Cops in Iowa said Tuesday they have a suspect in custody for the murder of missing college student Mollie Tibbetts, whose body is believed to have been found in a cornfield Tuesday morning.
Cristhian Rivera, 24, has been charged with first degree murder, Rick Rahn of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation said at a press conference. The charges come with the penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Rivera, who authorities believe has been in the area for four to seven years, is an illegal alien, Rahn said, citing Homeland Security.
The body of Tibbetts, who vanished more than a month ago, was discovered in rural Poweshiek County, which includes Tibbetts’ hometown of Brooklyn.
The 20-year-old student went jogging on the evening of July 18 in Brooklyn while staying at the house of her boyfriend’s brother, but did not show up for work the following day.
Rahn said officials were able to zero in on Rivera Monday after viewing footage captured by security cameras that showed both Tibbetts going for a jog, and his vehicle, a black Chevy Malibu.
The footage helped investigators track Rivera’s route, and determined that he was one of the last people to see her alive.
Rahn said that in an interview, Rivera admitted that he saw Tibbetts running and approached her, running either alongside her or behind her. He told police that Tibbetts grabbed her phone and threatened to call police. When she ran off, he chased her.
Rivera said that he then blacked out, and came to near an intersection just outside of Brooklyn. He later led police to the location of her body in a corn field, where corn stalks had been placed on top of her.
An autopsy is set for Wednesday.
Greg Willey of Crime Stoppers of Central Iowa said he learned of the discovery of Tibbetts’ body from a close family friend. Willey called it a “tough” ending to the exhaustive search.
Investigators received thousands of tips and a reward fund for information about Mollie’s whereabouts had grown to nearly $400,000. Willey says the fund will now likely be used for any information that helps police catch the person responsible.
“Once they catch their breath, this will turn into a weapon going the other direction to catch the person who did it,” he said.
Rob Tibbetts had said earlier this month that he believes she was abducted by someone she knows.
Tibbetts, a psychology major, would have started her junior year at the University of Iowa. She was staying with her longtime boyfriend and working while home over the summer.
“It never crossed our mind that she wouldn’t come home safe,” Brooklyn city clerk Sheri Sharer said Tuesday.
