Found Deceased IA - Mollie Tibbetts, 20, Poweshiek County, 19 Jul 2018 #23

Status
Not open for further replies.
there not looking far enough. they are looking where she may had walked ran to and or both. and i understand why that is. But they need to go out, at least 30 miles from the house in whatever direction. they think she was abducted while out and about that could be a ploy to through out the investigation. They need to go out 30 miles at least........and look for that dam truck

What truck?
Have I missed something?
 
I don't know whether a fitbit has ever been used as evidence in court before -- prosecutors (assuming it would be prosecutors) would have to get a fitbit expert to explain how they work, how the info on them can't be changed (if that is so), and to testify what the info means.
This would all have to be done without the jury being present, I would assume, like we have seen other evidence/testimony in new systems/devices. They would also have to show/prove that the fitbit was last worn on the night/day she was abducted -- if it was an abduction, etc.The judge would prolly ask questions, etc., etc., and then give a ruling.

Someone here might have already seen fitbit info used as evidence.
Anyone?
Here’s a recent case that had some Fitbit evidence. Either Dateline or 48 Hours did a piece on it in the past couple of months. This is just one of many articles online about it.

Judge allows some of boyfriend's Fitbit data in Nicole VanderHeyden murder case
 
Could it be that one of the daycare mothers was upset or jealous of Molly? Maybe their child was going home every day telling his/her mom how they wish Molly was their mom? Or maybe Molly was partial to one child over the other & that caused friction? Or could it be a dad obsessed with her. Idk, just throwing things out there. Imo they need to look at the families of the daycare she worked at.
 
Yeah someone thought it had maybe been posted on the website


I've been doing some looking. This was being discussed back in Thread 13. @Mom24 - do you have a link/source for the camera at the co-op being out due to a lightning strike? If I try to 'read up' on the thread it ends up back to a comment that gives me an error so I can't figure who first mentioned it. But I'm a newbie here so maybe someone else will have more luck.
It was in an interview they had early on, someone said it but they said it was a rumor. So I'm not sure it's reliable. I've looked for the interview, but can't find it. It was on one of their local stations. I'm not even sure we have a source that the camera was out, now that I think about it.
 
<modsnipped- not ok to post>

You sometimes wonder if there’s a spike in reports because we’re all hyper aware, following a disappearance like Mollie’s. But we’re seeing more and more reports validated by video, which make me believe the contrary.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
....snipped for focus.....
IMO, there are numerous areas this could have happened.

Also, there are so many woodsy areas she could have been dumped in right there locally.

I agree with the above after finally being able to see what the roads and area looked like. Thanks to Sharon for taking the time to give us a tour of Brooklyn.

Some thoughts that came to mind.

*Noticed there were no sidewalks.

Maybe some but I didnt notice any sidewalks on most of the roads. This is common in some small towns to have no sidewalks. It means a jogger is actually jogging in the road. Usually near the edges but it does make it somewhat easier for a vehicle to pull up to someone who may be walking or jogging in the road.

*Hardly any traffic.

Around the time of day that MT may have gone missing there may have been practically no cars on the roads. I could see where there may not have been any witnesses the moment she disappeared.

*The corn is tall and thick and lots of it nearby.

The only problem with the theory of someone dragging her off the road and into the corn is I doubt a perp would want to leave their vehicle on the side of any of those roads so the only way I could see that happening is if the perp was on foot themselves around the time she went by. Or lived in one of the homes nearby and came outside around the same time she was coming by.

*She may have known some locals in the area and perhaps someone invited her over to stop by.

*Her missing signs were all over the place in many businesses and yards. This is good news and shows the whole town cares about her.
 
I was just kind of googling around this afternoon and happened to remember this from another case. I'm not sure Mollie would be considered a child but there is this;

The Child Abduction Rapid Deployment—or CARD—teams are composed of a dozen or so special agents with expertise and experience of working crimes against children cases. The five teams are strategically located throughout the United States.

And this is interesting another Mollie;
Mollie Halpern: Moments matter when a child is abducted, and the FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment teams are ready to immediately respond.

Scott Schelble: The FBI wants to be involved from the onset, and we’re willing to deploy assets from the onset. The top priority is the safe recovery of the child and the apprehension of the offender.

Halpern: I’m Mollie Halpern of the Bureau, and this is FBI, This Week. The Child Abduction Rapid Deployment—or CARD—teams are composed of a dozen or so special agents with expertise and experience of working crimes against children cases. The five teams are strategically located throughout the United States. CARD Team Coordinator Scott Schelble...
Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team — FBI
 
I have looked at WC's property as well as the adjacent property on the county assessor's site as well as satellite view on Google maps and still don't see anything that resembles a bog. Perhaps I don't know what I'm looking for. Anyone else see a bog?

This is interesting. The farm is different from the overhead that was linked a couple of threads ago. It shows that the date of when a photo is taken is important. Concerning bogs, I did not see a bog, but there were a couple of cattle ponds in fields away from the pig farm. The overhead photo you linked to showed the farm is on higher ground with the land draining away from the farm.

Also, while one side of the road showed possible pig farming, the other side of the road appeared to be poultry farming -- the two long metal buildings with feed towers on them.
 
Last edited:
A town of 1500 people, a 20 year old female with a social media presence 'just disappears' and the FBI and local Law Enforcement can't solve this case in 3 and a half weeks..!! Really??? This is a shame and an embarrassment for LE . Makes one question their efforts, their focus, or their abilities. Where is Liam Neeson!!!


Having worked several cases of this magnitude I can tell you that the more publicity it’s given and more posters that are hung across the country it makes an impossible workload for the investigators. With an 800 number they are getting a huge amount of incoming calls where 99% are worthless. Invariably the city/ county/ state or whoever is running this thing does not give ample support to answer all of the calls and follow up on every phone call. There will be tons of leads that will end up in the trash can.

I worked in the National call center on a case about 15 years ago and we were so overwhelmed with calls that during some periods half of the calls were never answered.

So before you go criticizing the men and women, some who haven’t been home in days, think of the workload that they experience.
 
Honestly I wouldn't believe a word they say; just a few minutes into the interview, they say both brothers left on the morning of the 18'th, and that BJ was gone for ONE night. They also acknowledge that NO ONE had confirmed that a red shirt was found, so how could her mom say it wasn't hers? They got some things right but I wouldn't consider anything they said new or relevant.
Reporter Ben Ashford personally interviewed Laura Calderwood on 8/3 so I'll give them credit on this, but I agree they got the dates wrong on DJ departure and noted that when I posted this interview. MOO
 
I think that once LE established that people closest to Mollie were accounted for and that all of her items except what she would have with her for a run were at the house, they realized it would be a primarily digital case and called for help. Not unusual or pointing to an extreme crime, imo, such as terrorism, serial, etc...FBI joins so many cases where I live I never even think about it. They have a policy of assisting in MP cases and in providing better access to digital records.
Jmo
 
This is interesting. The farm is different from the overhead that was linked a couple of threads ago. It shows that the date of when a photo is taken is important. Concerning bogs, I did not see a bog, but there were a couple of cattle ponds in fields away from the pig farm. The overhead photo you linked to showed the farm is on higher ground with the land draining away from the farm.

Yes, I noticed those ponds too - west of WC's property on the north and south sides of the road. The poster I was responding to originally asked about WC's bog, then indicated it wasn't his property, but next to it and I just don't see one. Further, I don't know anything about pig farms, but I fail to understand why someone who doesn't own pigs would have a bog for pig waste on their property.
 
@cady said:
I feel sorry for the dogs.....so they are locked up in the basement all day when no one is home.....what a crummy life. At least invest in an outdoor kennel so they can breathe fresh air and get some sun and see whats going on, even if its not much.
@R.U.Kidding! said:
Awww---a fellow animal lover.

<modsnip: snipped quote that was removed>

There was a tornado nearby Brooklyn during the week in question. While I have no knowledge on the pets and/or their circumstance, the cool, dry, basement would likely be their safest shelter in Iowa summer. MOO
 
Last edited by a moderator:
A minor detail that could be relevant: I wonder if LE inquired who MT's emergency contact person is at UnityPoint Health? One would expect it to be MT's mother. If so, how would one of her coworker know her boyfriend's number? Unless DJ's the contact on the Emergency Contact Form (which the director, CN, likely had at the county fair), it wouldn't make sense. CN's initial video statement said, "We reached out to one of her family members," but he later stated a staff member called DJ. So it doesn't appear the call was made in an official capacity. DJ didn't appear personally familiar with the coworker, per his statements in referencing the call. Considering MT may have arranged a ride with a coworker, I would think this may be relevant.
It could be a listed emergency contact, but it could be that one of the other staff (I think they said there are 10) knew her brothers at some level. That wouldn't be super unusual in small town circles. It's possible that a family friend even got MT the job, so the family was known to another employee.
 
I’m curious about this too. I know that what LE stated in MSM as the reason for FBI’s early involvement was that Iowa LE did not have much (any?) experience in using Fitbit data for a Missing Person’s case, and that even for the FBI, it’s still newer science to rely on in an investigation. So, if we take them at their word, that could be the only reason. However, does that really explain their continued involvement (assuming there is con’t FBI presence in investigation)? This goes into our “need to know” category. Is there more explanation to explain FBI’s early and continued involvement in this case, aside for Fitbit Data access and analysis?

Personally, I have only followed a small handful of cases on WS, so I can’t comment on whether this is typical or not.


I think it may be because they suspect a serial killer. MOO
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Staff online

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
168
Guests online
3,934
Total visitors
4,102

Forum statistics

Threads
591,527
Messages
17,953,799
Members
228,521
Latest member
sanayarford
Back
Top