After hundreds of tips and interviews, and after countless prayer vigils and donations to a reward fund, investigators got a tragic break in their case Tuesday.
Advertisement
Tibbetts was last seen on surveillance footage the night of July 18 running along Boundary and Middle Streets in her hometown Brooklyn, Iowa, about 70 miles east of Des Moines.
For years, the young man from Mexico presented himself as a legal USA resident and reliable worker at a family dairy farm in small town Iowa, his employer said.
When Mollie Tibbetts went for a jog and never returned, her death realized the worst fears of many runners, especially women, who lace up their sneakers unsure of what they may face on the road. She wasn’t that person. He said now was not the time to debate immigration but to grieve the loss of Tibbetts, who was about to start her junior year studying psychology.
Since Tuesday’s announcement, leaders inside and outside of Iowa are highlighting the fact that a man who is apparently in the country illegally has been implicated in the killing of Tibbetts.
While authorities say Rivera is in the country illegally, his lawyer, Allan Richards, insisted on Wednesday that his client “has the legal documents” proving he is not.
“Sarah’s Law” is a piece of legislation that would require U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to take custody of an undocumented immigrant who is in the country illegally and is charged with a crime.
Mollie Tibbetts [Handout]As CrimeOnline previously reported, Rivera is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 20-year-old Mollie.
“Democrat immigration policies are destroying innocent lives and spilling very innocent blood”, Trump said in while speaking in Ohio.
“You heard about today with the illegal alien coming in, very sadly, from Mexico and you saw what happened to that incredible, lovely young woman”, Mr. Trump told the crowd in Charleston.
“So for an employer, having somebody who may have some familiarity…even with language challenges…familiarity with the work and a willingness to do the work more than anything is an incentive there” she said.
Dane Lang, a member of the family that owns Yarrabee Farms, said the family did not use the federal E-Verify system to check Rivera’s identity, correcting information he gave Tuesday.
Rahn said that investigators had talked to hundreds of people and received more than 4,000 tips, but the break in the case came within the last two weeks when they found someone with a security camera system while canvassing a neighborhood.
Rivera was arrested Monday when police traced him through surveillance footage which showed his auto following Mollie. He called on Democrats to work with Republicans. After more than a month of searching, investigators located her body in a farm field in rural Poweshiek County on August 21.
The funeral for Tibbetts will be held on Sunday.
The owner of the local True Value Hardware, Rusty Clayton, said he’s been making more keys for anxious residents. “Set something up so everybody understands what the rules are because we have to maintain ourselves as a nation of laws”.
Some are blaming the Lang family for her death, saying they could’ve got Rivera deported back to Mexico had they just done their due diligence.
Advertisement
Rivera’s coworker told CBS News’ Adriana Diaz that someone who would have done something like this would be nervous and not be able to eat and he seemed like nothing was wrong.
