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

[HoldySi]

After looking at her VSCO account and the change in “selfies” recently (less clothing, less photos with her bf) it would appear she’s trying to attract someone new. She also had photo collections eluding to not getting enough attention from someone. Again all theories. Also I am not victim shaming by saying less clothing. The younger generation tends to post bikini photos etc to get attention from strangers its the norm. But those selfies could not have just been for her VSCO account I bet she sent them to someone.

There is also a photo of a building-lined street and her caption is "I belong in Brooklyn, New York, not Brooklyn, Iowa (this is manhattan but whatever)"...

 

[taximama24]

My impression from the PC is they DO have a POI and they suspect he/she took Mollie because he/didn't feel like her boyfriend appreciated her enough. Leaving Mollie alone to dog sit was probably the final trigger in this persons mounting frustration and the decision to take her to do right by her. This may be why he stressed how important she is and how important getting to know her is. I think that was the purpose of even having the PC, to give more attention to Mollie and show that LE agrees with him/her in that Mollie is deserving of the attention. I think that is why they already scheduled the next one too. I also think it could be why they refused to commit to her not leaving on her own accord, because they don't want to anger the POI with the thought that she wouldn't WANT to be with him/her and to be treated better. I thought it was notable that he said "we don't know why she is missing" - I think this was a challenge to the POI, as if to say "we don't think you are doing any better by her by hiding her than the boyfriend was doing by leaving her home alone" almost as if daring him/her to do something to prove that he/she is better for her than the boyfriend, something they can act on to track her down.

 

[wowitsdark]

Glad you are back joining in the discussion. This case is a tough one.

If they really have a POI in mind then would they not just haul in the person for questioning?

That to me would put as much pressure on a person than anything else. Then they could closely watch them after they release them from questioning. I guess I cant see them not hauling someone in for questioning if they really think they have the right POI.

Unless they think she is alive and being held against her will. They would want to follow the POI in hopes he would visit her, take her food, etc. As soon as he knew he was under surveillance I'm assuming visits to her would stop and that would be bad.

 

[lemmon714]

There is also a photo of a building-lined street and her caption is "I belong in Brooklyn, New York, not Brooklyn, Iowa (this is manhattan but whatever)"...

Details like this feed the "She bolted!" side of me.

 

[carbuff]

It's next to impossible to know about the brat/text/dinner situation, but I am recalling a responsible and well-liked college-age relative of mine who would make casual plans with me and then flake out. I found out years later that she had a complicated life going on during college, one that I was unaware of and never suspected. Not necessarily a bad or dangerous secret, but a complicated one. That memory is giving me pause for thought.

jmo

Yeah, I had a friend like that too. Turned out she was having an affair with our professor...if she had gone missing I would never have known.

 

[HoldySi]

Details like this feed the "She bolted!" side of me.

Same....

 

[lilbean727]

Details like this feed the "She bolted!" side of me.

Not to me. She was making it clear to someone that she doesn’t belong in a small town and should be doing bigger things with her life. Essentially letting said person know she deserves more.

 

[usernameidk]

This was what I have believed to have happened, an online meetup that turned badly, either someone she was talking to online she met up with, (unlikely to me at that time of night and on a work night) or that they showed up/stalked her while she was on her way to pick up her car.
Today I felt that this is sounding like suicide but resumed hope it is not after someone pointed out she didn’t have a car and would need to be within a 5 mile radius and has not been found..
There is the possibility she met someone online and went off with them, and family is hoping she will return, but that is problematic because 1. she does not seem to be someone who would do that, 2. LE would know who that person was based on her online activity.
Which brings me back to my fear of this being a suicide while I leave out hope for an abduction, ugh I want this girl home safe so desperately. I have daughters her age. This is awful. Her poor family. They all plead come home, we won’t stop looking for you.. no one has said bring her home, or we will find who you are. It’s hard for me to get past that.

This, to me, is beginning to sound like one of those online meet-ups that may have turned out badly.

My first thought was if Mollie did leave voluntarily, wouldn't she have taken her contact lenses and/or glasses? Before I had LASIK done, I was as blind as the proverbial bat--couldn't see anything but blurred shapes.

But then, we really don't know what was found inside the house, do we?? LE has not released that info. Supposedly, one pair of glasses and her contacts were in the house, but I'm wondering if that is even true.

JMVHO.

 

[Inthedetails]

At the press conference, it was mentioned that the search is nationwide. I hope a reporter on Friday asks about that.

jmo

 

[CJohnson9410]

I think you are referring to Jennifer Huston. Her and Leanne came to mind for me as well today. A lot seemed off in the families responses in Leanne’s case, and we realized afterwards, why that was. I never thought suicide until today, I have believed it was an abduction. I’m now hoping for an abduction (as crazy as that sounds) because that means hope still, albeit slim.

Jennifer Huston! Thank you!

Just the way the LE has been non giving in info and the close to the vest way they are speaking, seems just like both Leanne and Jennifer's cases. I never thought suicide until today, either. But right now thats just screaming at me. I dont know why, just a gut feeling I have.

 

[wary]

Unless they think she is alive and being held against her will. They would want to follow the POI in hopes he would visit her, take her food, etc. As soon as he knew he was under surveillance I'm assuming visits to her would stop and that would be bad.

This leads me to believe that if they have a POI, they also believe that she is dead.

This doesn't prove that she is dead--they might be mistaken in their PoI.

 

[zencompass]

I am glad that they are having more press conferences.

The more Mollie's information stays in the public discourse along with requests for tips, the better.

 

[gitana1]

I truly believe that LE must feel that releasing the timeline will let the public have a good idea of a possible poi. I cant see how letting the public know where or when she was abducted would put her in more danger. Every abduction case I have followed where LE has suspected a stranger, they have released a timeline so that the public can know when and where they may have seen something! LE definitly knows something in my eyes. MOO

It doesn't necessarily put her in danger. But releasing details only known the perp makes any info from a possible perp impossible to confirm.

They know stuff. If someone talks to someone else or actually confesses to LE sometimes the only way they will know if it's valid is if the info the perp discussed or the detail they have was not known by the public.

 

[lemmon714]

Not to me. She was making it clear to someone that she doesn’t belong in a small town and should be doing bigger things with her life. Essentially letting said person know she deserves more.

Yes, I do not disagree!

 

[thekarmabus]

She’s 20 from a town of 2000. A very common thought/post for someone her age. She’s was going to college and taking the steps to get out of dodge. If true she was doing homework ... then why just give it all up and head to the hills? She had probably another 2-3 weeks in that town before returning to school. Don’t see the she “ bolted” Avenue.
Edit- apologies if I came off snarky.. I grew up in a town of the same size and I would have posted something along those lines as well .

 

[Stippling]

Honestly, I'm not sure how to read it. One of the oddest events I have witnessed in a case of this type, considering the amount of time that has elapsed. They did not make an emotional plea for info nor did they appear to make a direct appeal to a specific witness. I guess the mantra here is to keep everyone guessing and don't play your hand before you have to.

 

[Inthedetails]

She’s 20 from a town of 2000. A very common thought/post for someone her age. She’s was going to college and taking the steps to get out of dodge. If true she was doing homework ... then why just give it all up and head to the hills? She had probably another 2-3 weeks in that town before returning to school. Don’t see the she “ bolted” Avenue.

Knowing how much food was left out for the dogs might be a good clue.

jmo

 

[Hatfield]

I need to clear something on #7 I wrote where I made a mistake. I was talking about runaway bride case. I can't recall the name of the poster who corrected me - She did LIE to LE. I lived in GA at the time and I recalled she was sued for the money spent to find her! There was an uproar. It has been so many years I got some of the details wrong. Sorry.

With that said, it is never a good thing to LIE to the Police - any of them. It will only set you on a track of pain you may have avoided if you had begun with the truth. Mollie is young and her friends and associates and acquaintances may be young too. It is one thing to be afraid of consequences it is something more self destructive to spend time covering up or running -- there are so many cases where people involved say it was such a weight lifted once I went to the police!

I think this is the case you are referring to. I followed that case closely at the time and at first we thought she was abducted or something.

Runaway bride case - Wikipedia

 

[JudgeJoe]

This has bothered me too. If my daughter didn’t show for dinner if we discussed her coming I wouldn’t necessarily be worried, but I would be ticked she wasn’t polite enough to text and say she wasn’t coming. Now again, we don’t know if there was a text like that. Maybe there was. But I agree, responsible people communicate with people when their plans change.

Here we go again. Molly wasn’t courteous & mom didn’t check. We don’t even know dinner was a plan! Maybe this was their pattern every night- open ended offer. She’s 20! And very busy with many responsibilities. “OK” could have just been acknowledging the menu, not agreeing to have dinner.

 

[usernameidk]

Also, you would think had she run away, she would have brought something other than her phone, (phone charger maybe)? which has long been off, with her. The family reported a missing red shirt which turned out not to be missing. As a result, I believe the family would have mentioned items missing early on (before law enforcement advised them to keep quiet), if anything was actually missing.
Unless she ran off with a guy who promised to re purchase her everything she was leaving behind, it’s unlikely she ran away. Detectives would have clues who she ran away with, from digital evidence.
For me, running away is now off the table. It’s not consistent with her history, and she didn’t bring anything with her aside from phone and fit bit which she would have known not to bring.

This was what I have believed to have happened, an online meetup that turned badly, either someone she was talking to online she met up with, (unlikely to me at that time of night and on a work night) or that they showed up/stalked her while she was on her way to pick up her car.
Today I felt that this is sounding like suicide but resumed hope it is not after someone pointed out she didn’t have a car and would need to be within a 5 mile radius and has not been found..
There is the possibility she met someone online and went off with them, and family is hoping she will return, but that is problematic because 1. she does not seem to be someone who would do that, 2. LE would know who that person was based on her online activity.
Which brings me back to my fear of this being a suicide while I leave out hope for an abduction, ugh I want this girl home safe so desperately. I have daughters her age. This is awful. Her poor family. They all plead come home, we won’t stop looking for you.. no one has said bring her home, or we will find who you are. It’s hard for me to get past that.