Found Deceased IA - Mollie Tibbetts, 20, Poweshiek County, 19 Jul 2018 #8

[Weeobanite]

Great


Great second post, Ravenmoon!

Unfortunately, I completely agree with @Ravenmoon They are gathering trust and info and waiting for their moment. I think they know who could be involved.

 

[Millhouse]

LE only referenced "events on July 18th" as opposed to July 18th and 19th. Maybe not important but leads me to believe they think something happened to her that evening or night instead of the next morning as has been discussed (mostly due to missing red shirt).
I had previously thought that she did make it back from her run but now I don't know what to think. If she'd been out for a run, the dogs would have been up. I never take my wallet or money or ID when I run. I have been known to hide my keys in my unlocked car or around the outside of the house in order to keep from running with them. I also never run with my glasses so I guess it really depends on how bad her vision is. So to me, the setup that they found, wallet home, glasses home, contacts home, dogs put up, sounds like she never made it home. Until they confirm the SC time or the school log in I see nothing that leads me to believe she made it back.

The contacts/glasses being at home is the one thing that makes me really doubt she didn't make it home from her jog. I'd never go running without my contacts in. I don't know how bad her vision is, but IMO having both glasses and contacts with her indicates she used them on a pretty regular basis.

 

[Inthedetails]

Delete duplicate (apologies!)

 

[SuperTmo]

The emphasis on "getting to know Mollie" - anyone else wondering if that is because this was done by someone she was close to?

This was the weirdest part of the press conference. Getting to know her makes it sound like they want to find out what makes her tick so they can figure out how to get her to come back.

 

[Poppyflower]

First post -

this is reminding me a little bit of Leanne Bearden and the mom that disappeared from her home (cant remember her name right now)

my take on the PC -
they know what happened, they dont know why

in my observations, they do not say a lot when there is a lot going on behind the scene or are close to conclusion

all is my opinion, but my gut is saying she willingly left and may not be found, and if so, not for a few months

I think you're thinking of Jennifer Huston in Oregon.

Oregon Mom Jennifer Huston Committed Suicide: Police

 

[Earnjul11]

I found this Press Conference to be quite telling , actually. Please note, this is strictly my take away, and all based on MOO. :

1. They do have a suspect. They don't just don't know WHY the suspect acted in this manner. The motive is not clear.

2. They don't know where to find Mollie. Not yet.

3. They know when she went missing (at least within a good time frame).

4. They don't believe she purposely left home with no intention of contacting family, friends and/or co workers.

5. I am leaning towards the fact that Mollie knew, or was familiar with her abductor.

Reasons I believe the above is true:

1. This press conference has dual purposes. One is to keep Mollie's story alive. They need people to stay focused, keep asking questions, and NOT let the public forget that she is gone. Another reason: To keep pressure on the Perpetrator. They need this person to understand that they are NOT stopping. They have leads, they are following them. In order to find Mollie, they need to uncover the"why".

2. This is delicate. They have to follow their POI in both physical and digital ways. They have to befriend this person and gain their trust. They have to get to understand the dynamic between Mollie and their POI.

3. I believe them when they say that they have an accurate timeline. They know when she went missing within (A guess for certain) an hour - 2 hours. They cannot share this, because it will give the POI time to run, change stories, or obstruct / damage evidence.

4. Even though subtle, the point was made that disappearing is out of the line of normal for past behaviors.

5. The hesitation in the answer to whether people should be heightened on vigilance is telling. There was a leaning towards the fact that they want to know who was in this small town. Who frequents it.. and also how out of character this disappearance is. And, yes.. I do realize that the conclusion would be it is uncharacteristic.. however, in my interpretation of his message.. this feels more personal.

Please know .. once again.. these are my thoughts and take away. I look forward to the next press conference. I would wager a bet that this will see a conclusion within weeks if not sooner.

Bless Mollie's family and the little town that is trying to figure this out.

This. I truly believe she may have known / known of the person who has taken her. In small towns, you mostly know everyone. He even the trucker who comes into town every week or two, you would recognize, and they would recognize you. At least, this is in my own experience growing up in one.

 

[Inthedetails]

I don't want coverage like that. I'm certainly not going to watch their next press conference.

No worries....we'll tell you all about it anyway.

 

[Kapua]

Thanks for everyone listening and updating. I am at work and unable to watch. Based on the information shared here, my initial theory that LE has a possible suspect is strengthened. Indicating they do not feel releasing the timeline (that they are confident in) will help find Molly, makes me think they already know what they need to know and are hoping the presser will spook the POI or make the POI ease up thinking they have nothing and possibly do something under surveillance to lead them to her. JMO.

I am also curious about her possibly leaving on her own. If there was any bank activity or other signs of her still being alive, they would likely know that by now and it would be part of the evidence not being released. Moo.

If she left on her own, and planned to just get away and clear her head, she would have taken some money and packed a change of clothes or two, and some hygiene essentials such as a toothbrush and some deodorant, IMHO. Also possibly taking a cell phone charger for when she was ready to get back into her life. This possibility seems inconsistent with her calling her mom, SC-ing her boyfriend, and house-sitting. She was described as "responsible" and "a creature of habit" (I will find links). You cannot survive forever on no money. Also, if I understand correctly, Mollie did not have a car with her. So if she DID leave voluntarily, she either took a bus (need to research bus system) or went with someone else. Again, it seems inconsistent with her normal way of life, but people do strange things. The runaway bride story comes to mind.

 

[Twistinginthewind]

No it is very bizarre I have never known a case like this.

LE could just be totally stumped 2 weeks in. Someone could have made a clean getaway. It's not unheard of.

 

[thesensitivechild]

Based on what I am reading I continue to believe what I stated yesterday. They are in a very tricky situation because someone abducted Mollie. They think there is a high chance that this individual will keep her alive for some time for himself. They know she is not in Brooklyn. They know the public won’t, at least for now, find her as she is being held somewhere. They do not need the public’s help because unless a member of the public sees a girl being held captive or something of that nature (which would lead to a 911 call not a tip) the public won’t be of any use to them. The public is a distraction because it leads to individual sleuthing and tips that have no relevance to the case. They do not, for now, need the public involved. They are concerned because this individual may act at any time. The less they tell the more they have the ability to assume some control in how the abductor acts. They want her alive. They have no clue where she is. They must find her and they want to do it soon and through their own investigative techniques. Mollie is most likely in a house or on a property of this individual. The situation is very delicate. They for whatever reason believe the individual will not just dispose of Mollie but will want her alive. If she is murdered the abductor may wait before disposing of the body. No public tip from sleuthing will help. The only tip that might help is someone who observes something, someone who maybe saw something around the time, or someone in the area of this individual who notes their behavior is odd or they randomly have more groceries or something along those lines. Sleuthing can’t and won’t help. Their releasing more information than need be puts Mollie in more danger. Read between the lines. This is an abduction and an ongoing one. I also personally believe they feel this person has done this before and therefore are being even more cryptic. They don’t want anyone to know what they know, what they don’t know, if they know anything at all. They need to do work to try and figure out who this individual is. Most likely he is more than 15
Miles from Brooklyn. This is all moo from observing.

 

[wowitsdark]

No huge reward, no massive sense of urgency for the public’s help leads me to believe that they know most of what they need.

Regarding rewards, do people, businesses, or organizations wanting to offer rewards typically go through law enforcement when doing so? And would LE be apt to suggest that they hold off making any announcements under the guise of strategic timing, either because they really are wanting to use a reward strategically, or because they don't want the organization to give away funds unnecessarily because they actually already have most of what they need?

 

[Poppyflower]

I feel like she willingly went with someone she knows. Maybe even someone she is attracted to. I know she is engaged, but she's only 20, and these things happen. Maybe the guy wants to convince her to stay with him, so she is being restrained?

If you're speaking of Mollie, I don't think she is engaged. I have followed pretty closely and everything I've read only says boyfriend.

 

[Veracity]

The first man to speak was Kevin Winkler, Director of Investigative Operations IOWA Dept of Public Safety. He has over 30 yrs experience in LE. He is based in DesMoines.

With him were Sheriff and Special Agent in charge of IOWA, Randy Thysse with the FBI - he is based in Iowa somewhere.

There was over 65 years of LE experience standing there!
The Sheriff of this county is not new - he has been re-elected multiple times. With such a tiny population, he surely knows folks there.

I LOVED the FBI was standing there and was very surprised to see the TOP IOWA FBI Special Agent standing there! That speaks volumes as to the seriousness of LE for this case.

Here is an article which details his background -
Randall C. Thysse Named Special Agent in Charge of Omaha Division

When I first saw his credentials I was a bit disappointed and then I realized he has been working on cases since he joined the FBI in 1989 where clues are hidden in DETAILS. I think this is fantastic.

The first telephone 800 452 1111 provided is a toll free number for Crime Stoppers - it can be found on the DesMoines Public School site too. So it is a regional toll free number many in that region should be familiar with right?

The second number is 515 223 1400 is another regional Crime Stopper number.

Both of these numbers work fantastic with the Small Town dynamic - folks can call anonymously.

I am going to consider this press conference a sort of CHUCK NORRIS moment - it wasn't what they did or didn't say, it was more the power in the presence that should send a ripple through that community and region.

I was also happy to hear new tips are coming in.

They also provided an email address that goes directly to the SHERIFF's office. tips@poweshiekcosheriff.com

I was disappointed no contact information specific for Special Agent Thysse was provided but who in IOWA or elsewhere can't figure out how to call the top man's office?

After the news conference I have the impression those fellas know what will feel most comfortable for the folks who need to reach out and they are "LOOKING FOR MOLLIE".

 

[MargeGunderson]

So can someone explain to me how a press conference like that puts pressure on a POI? I'm not saying it doesn't. I'm just trying to understand how. I've seen the technique used before but the press conferences seemed to say things like 'We know the person is out there and we are going to get justice" - that kind of scare stuff. But unless you are on web sleuths and dissecting the bejebbies out of every words and facial expressions, this pc really made it sound like they don't know anything concrete (and I'm still wandering into that camp myself). So if we assume this was a show for the POI, is the point to make him squirm or to relax him?

 

[Madison418]

Let me ask this.... how many of you text while jogging? Or do you wait to get home? Maybe I am naive or crazy, but only one POI makes sense based on the very little information being released. It also explains why the police are keeping this tight to the chest - to be absolutely sure before accusing this person.

I jog fairly often, as does my sister, I text sometimes but not often. My sister texts all the time while on her runs. What's your theory?

 

[Seattle1]

I found this Press Conference to be quite telling , actually. Please note, this is strictly my take away, and all based on MOO. : [SNIP]....

5. The hesitation in the answer to whether people should be heightened on vigilance is telling. There was a leaning towards the fact that they want to know who was in this small town. Who frequents it.. and also how out of character this disappearance is. And, yes.. I do realize that the conclusion would be it is uncharacteristic.. however, in my interpretation of his message.. this feels more personal.....Bless Mollie's family and the little town that is trying to figure this out.

Welcome to Websleuths @Ravenmoon, Good interpretation. Whenever I hear the the pat answer.. "everyone should always be aware of their surroundings," my take is: if it happened the to her/him (Mollie), it could happen to anybody. Be aware.

 

[Earnjul11]

If she left on her own, and planned to just get away and clear her head, she would have taken some money and packed a change of clothes or two, and some hygiene essentials such as a toothbrush and some deodorant, IMHO. Also possibly taking a cell phone charger for when she was ready to get back into her life. This possibility seems inconsistent with her calling her mom, SC-ing her boyfriend, and house-sitting. She was described as "responsible" and "a creature of habit" (I will find links). You cannot survive forever on no money. Also, if I understand correctly, Mollie did not have a car with her. So if she DID leave voluntarily, she either took a bus (need to research bus system) or went with someone else. Again, it seems inconsistent with her normal way of life, but people do strange things. The runaway bride story comes to mind.

Well, she could have initially left on her own with someone believing she'd only be gone for a short amount of time. I just really have a feeling it wasn't random and it was someone she may have known or trusted. I am still hopeful she's somewhere alive and just waiting for LE to find her.

 

[KaaBoom]

No worries....we'll tell you all about it anyway.

I can save you the trouble, and predict what they will say now. Absolutely nothing, just like this one. But thanks anyway.

 

[who knew?]

If you're speaking of Mollie, I don't think she is engaged. I have followed pretty closely and everything I've read only says boyfriend.

You are right. I should have said boyfriend, not fiance.

 

[psudad]

I do not get the feeling they think she is still alive. If that were the case they would most likely be releasing much more information to try and locate her. This is assuming she did not leave on her own of course. I believe she did not leave the town alive but they cant figure out where the body was disposed of and are hoping the POI will lead them to it.