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

[MsBetsy]

It says on the arrest warrant that they don't know the date and time of the incident, but they do indicate a date, and a lower and upper time range. We'll have to wait until the trial to know why they include 8:28 as an upper time range.

I assumed 7:45 was the beginning of the assault and 8:28 was when she died. Otherwise why would they indicate the beginning and definitive end?

 

[Crystal Regan]

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

I tried something with my Fitbit Versa this morning. I turned my phone off and mowed the yard wearing my freshly charged fitbit. I powered my iPhone back on and it synced the info from my Fitbit from when I was mowing. Maybe Mollie’s will do the same if they recover both the phone and Fitbit. I am hoping he thought Mollies was a bracelet as it doesn’t look like a watch and left it on her.

 

[Al Hoffman]

The affidavit supports the Arrest Warrant for homicide in the 1st degree. So wouldn’t the incident time range involve the time when the offence was believed to have occurred? Had LE been uncertain, the time needn’t have been so specific.

I don’t know for sure but it makes sense that within the time specified is when an accused committed the crime and for that reason I believe LE has evidence, either through cellphone or Fitbit of the route of the Malibu placing and burying Mollie in the cornfield, assumed to be no longer alive. (Or as determined by blood loss, ie examination of trunk of the car?)

...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.

 

[Jerrod]

From 1900 E 385th to the where she was left, via V21 south, east on 470th (pig farm), and north on 21 one mile to 460th and the cornfield (assuming he drove straight based on the 430th and V21 red dot and LE saying last ping was at pig farm), the estimated drive time was around 33 minutes. Granted, CR, having proved himself a non-law-abiding citizen, likely drove faster. In any case, that leaves about 10 -15 minutes non-driving time from the 7:45pm lower limit given to the 8:28pm upper limit given.

The quickest route would've taken him approximately 20 minutes.

 

[MyBelle]

The search warrant states that after reviewing the video it was determined that Mollie was running in the area of Boundary and Middle St. when a vehicle ...

That is, the video placed Mollie at that location.

http://media.graytvinc.com/documents/082118+DCI+Arrest.pdf

I believe the 1900 block of 385th St is the point in time CR abducted Mollie and it may have been captured on video or cell phone ping or by his confession. The arrest warrant has a lot of ambiguity.

 

[TL4S]

The quickest route would've taken him approximately 20 minutes.
View attachment 143604

It would make more sense, but that would have to assume the 430th and V21 red dot wasn't a ping, plus doesn't account for the pig farm where LE said the last ping occurred.

 

[MsBetsy]

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.

I believe very early on LE did give a definitive statement that she started her jog at 7:30. However I also remember them saying it was only 15 minutes. But that was from a very early article. So sorry if that's confusing but the 7:30 time I remember. And I thought they did say she ended up being closer to her moms house on the run. That's why I was asking if the 8:00 sighting by the last witness made sense.

 

[Cococat]

...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.

But the report said multiple sharp injuries................

 

[TL4S]

...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.

I have also considered that she hit her head on the ground, or was punched in the head, which incapacitated her during initial attack. But Multiple Sharp Force Trauma signals more than simply falling on the knife, unless she was conscious and they rolled and fought, causing multiple wounds.

 

[Sarah J. Scott]

He doesn't remember...

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.

 

[MyBelle]

I assumed 7:45 was the beginning of the assault and 8:28 was when she died. Otherwise why would they indicate the beginning and definitive end?

My take on the arrest warrant is that the "incident" began when video shows CR started stalking and ended when he abducted her. Only a ME can determine date and time of death.

 

[The Farm]

I assumed 7:45 was the beginning of the assault and 8:28 was when she died. Otherwise why would they indicate the beginning and definitive end?

That is how I perceived it too?????

 

[Al Hoffman]

While citing their need to protect the integrity of the investigation, LE has refused to verify the time and location of Mollie's death whenever they've been asked, while knowing full well a reference to that information in the affidavit had been made public.

Moreover, it would stand to reason that Fitbit data would be able to record a final heartbeat with much more precision than a 48-minute time range. Also on the affidavit, the answer to the question "Is date and time of incident known?" is "No."

Meaning that the complaining officer couldn't or wouldn't swear (which is what he is doing in this document) to an EXACT time of death, but he is saying that by 8:28 p.m. on 18 July MT had been murdered; otherwise the upper time range would be much later than as written. LE does use a lot of vague but accurate statements like: "clothing found with body", "sharp force trauma" or a time range for a crime and TOD to say what they must, while still not showing their full hand. But they have to stick with the known facts, especially in an affidavit. Sure, the attorney can have full disclosure (eventually), but until then that's how the game is played.

 

[Al Hoffman]

My take on the arrest warrant is that the "incident" began when video shows CR started stalking and ended when he abducted her. Only a ME can determine date and time of death.

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.

 

[peapods]

I'm still catching up... does anyone know what model of Fitbit Mollie was using? Alta, Charge, Surge, etc.? That could make a big difference in what type of data was collected/is available to recreate the timeline. (Long-time Fitbit user here.)

 

[otto]

I agree w you Otto, the 8:28 is so specific, LE is confident about that time, almost had to have been from a Fitbit reading. Otherwise the affidavit would have been more general, I e 8:30, 8:45, etc.

I do find it interesting though that most of Mollie’s run was in more residential areas, except for that last stretch of 385th? I thought that was part of 385th that was on SharonNeedles’ videos and was gravel and pretty desolate, unless I’m thinking of that area wrong and someone can correct me?

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.

 

[runfar262]

I'm still catching up... does anyone know what model of Fitbit Mollie was using? Alta, Charge, Surge, etc.? That could make a big difference in what type of data was collected/is available to recreate the timeline. (Long-time Fitbit user here.)

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

 

[jillycat]

I have also considered that she hit her head on the ground, or was punched in the head, which incapacitated her during initial attack. But Multiple Sharp Force Trauma signals more than simply falling on the knife, unless she was conscious and they rolled and fought, causing multiple wounds.

At some point in a scenario like that, they would both have cuts and nicks, etc., and he would likely not remain in control of the knife.

 

[MsBetsy]

But the report said multiple sharp injuries................

Yeah, by that I would think there would have to be quite a few. I wonder what multiple actually can mean, whether it just means more than one or 3 or more, I really don't know.

 

[Jerrod]

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.