6 Details About Mollie Tibbetts, The Iowa College Student Who Has Now Been Missing For Almost A Week
She was last seen on Wednesday July 18.
getty Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts was last seen while out on a run during the evening of Wednesday, July 18. It's almost been a full week since she's been seen.
As the search continues for the missing 20-year-old, her local community in Brooklyn, Iowa has come together to help by participating in searches, posting signs and providing any details they may know, along with ongoing efforts from law enforcement.
Wednesday night was also the last time she was in communication with anyone. By Thursday morning, Mollie was no longer responding to calls or text messages.
Since her family reported her missing, local police have actively searched for her throughout the area, however, the cause of Mollie's disappearance has yet to be known. While authorities haven't ruled out the possibility that Mollie went off with friends, the abrupt disappearance is a strong cause for concern that she may have been abducted.
Her boyfriend of almost three years, Dalton Jake, told local news station We Are Iowa, that running away was out of character.
"This is not like her. If this is her running off, nobody would've seen it coming. Nobody in the world. Not her family, not me, nobody would've ever guessed that she just take off and not tell anybody."
In addition to the local Brooklyn community, celebrities from Iowa have also taken to their social media to help raise awareness in hopes of finding the missing college student.
Superman Returns actor Brandon Routh, a native of Des Moines, shared a missing persons post about Mollie on his Twitter account.
According to Oxygen, as of July 23 officials have called off the search for Mollie. However, as the timeline of Mollie's disappearance is closing in on a full week, law enforcement is now looking into Mollie's social media and computer history in order to find any possible leads as to how and why she went missing.
As the Brooklyn community and Mollie's friends and family anxiously await her return, here are six things to know about Mollie Tibbetts and the circumstances surrounding her sudden disappearance.
1. She was last seen by a neighbor while out running
The last time anyone has actually seen Mollie was the evening of Wednesday, July 18.
She was spotted by a neighbor while out for an evening run. Mollie's family had said that she prefers to go out running during the early evening at a time when the weather cools down but it's not yet dark. People reported that the 20-year-old was last seen wearing gym shorts, a black sports bra, and running shoes.
2. But she may have gone missing that Thursday morning instead.
Initial reports of Mollie's disappearance had said that the young girl went missing on Wednesday night, however, her family and boyfriend believe that she may have actually disappeared on Thursday morning instead.
The last time that anyone else had seen Mollie was Wednesday, but she had sent a Snapchat message to her boyfriend, Dalton, around 10 p.m. on Wednesday night. On Thursday morning when Mollie did not show up for work at a local day camp, that's when the red flags started to go off.
At that point, Mollie had stopped responding to calls and text messages. Her family had also reported that the red shirt she was supposed to wear for work was nowhere to be found, likely indicating that she may have been wearing the red shirt at the time she went missing.
3. Mollie was staying at the home of her boyfriend's brother when she went missing.
Mollie had been dog sitting at the home of her boyfriend's brother at the time of her disappearance, where she was watching his two dogs.
Her boyfriend, Dalton Jack, his brother Blake, and Blake's fiancee Allie were all out of town at the time of Mollie's disappearance, which left the young girl alone at the residence.
4. She had a trip planned at the beginning of August.
Mollie had been scheduled to leave for Blake and Allie's wedding in the Dominican Republic in early August. She was planning to attend the wedding along with her boyfriend Dalton.
Sadly, this joyous time for the engaged couple is now met with the terrifying reality that someone close to them is missing. Dalton, Blake, and Allie have been assisting in the search for Mollie.
5. There were no signs that she was going to run away.
Mollie's mother, Laura Calderwood, has emphasized to news outlets that, "her daughter has never gone missing in the past and wasn’t acting strange in the days leading up to her disappearance."
She was also described as someone who is "happy and social," as evidenced by her social media posts that include lots of photos of Mollie smiling and with friends and family.
6. She is active in her community.
Mollie is a sophomore at Iowa State University where she is studying sociology. During high school, she was involved with her school's debate and track teams. Before living in Brooklyn, Iowa, Mollie grew up in Oakland, California, where her father currently resides. At the time of her disappearance, she was working at a day camp intern at the Grinnell Regional Medical Center.
Mollie is said to be about 5'3", 120 lbs., with long brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information on Mollie can contact the Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Office at 641-623-5679.
Jill Zwarensteyn is a writer and Michigan native. When she's not writing, Jill enjoys Zumba class, travel, and referencing classic Seinfeld episodes.