Mollie Tibbetts’ preliminary autopsy reveals cause of death

(Updated August 31, 2021)   On Monday. August 30, 2021, convicted murderer and former farmworker, Cristhian Bahena Rivera, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in the fatal stabbing of Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts back in 2018, according to The New York Times.

“Judge Joel Yates’ sentence for Rivera was mandatory for a first-degree murder conviction in Iowa, which does not have the death penalty. The 27-year-old former farmhand, who testified that he came to the U.S. illegally from Mexico as a teenager, has been jailed since his arrest in August 2018.  ~ NPR”

Ace News Today’s original article from August 24, 2018 appears below.

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On May 28, after two days of deliberation, an Iowa jury found farmhand Cristhian Bahena Rivera, guilty of the first-degree murder of college student Mollie Tibbetts.  The 20-year-old Tibbetts went missing after going out for a jog in 2018.  After a month of searching, her deceased body was found in a Iowa cornfield.

“She had been stabbed between seven and 12 times in the chest, ribs, neck and skull, according to the prosecution.”

Mollie Tibbetts, the vivacious and beloved 20-year-old Iowa college student who was missing for a month before her remains were recovered this week, was stabbed to death, according to the preliminary autopsy conducted by the Iowa state medical examiner’s office.  The autopsy concluded that Tibbetts’ death was the result of a homicide, and that she died from “multiple sharp force injuries,” according to a Division of Criminal Investigation report shared by MSN.

Cristhian Bahena Rivera, 24, was reported as being seen on a surveillance video following Tibbetts in his car while she was out for a jog in Brooklyn, Iowa, on the evening of July 18, according to CBS News.  Authorities allege that Rivera abducted Tibbetts, stabbed her to death and dumped her body in a secluded section of a nearby cornfield.  After being arrested and grilled, Rivera led police to Tibbetts’ lifeless body on Tuesday.

Rivera has since been charged with Tibbetts’ first-degree murder.

A criminal complaint alleges that Rivera confessed during a lengthy interrogation that began Monday to following Tibbetts in his car, getting out on foot and chasing after her. Rivera told investigators that he panicked after Tibbetts threatened to call police on her cellphone, he blacked out and later came to when he was unloading her bloody body from the trunk of a car . . . ~ per MSN

Rivera is reportedly an undocumented, illegal immigrant from Mexico.  His arrest in Tibbetts’ brutal murder has renewed debates in strengthening the U.S. immigration policy.  On Wednesday, President Donald Trump used Tibbetts’ murder as an argument for his wall.  Trump was accused of politicizing Tibbetts death after he said:

“Mollie Tibbetts, an incredible young woman, is now permanently separated from her family. A person came in from Mexico illegally and killed her. We need the wall. We need our immigration laws changed. We need our border laws changed. We need Republicans to do it because the Democrats aren’t going to do it.“ ~ per Politico

Yesterday, People shared a Facebook statement from a relative of Mollie’s, and aunt identified as Billie Jo Calderwood who warned not to use her niece’s death for political means.  Calderwood wrote:

“Please remember, Evil comes in EVERY color. Please do not compound the atrocity of what happened to her by adding racism and hate to the equation. … Do not turn #molliesmovement into something ugly.”

Tibbetts’ family released a statement on Wednesday saying, “Our hearts are broken. On behalf of Mollie’s entire family, we thank all of those from around the world who have sent their thoughts and prayers for our girl. We know that many of you will join us as we continue to carry Mollie in our hearts forever.” ~ per CBS

Tibbetts’ accused killer is in jail on a $5 million cash-only bond. If convicted, Rivera is looking at life in prison without the possibility of parole. Mollie Tibbetts’ funeral is scheduled for this Sunday. For more on this tragic story, see the video accompanying this article.

Also see:  Search for missing Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts enters second week

~ Written by: Richard Webster, Ace News Today   /   Connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter