IA - Mollie Tibbetts, 20, Poweshiek County, 19 Jul 2018 *Arrest* #36

[Deleted member 227458]

Sharp force injuries are those consistent with a cutting implement. You’re talking knife, scissors, box cutter etc, and probable death from blood loss.

Blunt force is something like a rock, bat, fist, etc. With something like that you’re going to see fractures and bruising.

The real question is the location of the stabbing. His account made it sound like she was dead before she was carried into the corn and dumped.

I’m now wondering if the murder actually occurred in the corn itself and if SA occurred prior or shortly after death.

Yes, or another possible scenario, did he jump out of his vehicle in a rage and either stab or threaten her with the knife before throwing her in his trunk and then realize that he had to get her to a remote location to finish what he started?

 

[gliving]

Yes, alive with head wound in the car trunk, then stabbed at corn field.

I'm gonna go plant my fall mums. Need to feel nature right now.

 

[MassGuy]

My guess the murder happened in the cornfield. Hard to imagine stabbing someone on a road. Maybe in the car.

But makes more logical sense to me that he grabbed her and put her in the trunk, brought her to the corn field, dragged her out of the truck, probably sexually assaulted her, stabbed her, carried her into the corn, and covered her.

All speculation on my part, not fact.

jmo

That sounds completely plausible. I see that, or some variation of that, as being what happened here.

 

[kpm]

Oh my

So so sorry she had such a brutal death

 

[Ilovemy3boys]

I wonder if CR's cell mate ever blacks out? :/

Hopefully he does.

 

[Seattle1]

is that the black Malibu in the pictures?

Car in DM photo described as an Impala. I'm sure the Malibu already impounded. DM also indicates the photos taken today, Thursday. I'm sure DM was trespassing -- no way were they given permission to be there taking these photos.

 

[otto]

Absolutely true. His clothes would have undoubtedly been covered in blood. How and where did he clean up? And how did no one see him doing this?
He also would have had blood in his car, and that would also require a great deal of cleanup.

It sounds like a very messy murder, in addition to the head injury. I think his girlfriend needs to answer questions about what she knows about July 18. I'm partially wondering whether she suspected something but chose to remain silent because she relies on him to provide for her and their daughter.

 

[oviedo]

Possibly killed at the cornfield. Maybe hit her in the head to get her in the car. And i believe it has been posted he does not live with the baby mama.

I agree - I believe there is an element of truth when he says he saw blood on her head because he hit her to disorient her. I don't think he wanted to kill her immediately unfortunately. IMO.

 

[SheriBerry]

Oh I believe in my heart poor Mollie was alive in his trunk that ******.
jmo and now I am seriously wondering what all else he has been involved in. You don't just normally start knifing people.
I don't even want to think of the common uses for machetes in agri-business...
Or possibly in his native culture.

IMO this is what went down too. I bet he accosted her, threw her in the trunk, drove her to the secluded area where her body was found, did whatever in the silence of the night, killed her and covered her with corn. Ugh!

 

[kpm]

Because I don't believe a word the perp says, I keep wondering if her body was truly there on that first night. I also wouldn't be surprised if he put her there much later- days or even weeks. It's not as cut and dry as he says, that's for certain. I just have this feeling she wasn't put there that night. MOO

Not to be too graphic but if she was out in the elements a month the condition of her body would be pretty bad I would think.

 

[1987]

Police need to talk to people who were at his home when he returned that evening. If his girlfriend knew something and remained silent, she sure made a big mistake. Multiple sharp force injuries would have left blood on Rivera. How did he hide that? How did no one notice that he was missing that evening?

delete.

 

[otto]

I understood her statement to be that she was freaked out by Mollie being missing and talked to everyone one about it. She thought his response was odd but wasn't necessarily freaked out. So there wouldn't have been a huge red flag in her mind.

Confused. Do you have a link to who was freaked out?

 

[wary]

Because I don't believe a word the perp says, I keep wondering if her body was truly there on that first night. I also wouldn't be surprised if he put her there much later- days or even weeks. It's not as cut and dry as he says, that's for certain. I just have this feeling she wasn't put there that night. MOO

What gives you this feeling?

 

[ellieuma]

According to 8/23 NY Post published at 2:38 pm, (not sure whether NY Post is a reliable source. Also unclear if I am allowed to link it in here):

MT’s Ex-Classmate Gave Birth to Murder Suspect’s Baby.

 

[oviedo]

It sounds like a very messy murder, in addition to the head injury. I think his girlfriend needs to answer questions about what she knows about July 18. I'm partially wondering whether she suspected something but chose to remain silent because she relies on him to provide for her and their daughter.

I would think everyone in that house and trailer has or is being questioned - but have they searched both? I would think someone would have seen the vehicles for LE investigators? I haven't heard anything like that so far. They know he lived there.

 

[Inthedetails]

I wonder if they are analyzing his phone - this attack is now starting to sound like he planned it, brought weapon(s), perhaps knew of the cornfield to take her to - IMO.

I think he had a plan in his head, a scenario he played out in his mind and perhaps even in real life. He could certainly have brought willing (or not willing but compliant) females to that spot in the corn in the past. I think he knew about that spot.

Whether he planned to rape and murder that night and whether he was after Mollie specifically, I don't know. But he certainly put everything in motion and I do think he had a list in his mind to follow. He was ready to hunt Mollie, knew where to bring her and where to leave her.

I wonder, though, if he thought he could entice a woman to go willingly with him or if he planned to grab someone by force.

Very scary.

jmo

 

[CheetosDust]

My guess the murder happened in the cornfield. Hard to imagine stabbing someone on a road. Maybe in the car.

But makes more logical sense to me that he grabbed her and put her in the trunk, brought her to the corn field, dragged her out of the truck, probably sexually assaulted her, stabbed her, carried her into the corn, and covered her.

All speculation on my part, not fact.

jmo

Yes, I think so too. Seems like a stabbing would be really risky at a roadside and there would have been blood that searchers would have found.

 

[DizzyB]

I travel with extra clothes in my car just in case. Of what, I don't know, but also have medical supplies, food, water, flares, etc. I bet he had at least one other shirt on hand for the humid iowa summer & getting sweaty at work. Burned or dumped the bloody shirt right after somewhere, my guess. And his jeans or shorts, you'd think those would be blood-stained too.

Terrible name for it, but I've always referred to it as a "ho bag".

 

[duster1979]

Police need to talk to people who were at his home when he returned that evening. If his girlfriend knew something and remained silent, she sure made a big mistake. Multiple sharp force injuries would have left blood on Rivera. How did he hide that? How did no one notice that he was missing that evening?

Who's to say he was missing? The whole episode might have taken no more than an hour, it's possible he wasn't missed at all during that period of time.

Livestock facilities where animals are kept together in close quarters, including dairies, typically have showers on site along with changes of clothes to protect against carrying disease from one facility to another. It's possible he could have gone to the barn to shower and change into clean clothes or coveralls.

 

[Deleted member 227458]

Multiple sharp force injuries. I. can't. even.