Man charged with murder in case of missing Iowa woman
By Bernie Woodall
(Reuters) - A 24-year-old man was charged with murder on Tuesday after he led detectives to the body of a woman, believed to be that of a college student who went missing a month ago, in a cornfield in rural Iowa, state investigators said.
Mollie Tibbetts, 20, who attended the University of Iowa, disappeared in July while jogging.
Authorities are awaiting test results to make a positive identification, Rich Rahn, special agent in charge of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, told reporters.
Rahn declined to say whether investigators have determined how the woman was killed, saying that an autopsy would be conducted by the state medical examiner's office on Wednesday.
The suspect, Christian Rivera, told investigators he had jogged behind or beside Tibbetts, who warned him she would call police if he did not leave her alone, Rahn said at a briefing.
"He in turn chased her down and then, he tells us, that at some point in time he blacks out and then he comes to near an intersection (where) we believe he then placed Mollie,” Rahn said.
After a lengthy interview, Rivera led detectives to the body of the slain woman, Rahn said.
U.S. Homeland Security officials said Rivera is an "illegal alien," and Rahn said investigators "believe he is from Mexico."
Rivera was identified in security video taken from a camera set up outside a house in Brooklyn, Iowa, where Tibbetts was last seen alive, Rahn said.
Rivera's black Chevrolet Malibu appeared in the video, helping lead investigators to him, Rahn said. Tibbetts is also seen jogging in one of the clips from the surveillance camera, Rahn said.
The woman's body was found buried under corn stalks in a cornfield about 10 miles from Brooklyn, where Tibbetts was staying at her boyfriend's residence, officials have said.
Rivera, who was arrested without incident on Monday, lived in Poweshiek County, where Brooklyn is located, for four to seven years, according to U.S. Homeland Security officials.
Illegal immigration has been a lightning rod issue for President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly said illegal immigrants were responsible for many violent crimes.
Vice President Mike Pence commented on the arrest on Twitter, commending officials for "working in Iowa in apprehending an illegal immigrant who's now charged with first-degree murder."
Rahn said the penalty for first-degree murder in Iowa upon conviction is life in prison without the possibility of parole.
(Reporting by Bernie Woodall in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Editing by Leslie Adler)
