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

[Spartygirl]

Oh NO !!! I just got home and jumped online for a minute and have been seeing this news everywhere so quickly logged in here !! * ( which is why I love WS, for these verifications)**
My heart is broken.
While I am sure we all pretty much knew this is how it would end, I think we were also praying and hoping along with her family that she may still be alive.
Prayers to her friends and family. I will try to be patient while waiting for the PC later today.

 

[mrsu]

Have they said what time the press conference will be? I'm so sorry she's deceased but very thankful they've finally found her.

5pm CST

 

[SheriBerry]

I agree. I suspect her parents have already ID’d her body and that’s why her father returned home.

What a tragedy. I, too, fell in love with her father and boyfriend seeing their unwavering devotion to finding her. May they find peace in knowing Mollie was adopted by so many caring and loving strangers across the nation.

but why would they hold off on releasing the news that they found her? Proper identification? I'd still think they'd announce that a body had been found and it was pending identification?

 

[MesquiteO21]

Just heard on the live YouTube link above that a family friend leaked the info

one article i read said the info came from the vice president of Crime Stoppers of Central Iowa (Greg Willey)

 

[AuctionGal]

Oh man.. This hits hard. I usually don't follow a lot of these. I believe this is the 2nd story I have ever followed. First time joining this site b/c of Mollie. Being here felt like a part of a community or family that were looking for her with the hopes that she would be found alive. This hurts bad. I hope her family finds peace soon and that whoever is responsible for this is brought to justice... This really hurts.

I remember being so invested in my first missing person case on here...Anjelica Hadsell. It was amazing how deep I got into her story, her life, her family and the other people here on Websleuths. It was something I had never experienced before. It doesn't get any easier...

 

[ChiCubs2016]

I just received a News Alert on my phone. Just heartbreaking! It was a local station in Pennsylvania. Mollie's story has touched so many lives. My thoughts and prayers to her family and friends and to all WS folks as we were all so invested!

 

[Mica]

>>snip

Greg Willey, the vice president of Crime Stoppers of Central Iowa, said the body is believed to be Tibbetts but would provide no other details. Her father, Rob Tibbetts, declined to confirm the information.

Reports: Missing Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts' body found

 

[Shelby1]

<modsnipped>

I will wait for the press conference at 5 pm.

My heart is broken for Mollie's family and friends. I just cannot imagine what they are going through.

 

[distracted]

So just to preface this, I live nowhere near Iowa and neither does my family. I had mentioned how I had been following this case and this morning I told her that Mollie had been found. She said she had also heard that and heard that a suspect was in custody and she said she heard it on the radio (not sure which station). I am not going to say who because I have not seen this mentioned anywhere else and it is probably just a rumor, but has anyone else heard anything about this? I found that very odd that whatever station she was listening to, which was probably a national one considering how far we are from Iowa, would name a suspect.

If it is true, I doubt that's a secret that can be kept till 5pm. Somebody will leak it.

 

[Bravo]

Let's hope there are enough forensics to lead to an arrest!

 

[tlneedham]

I’m still not convinced that she didn’t fall into some hole or something.

Was just thinking that it’s so sad when this is the “best” outcome, out of all the possibilities.

 

[Morf01]

That’s what I’m thinking, usually it’s that they found remains yet to be indenified right?

Not always. A kid that I knew in high school took his own life. I guess they had trouble identifying because it was a gunshot wound to the head. The police found him within hours but didn't tell the public anything until 4-5 days later. I'm not certain if they told the family anything, but in the meantime, there were intense searches and the neighborhood was plastered with missing posters.

I always thought that was strange and don't know the exact reasoning but based on that experience it appears that in some cases they may wait for positive ID before making the announcement.

 

[i'm someone]

In my very humble opinion, which is minuscule in importance, there are only a few things to take solace in:

1. Her family now knows where she is.
2. She did not do anything intentional that broke her family's hearts, ie: suicide, leaving on her own accord, drug overdose, so many possibilities now that can be completely ruled out now.
3. Now they can at least restart the grieving process, being in limbo this long had to be extremely stressful and probably impacted everyone's health.
4. She is not suffering.

That's all I've got right now. I probably will never add to the list, because this outcome is the worst case scenario and has no real silver lining. Rest in Peace, MT.

 

[Angie622]

What can we expect from the press conference this afternoon?
I am thinking probably not much.
Probably that they have made a definite positive id but I bet we wont be told how she was killed, where or when she was found until the perp is caught.

 

[Harmony 2]

Folks please do not post local rumor.

 

[Gardenista]

I just heard. So sad

 

[duster1979]

But how did her fitbit and other data show she was away from Brooklyn? You know, like maybe she went for a ride with someone, who then was bringing her home, who made a pass at her and when she refused... he attacked her then.. etc.

It didn't. Her cell phone connected with a tower 10 miles away. Cell signals can travel as far as 45 miles. She might have been near that tower, but it's just as likely that for a short period of time that tower had a stronger signal than the one her phone was connected to previously. And given this report, assuming it's accurate, it seems like that was probably the case.

 

[Trialrun18]

Guys...I'm broken. For real. This case hits me so hard.

 

[mtnlites]

Hey everyone, been lurking for awhile following this case, and this is my first post. Something about this particular case has really burrowed into my brain. The news of her being found dead not only saddened me, but greatly angered me as well. What kind of world do we live in where a 20 year old college student can't even go for a jog in her tiny hometown without having her entire life/dreams/goals completely snuffed out? I pray for her family and can't even imagine what they are going through. The word "heartbreaking" doesn't even begin to describe losing a child. I hope they find and arrest suspect soon so that Mollie's spirit and her family can receive some measure of peace in justice.

I so agree. I actually had some hope that she might have been alive.

I hope this really was an accident and that she didn't suffer.

(Love your username, btw. That was my fave season of The Bachelor. Loved her playing football in heels, like a boss.)

 

[mountainguy777]

but why would they hold off on releasing the news that they found her? Proper identification? I'd still think they'd announce that a body had been found and it was pending identification?

Because this LE has been standoffish from the start.

 

[duster1979]

gfg