The dad of missing University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts thinks his daughter is alive and being held against her will. On Tuesday, he delivered a stern message to her alleged abductor.
FOX News reports Robb Tibbetts thinks Mollie, his 20-year-old daughter who vanished from her boyfriend’s Brooklyn, Iowa, neighborhood on July 18, is alive and being held captive after someone made a “horrible mistake.”
“You obviously don’t want to harm Mollie so just let her go and then deal with the consequences of what you’ve done so far, but don’t escalate this any further,” Tibbetts told FOX.
Earlier this week, Tibbetts admitted that his thoughts were pure speculation and he has no proof yet of his theory. As CrimeOnline previously reported, Tibbetts said he would never give up and has hope his daughter will be found soon.
“It’s totally speculation on my part, but I think Mollie is with someone that she knows, that is in over their head. That there was some kind of misunderstanding about the nature of their relationship and at this point they don’t know how to get out from under this.”
According to FBI special agent at Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Rick Rahn, there is “zero information” that leads to any evidence that Mollie would have ran away willingly. While Tibbetts doesn’t think his daughter ran away, he does think she left willingly with someone she knows and in a situation that has gotten out control. He also said he didn’t think the reported abductor intended to hurt Mollie.
“I just think that because of the situation in Brooklyn, that everyone knows everyone, I just don’t think that anyone set out to harm Mollie. And the longer we go without finding her, the more optimistic we are that she is with someone that doesn’t want to harm her but doesn’t know how to extricate themselves from this situation.”
Timeline of Mollie’s disappearance
July 16-17
- Mollie’s boyfriend saw her for the last time on July 16, before leaving town to work at a Dubuque construction site with his brother, around 100 miles away from Brooklyn.
- On July 17, Dalton and his brother, who lives with him, drove to work. Mollie agreed to dog-sit while he was gone.
- At around 5:30 p.m. on July 17, Mollie’s brother, Jake Tibbetts, who shares a car with her, dropped her off at Dalton’s home. Mollie stayed alone while watching the dogs.
July 18
- Investigators report another neighbor reported Mollie out for a jog at around 7:30 p.m. on July 18.
- Mollie had plans to go to her mother’s house for dinner on the evening on July 18. She never showed up.
- At 10 p.m. on July 18, Dalton opened the SnapChat message from Mollie. He said it looked like she took the photo while indoors. It’s unclear when Mollie took the picture but detectives think she took it at some point on Wednesday.
July 19
- Jake Tibbetts, who has been cleared as a suspect, sends Mollie a text message at 7:30 a.m., asking if she needed the car for work. The text message was not read.
- Dalton sends Mollie a text message, wishing her a good morning. Mollie does not read the text message.
- Mollie’s mother, Laura Calderwood, sends Mollie several text messages throughout the afternoon. All text messages remain unanswered.
- Jake Tibbetts calls Laura Calderwood and says Mollie never made it to work at a daycare center. Laura calls the police.
July 20
- The Facebook group, “Finding Mollie Tibbetts,” was created. It currently has over 40,000 members.
- Hundreds of people show up in the Brooklyn area to search for Mollie.
- The Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Office announces that tips should directed to its office.
- The University of Iowa released a statement on Twitter that the school is also monitoring the incident and looking for any helpful information.
July 22
- Authorities announce Mollie is still missing and that nothing was found during the searches.
July 23
- Dalton tells ABC he’s optimistic about Mollie’s return.
- Laura Calderwood says her daughter is an “outgoing, fun, loving life, loving person.”
- Poweshiek County Sheriff Thomas Kriegel announces that no one from the “tight-knit” community in Brooklyn has been missing this long.
July 25
- Investigators continue to follow up with tips and leads.
- The family spreads the search even further by distributing flyers across the state.
- Kriegel indicates Mollie could have possibly been abducted.
July 26
- Investigators search two hog farms after following up on tips, but the searches yield no results.
- Wayne Cheney is questioned by the FBI.
- Authorities search Cheney’s home and cellphone.
July 27
- Iowa Department of Public Safety released a statement announcing that there are still no suspects but authorities will continue to pursue leads and investigate.
- A neighbor tells a local media outlet that he spotted Mollie “walking nonchalantly” down the street.
August 2
- As authorities searched an area close to the Lincoln Wildfire Reserve in Brooklyn, Iowa, someone mowing their lawn nearby discovered a red a shirt.
- The shirt was turned over to the FBI for evidence processing.
- FBI reportedly asked Cheney to take a lie detector test. He refused.
August 3
- An FBI agent goes to Cheney’s house for a second round of questioning.
Mollie has long brown hair and brown eyes, weighs around 120 pounds and stands 5-feet-2 inches tall. She was last seen wearing running shoes, a pink sports bra, and dark running shorts.
Anyone with any information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 800-452-1111.
[Feature Photo: Mollie Tibbetts/Twitter]
