rural town, no one saw Bruck depart either on foot or in a vehicle, and no one saw her riding along in a vehicle on the exit routes.

They had highly organized search parties everywhere and they didn’t turn up a lick of evidence for 6 months.

Then at the 6 month mark, someone found a part of her clothing in an abandoned industrial building. A few weeks later, they found her body in a wooded lot, covered by brush.

Although people thought LE knew who was responsible and was waiting for them to trip up, they did not know at all. Police did not uncover who was responsible until 2 years later when they struck a DNA match.

The guy charged with the crime was a 20-something distant acquaintance who claimed he gave Bruck a ride home, that they had rough sex while she was intoxicated and she unintentionally died. A jury felt it was more likely rape and assault. But by most accounts, regardless of how it unfolded, he panicked and in a scramble left her body in a wooded area, covered up by some brush.

Although they couldn’t find any evidence in the outdoor location where she disappeared, it was not because he was an expert. Or because it was all calculated. He didn’t have any rope or duct tape. He didn’t have a shovel or back hoe. He didn’t have an underground bunker. He was unstable and had an opportunity and somehow got away with it for a while.

This, and other similar cases, is why I think MT could be lying undiscovered somewhere, after suffering a medical emergency or after being abducted and assaulted by an acquaintance...even though it seemingly appears that this was a clean and calculated crime.

 

[i'm someone]

For those of you that haven’t lived in a small town and think I’m off my rocker for saying Mollie just got in a car willingly with someone she knows, consider my perspective here:

I grew up in an Iowa town of about 1,500. On most nights I could walk uptown, see a car driving by, and tell you whose car it is. I could likely tell you about that person and their family. It would be almost certain that I would run into a friend and at least stop to say hi.

When I moved to Iowa City (much bigger, but still not considered a big city) I could spend all day biking all over the city and not once run into anyone I know. It would be highly unlikely to see anyone I would even wave to.

And now I live in a town near Brooklyn with a population I’d guess to be roughly 5-8k. It’s not like the small town I grew up in, I don’t recognize most of the cars I see. But I do run into people I know every single time I go anywhere in town. And this small town familiarity cannot be understated - numerous people who barely know me at all have accepted rides when I’ve offered. This happens and it happens a lot. Whether this happened to Mollie specifically or not is unknown, but it happens in Brooklyn daily and cannot be dismissed as unlikely.

I personally think it is not only likely, I have put this scenario at my number one spot.

 

[woundwarrior]

For what its worth..please do not discount the church. I am not making accusations or pointing fingers at any denomination. In Ohio there was a Priest convicted of murdering a nun in the sacristy of a hospital chapel. Stabbed her 31 times thru an alter cloth on Holy Saturday 2006. Read it. Father Gerald Robinson. Many years before he was arrested. He died in prison. I too was a near abduction several years ago. Isolated area, country, corn fields. Small town USA. I was minding my own business. Total element of surprise. The ole favorite story...asked me for directions. Wanted me to lead him out of the place I was at. NEVER LEAVE YOUR PLACE!!! I was haunted by this for years. I did report it. 7 years later the perp abducted a young lady. Murdered her. She too was in the country, isolated area, corn fields. He was convicted of that and is now setting on death row. I could identify him from all those years prior. What is important is he is out of society. These two things were not his first rodeos either. He lived within 8 miles of where my incident happened and within just a few miles of the murder site. Those near by just always thought he was "weird". Had a few minor brushes with LE, did some time years earlier. Always stayed just below the radar. You never know who is in your back yard. I think this case is close to home. JMO

 

[SteveP]

I don’t have names right now but she’s not the only person who disappeared right under the neighbors’ noses. I don’t know why people are so skeptical. It doesn’t happen often but it has happened so why couldn’t this be one of those instances?

Sierra LaMar

 

[ab01]

I’m guessing whover had mollie and or the Fitbit when it pinged at circle #5 had knowledge of that area and went there for a specific reason ! MOO what that reason is, I have no idea

 

[DocBrew]

Does anyone know whether they had canines "jogging" her normal routes? Or whether they have had dogs out at all?

JMO.

 

[Jaclin]

Right. And my father (a police officer of over 40 years) indicated that if you give out too much info on an investigation then you cannot distinguish between false confessors (why in the world someone would do that I don't know) and the real perp

i could see mostly homeless people wanting to confess particularly during winter so they can get in somewhere warm with regular meals and a bed to sleep on, possibly even get some health care that they haven't been able to afford. but, I guess you have crazy people out there that might like the attention of people thinking they did it. their 5 minutes of fame, even if it's for something bad.

 

[SharonNeedles]

(snipped by me) It would have to be the perfect location, the most secluded spot, or her willingly going for a ride with someone. But then, you would think someone would have seen that too.

Super valid point. I swear, if I stop and talk to a female in town my wife knows about it before I get home - and I better have an explanation!

 

[i'm someone]

I

did she leave the house to meet a guy? this doesn't sound like her thing, but remember being 20? early 20's ? maybe a little crush? Not likely..I going to say no to this idea..unless those who know her think she could be lured by flattery or just being very naive and wanting to help someone who has issues. But then there would be no reason for there to be zero evidence pointing to this, no phone calls, texts, secret phones, contacts, social posts, NOTHING..so
MOO

This to me could be part of the whole chain of events. Not necessarily to meet a guy, but had a call or text from someone saying they needed something and she left to go....somewhere. Maybe they offer to come and get her. Maybe she says she will meet them part way. But the part of your quote that struck me was about zero evidence pointing to that. There may be a ton of evidence pointing to it, and LE is not sharing it with the public.

 

[MsBetsy]

if there are no known searches, what exactly does that say? They have nothing at all? Nowhere worth searching? Weird...

I believe it may be that LE has no reason to believe they will find more evidence, or a body in the area near where the pings occurred. If the perpetrator disabled the phone in that general location, why would he leave a body behind for them to find? Maybe they have evidence that indicates he definitely DID leave the area. ( based on locations on map) to me it makes sense that he would have taken the body to another location, even if only 15 or 20 miles away, I just don't see leaving it behind along with other evidence.

 

[i'm someone]

i could see mostly homeless people wanting to confess particularly during winter so they can get in somewhere warm with regular meals and a bed to sleep on, possibly even get some health care that they haven't been able to afford. but, I guess you have crazy people out there that might like the attention of people thinking they did it. their 5 minutes of fame, even if it's for something bad.

There are chronic confessors with a mental disorder, just like shoplifters, etc. Usually when LE checks out their story, they find they've also confessed to many other things. It's not for attention, it's just a mental illness thing.

 

[TL4S]

Self-employed, or 'well-off'' (doesn't have to work) or is on vacation.

IMO, someone who would do something like what we think he might have done, does not function in the same capacity as someone who would not. Even if they appear harmless. And honestly, I think the deed was done in a relatively short amount of time. The perp could have been home and in bed before midnight.

 

[MsBetsy]

It could be the perp did not know MT was dog-sitting, was to be alone overnight but vehicles were not parked in the driveway / on the street, IF he even cared about who was home or not or even where she lived.

I'm thinking he knew all, or at least some of that.

 

[Twistinginthewind]

An earlier post in this thread about maybe a car not being involved immediately got me thinking along those lines.

Perhaps someone on her running route that she just knows peripherally--like she knows of them, they live in town obviously, but she doesn't know them super well (or, I guess it could be someone she knows well)--was out in their yard or on their porch when she ran by and hollered out to her...something to get her to come closer for a second. Just enough to get her into their yard/on their porch, and no one else would necessarily find that odd. But then they overpowered her, drug her into their house, and from there, after they did whatever they wanted to her, they could put her into their car without anyone seeing (attached garage, or car parked far back down the driveway by their house). They would drive her and her stuff somewhere else to "dispose of" (I hate using that term when talking about a human being, but not sure how else to say it). That would account for the "ping" or whatever they say the FitBit did.

I don't know. JMO and just a thought as to how something may have happened on her run without a lot of noise, a lot of witnesses, no suspicious vehicle, etc.

I agree this is a possibility that makes sense if her disappearance was the result of an unintended interaction with someone on her part, e.g., it happened while she passed by someone's house on her run.

Another possibility is that if she intended to meet with someone she knew that night while her bf and housemates were out of town, so they would have privacy, something went wrong when they met. Her family said she was known for being caring and wanting to help people. Maybe she was helping someone with a sensitive issue or needed to discuss a sensitive issue with someone whom her family/bf/friends weren't aware of, and the interactions were done in person (at their request), so no SM or cell trail.

 

[MsBetsy]

My question to be asked on here is she lists Oakland Cali as hometown, between the university of iowa, grinnell, oakland there thousands of possibilities of people that kind of know her that could know she was home alone for the weekend.

Yes, I'm not sure if that's your question, but I agree many people may have been aware that she was alone, most likely classmates from college, even friends on sm.

 

[jillycat]

sbm. I don't discount your point, but those cases, excluding Delphi and Evansdale, were in much more populous locations. My assumption is that the odds of a stranger abduction markedly decrease in a town of 1,500, though being in proximity to I-80 is something to consider. Working from the theory that it was a stranger, what could have brought him to Brooklyn on a Wednesday in the middle of July?

What would have brought WC to that area or near her jogging route? There was quite a spotlight on him.

I would think anyone could have ties to the area, historical or more recent. No idea who took her. I just don't think it has to be someone she knew or who is a local with a known tie for her disappearance to make sense.

 

[DocBrew]

Does anyone know whether they had canines "jogging" her normal routes? Or whether they have had dogs out at all?

JMO.

Investigators search pig farm for missing Iowa college student; FBI gets new tip

FBI officers, accompanied by search dogs, continued their search Thursday evening, acting off a new tip, KCCI-TV reported.

Answered my own question. Heh.

 

[Jaclin]

For those of you who use fitbit or similar technology, do you shut it off when you are done your run? Could Mollie have been walking and looking at her phone because she was shutting down the fitbit or putting in some info that the run is over?

you can't power down your fitbit. It only powers down if your battery is dead. If you complete your run, however, you might go to your settings on your fitbit or phone and end the activity, view results, etc.

 

[ChuckMaureen]

Y'all are a bunch of hicks.. . Haha I'm a country girl myself, grew up in a small town, well I thought it was small, of about 8000. I love the turn around concept, so funny! And I completely agree that you can't go anywhere without seeing someone you know. I can't even imagine a population of 1500. That's like the amount in the entire high school in many places. I do find it incredible that something could have happened with not one person seeing a thing. A huge mystery. It would have to be the perfect location, the most secluded spot, or her willingly going for a ride with someone. But then, you would think someone would have seen that too.

How many of us are actually that aware, all the time, of what's going on outside of our houses? We become so complacent with our daily routines, our busy lives. Unless we have incorporated in to our routines regular glances out this or that window a few times a day, even then it's no guarantee we'd witness that rare abduction just up the road; blink and you miss it.

There are moments of course when a commotion grabs our attention, a child scream, a tire screech, a lightning crack on the back 40. A perp approaching quickly and/or quietly to a runner concentrating on the music in their earbuds need only pull up ahead, park as if they lived on the block, get out and fidget at the open door while the jogger passes by then quickly approaches behind and *bonk*. Jogger is shocked, disoriented, maybe passed out and the perp has won their prey.

It can be that easy, that quick, and Hometown America Citizen is busy eating their dinner and chatting with family...

The next day, Hometown America Citizen listens and watches in dismay as their favorite local anchor presents with news of the missing....

 

[otto]

It’s not likely at all that anybody could abduct her along her route without somebody seeing or hearing something. Anybody familiar with the area would know this and not even consider doing so. The only starting point that seems likely at all is Mollie willingly getting into a car with someone she knows, something that happens every day in this area.

Please don't think that women cannot be abducted between 7:30 and 8:00PM on a public road in a small town. There's no truth to that.

The only starting point is that she vanished while jogging.

"we must consider the possibility that foul play is involved. Individuals who commit violent crimes often exhibit behavior that is recognized by those with whom he lives, works, attends school, or is in an otherwise close relationship with." (https://findingmollie.iowa.gov/)
​

There is no reason think that this information is not relevant. I think we can assume that Mollie does not associate with individuals who commit violent crime, and we have to recognize that police are looking for that type of person.