Murder of Mollie Tibbetts
Mollie Tibbetts | |
|---|---|
Tibbetts in 2018 | |
| Born | Mollie Cecilia Tibbetts May 8, 1998 |
| Disappeared | July 18, 2018 (aged 20) Brooklyn, Iowa, U.S. |
| Status | Found deceased |
| Cause of death | Stab wounds |
| Body discovered | August 21, 2018 Poweshiek County, Iowa, U.S. |
| Education | University of Iowa |
| Occupation | Children's day camp worker |
| Employer | Grinnell Regional Medical Center |
On July 18, 2018, Mollie Cecilia Tibbetts, a 20-year-old University of Iowa student, disappeared while jogging near her home in Brooklyn, Iowa. A month later, police identified 24-year-old Cristhian Bahena Rivera as a suspect in connection with the disappearance; surveillance footage showed Rivera's car following Tibbetts on her jog. Rivera led police to the body of Tibbetts in a Poweshiek County cornfield on August 21. He was charged with first-degree murder. On May 28, 2021, Rivera was found guilty of first-degree murder. On August 30, 2021, Rivera was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Rivera's immigration status became publicly known after police, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) indicated that he had been in the United States illegally. The Trump administration and some Republicans, including Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, argued the murder could have been prevented with more restrictive immigration policies.