Investigators poring over a pig farm and numerous other properties in Iowa say they’ve found no traces of the missing 20-year-old college student last seen more than a week ago while jogging.
As the search for University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts continued Friday, police revealed that her boyfriend and brothers have been ruled out as potential suspects in her disappearance.
The Poweshiek County Emergency Management Agency said Tibbetts was last seen around 5:30 p.m. near Brooklyn, Iowa, on July 18, wearing a black sports bra, gym shorts and running sneakers, according to Local 5.
She was staying at her boyfriend’s home at the time of her disappearance and was there to watch his dogs because he had a construction job about 100 miles northeast in Dubuque.
Authorities said they’ve “put together a pretty solid timeline” of what Tibbetts was doing prior to her disappearance.
Friends and family say Tibbetts, an avid runner, was usually wearing her Fitbit. Federal and state investigators have been reviewing data from the device — and her Snapchat account — in hopes of zeroing in on her location.
Many of you have heard the news reports of the missing University of Iowa student, Mollie Tibbetts. She was last seen in the town of Brooklyn, IA, 50 miles west of Iowa City. She went missing while out on a run. Please share and help find Mollie. #findingmollietibbetts pic.twitter.com/yGz7smhaAa
— Ames Police (@AmesPolice) July 23, 2018
Mitch Mortvedt of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation told Local 5 on Thursday afternoon that more than a dozen agents from his group and the FBI have been conducting searches of several properties in Iowa, including a hog farm, but nothing has been found. He added the searches have not expanded outside the state, and there are currently no suspects in the case.
The hog farm searched was in Guernsey, about eight miles from Brooklyn, according to KCCI.
Mortvedt revealed that, as of Thursday afternoon, more searches are ongoing in rural areas.
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“We’re checking gas stations and convenience stores and any location with easy access to a highway or the interstate,” Mortvedt also told The Gazette. “We’re asking questions and collecting surveillance footage and check it to see if Mollie was caught on camera or if there was someone in the area acting suspicious.”
Authorities said with each passing day Tibbetts isn’t found, the likelihood grows she was taken against her will.
Poweshiek County Sheriff Tom Kriegel told ABC News earlier this week that Tibbetts’ brothers and boyfriend have been cleared of any wrongdoing in the case.
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“It’s been a whirlwind,” one of her brothers, Jake Tibbetts, told the station. “We’ve gone from sad, to worried, to just anxious and clueless. Up at 5 in the morning looking for her in every field, every ditch, every creek.”
The sheriff’s office said anyone with any tips or information relating to Tibbetts is urged to call 641-623-5679 or send an email to [email protected].
The Associated Press contributed to this Fox News report, which is used by permission.
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(photo credit, homepage and article images: Mollie Tibbetts, Tyler Dennis)
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