University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts disappeared while on a run six years ago in Brooklyn, Iowa. Her disappearance triggered one of Iowa’s largest manhunts and political discourse on immigration after her body was found by investigators more than a month later.
Tibbetts, who grew up running cross country and singing in choir, went for a jog on July 18, 2018, and never returned. Cristhian Bahena Rivera was convicted of her murder in May 2021.
Tibbetts was 20.
Who was Mollie Tibbetts?
Tibbetts was a sophomore studying psychology at the University of Iowa and graduated from Brooklyn-Guernsey-Malcom Community School District. An avid reader, Tibbetts was involved in choir, theater, writing and speeches that focused on topics from bullying to mental health.
Tibbetts was described as kind to all by boyfriend Dalton Jack. She was someone who’d help you fix any problem you had, said friend Kayleigh Holland.
From 2021:The untold story of Mollie Tibbetts’ final moments — and her family’s 3-year struggle to reclaim her memory
What happened to Mollie Tibbetts?
Tibbetts went out for an evening jog on Wednesday, July 18, 2018, when she never returned. Volunteer search efforts were conducted to locate Tibbetts, with posters put up in surrounding cities and loved ones conducting interviews for various media outlets during her disappearance.
Investigators eventually obtained security camera footage in the area where Tibbetts was last seen that showed a black Chevy Malibu that kept reappearing. The video led to its driver, Bahena Rivera, a Mexican native who was working illegally in the U.S. at an Iowa farm.
Bahena Rivera, then 24, was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Tibbetts on Aug. 21, 2018, the same day authorities announced that her body was discovered. Tibbetts was found concealed in a cornfield in Poweshiek County.
Bahena Rivera admitted to investigators that he followed Tibbetts and fought with her after she threatened to call the police. He told investigators that what he remembered next was that Tibbetts was in his trunk. Bahena Rivera proceeded to conceal her body in a field.
What was Mollie Tibbetts' cause of death?
Tibbetts died from "multiple sharp force injuries," the Iowa State Medical Examiner confirmed in 2018.
What happened to Cristhian Bahena Rivera?
Bahena Rivera was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 2021. The Iowa Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction in October 2023 after his attorneys argued that statements he made to law enforcement should be suppressed.
He is serving his sentence at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison.
How is Mollie Tibbetts being honored?
Among the ways Tibbetts’ memory has been honored over the years includes a summer challenge to run 100 “Miles for Mollie” that cousin Morgan Collum launched last year, or the annual Mollie Tibbetts Memorial Run. The free event typically occurs in the fall, Collum said in a text message to the Des Moines Register.
The run organized last year was held on July 18 to honor the fifth anniversary of Tibbetts' death. Participant follow the route Tibbetts took on her final run in 2018, and those interested can expect to find more information about the event on Facebook later this year, Collum said.
A motorcycle event honoring Tibbetts, called Mollie’s Ride, is scheduled on July 20 in Brooklyn, according to a Facebook post. Registration is $20 and the ride begins at 10 a.m. at Front Street Tap in Brooklyn. All funds raised will benefit the memorial fund, according to a separate Facebook post, that the family established in Tibbetts’ name for the University of Iowa’s Child and Adolescent Psychiatry unit.
Past reporting from Des Moines Register reporters Courtney Crowder, Philip Joens and William Morris contributed to this article.
Paris Barraza is a trending and general assignment reporter at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at pbarraza@registermedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.
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