Mollie Tibbetts Murder Details and Investigation Timeline

In the episode titled ‘The Last Mile’ of NBC’s ‘Dateline,’ the focus is on the brutal killing of a bright young woman named Mollie Tibbetts, whose disappearance and murder sent shockwaves across the entire community of Brooklyn, Iowa. Her loved ones never imagined that a regular evening jog could turn into their worst nightmare. Just when the authorities had lost all hope, they came across a crucial piece of evidence that led them straight to the killer. With the help of in-depth interviews with officials and loved ones of Mollie, the documentary explores the case and the investigation that followed in detail.

Mollie Tibbetts’ Remains Turned Up Over a Month After Her Sudden Disappearance

Rob Tibbetts and Laura Tibbetts became proud parents to Mollie Cecilia Tibbetts on May 8, 1998, in San Francisco, California. She spent the first few years of her life in San Francisco before moving to Brooklyn, Iowa, with her mother and two siblings after her parents got divorced. Despite the separation, her father maintained a close relationship with her and her siblings. After graduating from BGM High School in 2017, she pursued psychology at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. Given her knack for writing, she used her talent to cover several important subject matters, including self-esteem and mental health.

Recognized for her talents, she also got the opportunity to perform at the Iowa All-State competition. Besides writing, she also found comfort and joy in singing, choir, dance marathons, and running. Her love for children led her to start babysitting at an early age. She even worked at a children’s day camp at Grinnell Regional Medical Center. Mollie’s compassionate nature and ability to light up a room allowed her to make friends wherever she went. With a bright future ahead of her, she was looking forward to making the most of her life, but unfortunately, fate intervened.

On the fateful evening of July 18, 2018, the 20-year-old woman left the Brooklyn, Iowa, house of her boyfriend, Dalton Jack, to go for a jog. Concerns among her family arose when she failed to show up at work the following day. As Mollie was reported missing, the police launched an extensive search for her, which yielded no information about her whereabouts until August 21. The authorities came across the remains of the missing woman, who died of multiple sharp force injuries. In light of the cause of her death, the case was deemed as a homicide, and the police launched a murder investigation.

Mollie Tibbetts’ Killer Gave a Chilling Confession to the Detectives

From the time Mollie Tibbetts went missing until her remains were recovered, the detectives received thousands of tips and interviewed many suspects. Since her boyfriend was the last person to speak to her before her disappearance, they questioned him about his whereabouts. About a month later, in August 2018, while going through the home surveillance footage of the area where Mollie was last seen on the fateful evening, the police noticed a black Chevy Malibu following her as she was jogging. Not long after, they found out that the vehicle belonged to a 24-year-old man named Cristhian Bahena Rivera, who then became the prime suspect in the case.

Without wasting any time, the police brought him in for questioning. At first, he kept denying having any knowledge about Mollie’s murder. But as the interrogation intensified, he admitted to following and approaching her on the evening of July 18. According to him, when she threatened to call the police, he got angry and fought with her before blacking out. He claimed that by the time he regained consciousness, Mollie was already in the trunk of his car, bleeding. He told the detectives that he then buried her in a remote cornfield in Poweshiek County and covered the site with corn stalks. Cristhian then led the police to the burial site, where Mollie’s remains were found on August 21.

The Killer Was Brought to Justice After Several Unexpected Delays

In light of his confession and the fact that her DNA was found in his car, he was charged with first-degree murder on August 22, 2018. Due to multiple delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, he stood trial for his crimes on May 17, 2021. During the trial, Cristhian contradicted his earlier account of the fateful evening and claimed that two armed and masked men broke into his trailer and forced him to drive toward the town. He testified that the two men came across Mollie, got out of the car, and placed her in the trunk of his car after killing her. As per his claims, the men then fled the scene leaving him with the remains, after which he buried her in the cornfield.

When questioned about his earlier version of the story, he claimed that he concocted a false confession because he was afraid that the masked men would come for his family if he told them the alleged truth. The prosecution argued that the new version of his story was filled with inconsistencies. Meanwhile, the defense had a tough time proving Cristhian’s innocence due to the evidence against him. After an intense ten-day trial, the jury deliberated for about a total of seven hours before returning with a guilty verdict. On May 28, 2021, he was finally convicted of first-degree murder in connection to the abduction and stabbing death of Mollie Tibbetts. Three months later, on August 30, the killer was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.