College student Mollie Tibbetts died from ‘multiple sharp force injuries,’ preliminary autopsy says

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts was killed by "multiple sharp force injuries," according to preliminary autopsy results from the Iowa State Medical Examiner.

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The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation released a statement Thursday with the preliminary findings on Tibbetts' death, and said additional information could be forthcoming, according to the Des Moines Register.

Tibbetts, 20, vanished last month while jogging in Brooklyn, Iowa. Her body was found Tuesday morning in a rural cornfield.

A worker from a nearby farm was arrested in her death and is charged with first-degree murder.

A nationwide search for Tibbetts got underway after she disappeared in mid-July and a $400,000 reward fund was offered for information leading to her safe return.

The news of her death Tuesday sent shock waves through her hometown and left her grief-stricken family and friends stunned by the worst possible outcome in her disappearance.

The suspect in her murder, Cristhain Rivera, a 24-year-old Mexico native, led police to Tibbetts' body Tuesday, according to an arrest affidavit. Police began questioning Rivera after determining that a Chevy Malibu caught on surveillance video was connected to him.

He’s jailed on a $5 million bond.

This undated file photo of murder victim Mollie Tibbetts was released by the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation after Tibbetts disappeared while jogging in Brooklyn, Iowa, in mid-July.

Credit: Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation via AP, File

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Credit: Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation via AP, File

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