UPDATE

According to the Des Moines Register, a trial date has been set for the man accused of abducting and killing Mollie Tibbetts.  The trial date is set for April 16th, 2019.  He is accused of kidnapping and killing Mollie while she was out for a run.  Updates can be found here as we have more information.

It’s a sad but all too familiar end to the story of yet another missing young woman.  Today the body of missing college student, Mollie Tibbetts was found dead.  Police have yet to release any details of where she was found or how she died.  Local Iowa police plan to have a news conference Tuesday August 21st, 2018 at 5 pm.

Missing Mollie

It’s been all over the news, all over the nation.  Where is college beauty, Mollie Tibbetts? Mollie is a 20 year old University of Iowa college student who disappeared in a relatively small window of time on July 18, 2018.

The Timeline

Here is a little bit about what investigators are sharing publicly so far:

1. She was scheduled to stay at her boyfriend’s, Dalton Jack, to watch his dogs while he was out of town.
2. Jack left for his job, 50 miles away, at 5 am on July 18th.
3. Mollie was seen out for a run during the day on July 18th by friends and/or loved ones.
4. Mollie’s boyfriend, Jack, states that he opened a snapchat from Mollie that same evening and it appears that Mollie was inside.  He opened the chat around 10 pm but is unsure what time the message actually came in.
5.  On July 19th,  Mollie’s boyfriend realized that his message to her had never been read.  Around the same time, her co-workers were becoming concerned that she never showed up for work and they had not heard from her.
6. Co-workers contacted her boyfriend.
7. Jack began to contact her family and they contacted police.
8. As police were ramping up what was to become a missing person case, the family created a Facebook page and began to distribute fliers and organize searches, hoping to find her quickly.
9. By Sunday word had spread to locals and even celebrities.  News programs aired her photo, the timeline and pleas for anyone with information to please contact family or the police.

Searching

Police have been careful to keep a lid on possible suspects, areas they may search and places of interest.  However, they have returned to one location more than once.  A local farmer (at first listed as a pig farmer, but that is unclear), was searched and questioned.  He claims to have refused a polygraph but sources close to police state that he has been cleared as a suspect.

The most recent information has narrowed down the search to 5 areas.  There is a strong belief that is alive and being held in an area close to her home, although police nor family have  disclosed their reasons for these beliefs.

Is Mollie Different?

Why is it that this case is all over the media when there are many others all over the country that do not get the same coverage? There are several reasons that placed this case in the headlines.

• The family did not wait for the police.  They jumped in quickly and began a strong campaign to get Mollie’s information into mainstream media.
• They created a Facebook account and shared it with everyone, everywhere.  Facebook is a very powerful tool if used correctly.
• Mollie often wore a fitbit which recorded her fitness activity.  This data was recorded and has been located, although it has not been shared as to whether she had her fitbit with her or the data was uploaded without it.  The thought that a fitbit may help locate a missing person in this manner is new.
• The father and boyfriend have been ready to go on TV answering any questions that they can about Mollie to get the word out about who she was, her habits and find anyone that may have seen her.

Tibbetts is at about 5-foot-2, weighs 120 pounds and has long brown hair and brown eyes. Officials ask that anyone with information contact law enforcement at 800-452-1111, 515-223-1400 or tips@poweshiekcosheriff.com.