Drone footage shows the field where officials were lead to Tibbetts body by Cristhian Rivera who has been charged with first-degree murder.
Rodney White and Brian Powers, Des Moines Register
The Iowa State Medical Examiner determined Mollie Tibbetts died due to “multiple sharp force injuries,” according to preliminary autopsy results.
A body found in rural Poweshiek County early Tuesday morning was identified as Tibbetts through an autopsy conducted on Wednesday, according to a statement from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. Her body was found in a farm field covered by corn stalks near the intersection of 460th Avenue and Highway 21 outside of Guernsey.
DCI would not release more details regarding the manner of Tibbetts death or whether any weapons were used. Further examination may result in more findings, according to the statement.
Cristhian Bahena Rivera, 24, was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder in the July 18 disappearance of Tibbetts, a University of Iowa student whose abduction has captured national headlines.
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During a press conference on Wednesday, Iowa DCI Special Agent Rick Rahn said video recordings from area security cameras helped investigators determine Rivera’s alleged involvement.
Footage showed Tibbetts running around Boundary and Middle streets outside of Brooklyn when a black Chevy Malibu drove in the area around 7:45 p.m. July 18.
The footage shows the vehicle, driven by Rivera, going back and forth in the area, according to the criminal complaint.
prayer service in honor of Mollie Tibbetts at St. Patrick Church in Brooklyn
Zachary Boyden-Holmes, DesMoines
Rivera told investigators Monday that as he ran alongside Tibbetts, she grabbed her phone and threatened to call police, according to a charging document that prosecutors filed in court Tuesday.
Investigators believe Tibbetts was abducted around the 1900 block of 385th Avenue.
“Rivera said he then panicked and got mad and that he then ‘blocked’ his ‘memory,’ which is what he does when he gets very upset,” according to the document, which was written by a sheriff’s deputy.
He later told investigators that he placed Tibbetts body in a cornfield, which he guided them to on Tuesday morning.
He is currently being held in the Poweshiek County Jail on a $5 million bond.
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