Found Deceased IA - Mollie Tibbetts, 20, Poweshiek County, 19 Jul 2018 *Arrest* #38

[MyBelle]

Not when making a charge. To file you have to have some idea of when and where the offence occurred, and affirm this in your application.
The charge was Homicide, and the allegation is that in that window of time, on that date MT was killed.

The date and time range are for when the incident is believed to have occurred and it is to the best of the Officer's knowledge. That is why it is listed as a high and low range. The officer doesn't know the exact time Mollie died nor does the warrant call it time of death. At the time of the warrant, the information provided was sufficient for a judge to sign it. That's all that matters.

 

[Jeng1810]

Just going to throw MOO out there for what it is worth...about 2 cents:

His story is 1/2 true. He followed her in town and something happened at Boundary and Middle. He likely blitzed her and she had no chance. She was likely on way to mom’s to get car and eat brats. Sounds like a great summer evening. Her phone pings east on 385th while she is incapicated. He goes south with her, dumps the body after whatever, rids himself of the phone. Fitbit was still likely on her wrist. And here we are today.

 

[jillycat]

I'm not convinced that Mollie ran East, away from Brooklyn on 385 Ave. but maybe she did. That is perhaps what the suspect wants us to believe. I think it's more likely that he grabbed her shortly after she passed Middle St. running North on Boundary. I think he drove her West and then assaulted her near 1900 385 Ave.

I don't know which video from SharonNeedles includes 385 Ave heading East. There is also Hwy 385 next to the house-sit, and that may be included in the videos.

You mentioned this before and yes, this is what makes no sense, if I understand the directions. She was running in a direction that placed her farther away from potential help if we accept his version.

 

[oviedo]

The time likely fits the timeline provided by the perp in the confession.

But it is so precise ? I think there is additional evidence else why not say 8:30?

 

[TL4S]

So, if we are to believe that Mollie died of multiple sharp force injuries in the 1900 block of 385th Avenue no later than 8:28 p.m. - which is how the affidavit is interpreted by some - then it follows that whatever sexual motive led to Mollie's attack suddenly became a rage killing.

Which makes CR's story more believable.

 

[Tiger Stripes]

Thanks for the welcome! WS is always an interesting site, and its members have intriguing ideas and solutions... love *all* of that!

Welcome, Tiger Stripes.

 

[Ozoner]

Which makes CR's story more believable.

Only for those who are extraordinarily gullible.

I'm disappointed (to say the least) that Iowa doesn't have the death penalty. I wish they could re-enact it just for this creep, but unfortunately laws can't be enacted ex post facto.

 

[otto]

I have yet to see any qualified source state that she went jogging at "7:30". Not one.
Not one source has stated her jog was 45 minutes. Not one.
Not one has stated that she was close to her moms house when she was abducted. Not one.

I believe if one were to study this map in greater detail. there were specific reasons LE chose these specific locations.
I as well believe, there was a specific reason that LE chose not to have 2 of the links active when people clicked on them. This map was intentionally prepped this way.

We know where her mom lives, and we know where the CCTV of Mollie and suspect car is. We can see that they are close to each other.

I believe it was her mother who said that she typically jogs for 45 minutes, and Mollie texted her mom at 7:30 before going for a run. I'm basing this on information that has been posted on this discussion, but feel free to update this information.

 

[peapods]

I've seen many previous posts stating that it was an Alta.

Just trying to provide some insight/think out loud here -- if it were a regular (non-HR) Alta, all that would be available is a step count during her activity, and potentially whether or not she was recording her run as exercise. If it were an Alta HR, there would also be heart rate data available for the time up until the Fitbit stopped syncing with her phone. Neither one tracks via GPS. AFAIK

 

[Tiger Stripes]

Thank you!. I've definitely been wondering how he cleaned up post murder. The truck stop is open 24/7?

That would certainly explain it. He would have had extra clothing in the car - everything else was planned, such as knowing Mollie's route and circling before she got there. I'm not convinced that this cleaning up happened before 10PM, but it is believable that he stopped at the Truck Stop or Caseys before he abducted Mollie.

Otto -- I was just re-checking the info from the TA website. It's actually "Travel Centers of America" (my bad for giving an incorrect name yesterday). Not only do they have showers (5!); they also have a "state of the art" laundry service -- washers, dryers, racks for hanging clothes, customers can use credit, debit, or cash, *and*...they can even receive a text message to let them know when their washer or dryer is done! Very convenient, I'm thinking, for someone who might want to make a quick dash for a shower after tossing a load of clothes into a washing machine... JMOO

 

[Jeng1810]

You mentioned this before and yes, this is what makes no sense, if I understand the directions. She was running in a direction that placed her farther away from potential help if we accept his version.

Yes I don’t think she had any intention of running out of town as opposed to toward town if she felt she was in danger. 1900 385 is out of the range of her jog IMO and likely a camera sighting of his car or a phone ping.

 

[oviedo]

So, if we are to believe that Mollie died of multiple sharp-force injuries in the 1900 block of 385th Avenue no later than 8:28 p.m. - which is how the affidavit is interpreted by some - then it follows that whatever sexual motive led to Mollie's attack suddenly gave way to a rage killing.

For her sake that’s what I’ve been hoping for - she never really knew beyond that initial confrontation

 

[peapods]

Just trying to provide some insight/think out loud here -- if it were a regular (non-HR) Alta, all that would be available is a step count during her activity, and potentially whether or not she was recording her run as exercise. If it were an Alta HR, there would also be heart rate data available for the time up until the Fitbit stopped syncing with her phone. Neither one tracks via GPS. AFAIK

ETA: sorry if this has already been thoroughly discussed earlier in the previous threads.

 

[TL4S]

Maybe CR used his phone to google map a location to dump the body or find his way home at 8:28pm.

 

[Cardinal47]

I could imagine him believing he was going to get away with it.

What’s more I think it’s a very simple continuum of his success in possible past crimes. The reference to del NARCO alarms me.

And most importantly without the video he may not have been found.

What is del Narco? Never heard of that one.

 

[oviedo]

...and the application for the arrest warrant lists 1900 385th Ave as the location of the crime, indicating that the murder took place there and not in a cornfield 12 miles (or so) away. I know, I'm confused too.

I think that the FitBit data, uploaded to the cloud, ended before the cornfield where the body was found, resulting in the last digital "ping" (acknowledged by LE) in the area of the hog farm. This could be because CR simply turned the phone off enroute to the disposal site. There are technical reasons why, in an area with diminished cell phone coverage (fewer towers), a digital geolocated signal source could be less than pinpoint. This was discussed up-post.
Maybe CR drove past the hog farm looking for a place to dump a body.

On one MSM interview with the lead DCI investigator, he said that CR tackled MT. Maybe when CR accosted MT he took her down, causing her head to hit the pavement, causing immediate unconsciousness and resulting in death (consistent with the affidavit application) from a closed head injury (and with accompanying head laceration - consistent with CR's known statement). However, this COD is not consistent with the prelim autopsy report, as confirmed on a reported MSM interview that the murder weapon was a knife.

It's also possible that CR was threatening MT with a knife, and in the struggle when she went down, hitting her head, he fell on top of her with a knife in his hand, driving the knife into her chest, immediately killing her, and causing nicking of the sternum and/or ribs. Not his intent to kill her there and then, but stuff happens. There was MSM report that forensic
anthropologists would be consulted in this case. Documentation of this kind of sharp force injury would be consistent with their skill set.

Findings of bleed associated with a closed head injury, after 4 to 5 weeks of decomp, while maybe detectable could be equiviable as a COD. Bone nicking from a knife would be a much firmer finding and a better choice to list as the leading COD.

And if there was a struggle so many young people keep their phones in their back pockets what if his smashed -and stopped pinging? By now they surely have a warrant for his cell and know his whereabouts from July until his arrest- I still think this was not the first time he followed her IMO

 

[otto]

You mentioned this before and yes, this is what makes no sense, if I understand the directions. She was running in a direction that placed her farther away from potential help if we accept his version.

That is what the suspect seems to want us to believe. Her family would know if she typically ran on that rural road, but it doesn't seem like a good idea. It seems unlikely to me, but maybe Mollie did run back and forth on 385.

Police would make note of the time that the suspect vehicle was first seen circling, prior to Mollie jogging in the area. That might be the initial time of the incident at 7:45. The incident occurred 1.2 miles away on 385 Ave, so it's quite possible that he abducted her around 8PM, drove her East, assaulted her in one of the nearby fields at 8:28.

 

[Al Hoffman]

If her cell phone were taken from her and turned off, the fit bit would have stopped transmitting too. Right?

Effectively, yes. The FitBit would continue to transmit a low power Bluetooth signal, but this can only be picked up with a device(s) the FitBit is "synced " with, like MT's phone when it is on, and the phone must be within 15 to 30 feet (or so). The FitBit can't "ping" off of or communicate with a cell tower or GPS satellite on its own. MT's FitBit (an Alta?) must have the phone connection for GPS tracking functions to occur, as this FitBit has no ability to do this on its own. Also, the FitBit must connect to the phone for the cached data to be uploaded to the Cloud, and this only happens at variable intervals, when the phone is in range of a cell tower.

If you take the FitBit off, it will no longer record a heart rate, but will continue to record movement and other data. I believe you must push a button to start the GPS run tracking feature, and it should keep up this tracking feature even if taken off, or until told to stop. The battery charge should last for several days.

I hope this helps, if I got anything seriously wrong, please correct.

MOO

 

[Jeng1810]

We know where her mom lives, and we know where the CCTV of Mollie and suspect car is. We can see that they are close to each other.

I believe it was her mother who said that she typically jogs for 45 minutes, and Mollie texted her mom at 7:30 before going for a run. I'm basing this on information that has been posted on this discussion, but feel free to update this information.

Or she was texting her mom when the witness saw her “walking with her phone”. In either case it fits the timeline that she was in town and likely on the way to her moms house at some point. Sad thing for all us moms who take no communication as a sign of our children just being busy. I don’t think I could take that for granted again after this. I can find my 20 year old daughter on find my iPhone but I don’t look every day or every week. We have text code words and all but none of that helps when someone comes at you and somehow subdues you immediately. This is truly a mother’s worst nightmare and my heart goes out to all of those that lost her in this tragedy.

 

[rebel123]

If I may, he stated he “blocked”’it out. In my opinion there’s a huge difference between the two. Blocking Out a memory seems to be more of a choice. Blacking out from the little google research I did, happens usually when a person drinks too much or can be associated with a medical condition such as seizures.

His defence is more then likely going to be 'diminished capacity.'
Diminished capacity is a partial defense, which requires the defendant to have committed the crime while in a very specific state of mind. For example, diminished capacity might be used as a defense if the defendant had suffered a head injury, which rendered him incapable of premeditating the murder he committed.