Facebook A suspect is under arrest in the Mollie Tibbetts case and is on an immigration hold.
Mollie Tibbetts has been found dead in rural Iowa County, according to multiple news reports, and local news reporters are at the scene of what they say is a law enforcement search area.
In a press release, authorities confirmed that they found Mollie’s body in a rural area of Poweshiek County, Iowa, on August 21, 2018. They said the suspect was not in the country legally.
“We have confirmed with Homeland Security that…he is an illegal alien,” authorities said during a news conference of the suspect, Cristhian Rivera, 24, who resides in rural Poweshiek County, Iowa. They said that Cristhian Rivera had been in the area for four to seven years. He was charged with an accusation of first-degree murder. Many news sites gave the suspect’s name as Christian Rivera, but court records give it as Cristhian.
Authorities said that Rivera allegedly confessed that he “seized Mollie running.” He alleged that he “ran alongside of her or behind her” and Mollie said she was going to call the police and took off running, but he allegedly chased her down. According to authorities, Rivera led authorities to Mollie’s body.
Authorities alleged that they came across an individual who had security cameras and were able to identify a black vehicle that we believed belonged to Rivera. Authorities said they tracked patterns and routes in which he took. They also found images of Mollie running on this video. The suspect also claimed he blacked out and awoke in the area where Mollie was found, authorities revealed. Authorities did not release specifically how Tibbetts was murdered. Mollie was found in a cornfield with cornstalks placed over her, authorities said.
Here is the local news report, which was live on the morning of August 21, 2018:
The reporter then posted that she was going to an area in southeast Guernsey:
Rerouted toward the town of Guernsey where there are reports of a law enforcement presence and perimeter Southeast of town. @KCCINews #MollieTibbetts
She reported seeing many police barricades.
There are barricades EVERYWHERE! Here’s a look for you just south of Guernsey. @KCCINews #MollieTibbetts
The missing college student from Brooklyn, Iowa, vanished on July 18, 2018, seemingly without a trace. A massive search effort sparked, and national news attention ensued. Mollie was last seen while jogging in the small town, although she may have returned home to work on homework on her computer. Authorities have released few details about the investigation, and it’s not clear how the body was found. The cause of death has not yet been announced.
Here’s what you need to know:
The Location Was About 15 Minutes South of Brooklyn, Iowa
⚡️ BREAKING — The State Medical Examiner arrived moments ago at the possible location where Mollie Tibbetts was found. The road is located south of Guernsey, Iowa
t.co/qnRSGOLMtN
KCCI-TV published video showing the coroner arriving at the scene.
According to a KCCI-TV live report, the law enforcement effort was underway in a location south of Guernsey. The television station reported that the location was 15 minutes south of Brooklyn, just off Highway 21 on 460th Avenue. There was a detour put up around 5 a.m. this morning, according to locals, the television station reported.
WHAT WE KNOW: @TommieClarkKCCI is 15 minutes southeast of Brooklyn at 460th Avenue and Iowa Highway 2. The State Medical Examiner has been seen in the area. t.co/FYZpHEUEbb
Authorities had not confirmed that the body was found specifically in that location. However, according to KCCI-TV and other news outlets, authorities have confirmed that a body was found in rural Poweshiek County. KCCI reported that the search location was a gravel road located not far from a gas station and Interstate Highway. Reporters saw police officers walking in the area. The area is a rural area that includes a body of water, multiple farms, and the Lincoln wildlife area.
It’s two miles south of Guernsey, and it’s also located near Deep River. Guernsey is a community of only about 63 people. Deep River has about 273 people.
FacebookMollie Tibbetts.
Brooklyn and the search location are both located in Poweshiek County. Fox News, CBS News, and KCCI-TV all reported that the body is believed to be that of Mollie Tibbetts, although it’s not yet been revealed how she died, and authorities have not formally confirmed that sad information.
Here’s the authorities’ press release on the body being found.
JUST IN: @IowaDPS’s release on the #MollieTibbetts investigation. Body found in rural Poweshiek County. Press conference at 4:00.
The information that the body is believed to be that of Mollie Tibbetts was conveyed to the national news networks by unnamed sources. However, Fox News later reported that Mollie’s dad has also confirmed that the body is that of his daughter.