Mollie Tibbetts: the Possibilities

Everything about Mollie Tibbetts (vanished college student in Iowa) is just conjecture at this point.  Here's what I think, for what it's worth (not much probably):

1.  Who would abduct Mollie?

The possibilities are these:

• Someone she knew
• A complete stranger

There is no evidence of a struggle, and police believe she probably got into a car with someone she knew.  However, if Mollie was taken while jogging, it could have been by a complete stranger with a gun to coerce her into a car.

2.  Why would anyone harm Mollie?

Mollie is or was a very pretty young woman.

These are some possibilities:

• Rape:  Evil people like Ted Bundy do exist and need no provocation.  They see what they want and just take it.  It might have been a crime of opportunity.
• Rage:  If her abductor made sexual advances and was rebuffed, he may have struck or choked Mollie to shut up her screaming or because he felt humiliated and wanted revenge.  Or both.

3.  Why can't police find a body?

These are some possibilities:

• If Mollie was murdered, her body may have been dumped in some out of the way location, or even buried.  So far extensive searches have not found a body.
• If Mollie is still alive, she may be held against her will by threat of force.

4.  Questions:

• Have police used cadaver dogs to search for a body?
• Have police determined who knew Mollie would be dog sitting all alone in a house?
• Have police released a psychological profile of the kind of person who would abduct a young woman?
• Have police considered using psychic detectives?  These are people with a strong intuition and sometimes can provide clues as to the victim's whereabouts.

5.  What do you think?

Personally, I think Mollie is dead, a victim of rape and murder.  I would guess it is the first crime of the perpetrator, someone who is a bit off, mentally.  He would be young, 22 - 25, someone with low impulse control.   

There are various wooded areas in and around Brooklyn, Iowa.  If someone wanted to hide a body, he would no doubt do so where he couldn't be easily observed in the act.  However, the perpetrator may have transported the body elsewhere, out of town, out of county, or even out of state.

This kind of crime happens way too often.  If a girl is abducted, it would be good to have a way of signaling her predicament, a way of finding her, perhaps with an RF device.  Maybe with something worn around the neck, like a pendant.  Come on, capitalists out there, come up with some solutions!

View Brooklyn, Iowa from satellite image here.