The search for 20 year old University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts came to a sad close Tuesday. The body of the Brooklyn Iowa native was found in a rural part of Poweshiek County. Authorities say that although they have not confirmed it is the body of Tibbetts they are confident that is the case. In addition to that announcement, an arrest in the case has also been made. 24 year old Cristhian Bahena Rivera has been charged with first degree murder. Rivera has been living in the state illegally for somewhere between 4 and 7 years. During that time he has worked at Yarrabee Farms owned by Craig Lang, a prominent state Republican leader. Surveillance video taken from a residence showed Tibbetts running on the day she was abducted, it also showed a black Malibu following her. That car belonged to Rivera. Rivera told investigators that he had seen Tibbetts running before but this time decided to approach her, when she grabbed her phone and threatened to call the police Rivera chased her down and allegedly blacked out. When he came to he says he was standing at the intersection in the countryside where Tibbetts body would be found. An autopsy has been scheduled for today at the State Medical Examiner’s Office.
