Mollie Tibbetts, a 20-year-old University of Iowa student, disappeared almost two weeks ago near Brooklyn, IA, according to the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office. Investigators have conducted over 200 interviews in her case, Richard Rahn, the special agent in charge with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation for the Major Crime Unit, told CNN.
"People are concerned and wanting to help," Rahn said. "We welcome the phone calls and are doing everything." Last week, about 15 FBI agents joined the search, as have many volunteers.
Tibbetts went missing on Wednesday, July 18. On that day, her brother dropped her off at her boyfriend's house so she could look after his dog, according to CNN's sister network HLN.
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Police are looking at abduction as one of the potential reasons for her disappearance, according to KCRG.
There is a lot of conflicting information floating around about the case. Police said she was last seen jogging in gym shorts, a black sports bra, and sneakers that evening, according to the sheriff's office.
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
However, both Tibbetts' aunt, Kim Calderwood, and her boyfriend said Tibbetts was back at the house from her run before she disappeared.
"I read somewhere that she was running in a cornfield. That's obviously not true," Kim Calderwood told KCRG. "The run happened and then she was at the house as far as we know. I don't think she would've run in the dark."
Dalton Jack, Tibbetts' boyfriend of almost three years, told KCRG he was one of the first to notice that she was missing. He said that while Tibbetts was dog-sitting, he was in Dubuque, which is about two hours away, for work, while his brothers were in Ames.
"I was the one who threw red flags," he said.
He said he opened a Snapchat from Tibbetts around 10 p.m. that evening, when she was reportedly back inside the house and dog-sitting. But he became worried when she didn't show up at her job the next morning.
"She hadn't called in," he said. "I looked at my phone and noticed I texted her good morning that morning and she hadn't looked at it. So, I got a hold of her friends and family."
"There is nothing to indicate at this time that [Jack] was involved in her disappearance," Mitch Mortvedt, spokesperson for the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, told CNN.
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Our thoughts continue to be with Mollie Tibbetts’ family and friends. Mollie went missing from her hometown of Brooklyn, Iowa last week. Please contact authorities if you have any information: https://t.co/TZWzvXYA2l pic.twitter.com/L4Fm5QQbAg
— University of Iowa (@uiowa) July 25, 2018
Tibbetts' Fitbit is believed to be an important piece of the puzzle, as it may have clues to the route she was traveling on the evening she disappeared.
"We live in a digital world," Rahn told HLN. "We'll look at cell phones, computers, social media sites, and everyone knows there's a Fitbit involved as well. We look at that, try to establish a timeline as best we can. We feel we have done that thus far."
"This is a new arena for us. That's part of the reason we called the FBI in. It's probably pretty new to them, too," said Mortvedt. "I don't know of another case here in Iowa where we have used specifically Fitbit info."
When Tibbetts' Fitbit pinged at a hog farm about 10 miles southeast of the house in Brooklyn, IA, where she was last seen, police searched the area but found nothing, Mortvedt said.
Other than her Fitbit, investigators are examining Tibbetts' Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook accounts.
Hope Beck, Tibbetts' best friend, told HLN she doesn't believe that the young woman ran away.
"Mollie is a very, very responsible individual and she's super-nice and compassionate and just someone that people look up to," Beck said. "You strive to be like her. And it's just not likely in any type of way that she would run off. She had career plans. She had a vacation planned. It's just not like her to not talk to her friends or family for a while."
Tibbetts' family has started a Facebook group dedicated to finding her, which now has over 44,000 members. Her mother Laura Calderwood told HLN that she knows people are praying for her daughter to be found.
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"Just remember Mollie," she said. "Let's find her."
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