Reward for missing Iowa woman increases to $172,000

Posted By: Bayley Bischof

bbischof@klkntv.com 

Mollie Tibbetts’ family and Crime Stoppers of Central Iowa held a press conference on Thursday encouraging the public to make use of the reward fund, ABC News reported. 

The reward fund, which the public can contribute to, has now reached $172,000. Crime Stoppers emphasized that it has set up an anonymous tipline, and anyone using that tipline to send in information that brings her home will be able to receive the reward anonymously.

Tibbetts, a 20-year-old from Brooklyn, Iowa, has been missing for two weeks. At the press conference, her loved ones spoke about what the search has been like.

"Every day I feel Mollie’s presence with me. Sometimes I feel her just sitting on my shoulder," her mom said. "Mollie’s lending me her strength. Every day. Every night."

Her boyfriend, Dalton Jack, said that if someone took Mollie, he has a message for them.

"Everybody has a Mollie in their life," he said. "Imagine if this was you, someone had taken your Mollie."

He added, "Do the right thing and let her go."

Her father said he believes the reward will incentivize someone to come forward. He said he believes there is someone out there who is withholding information, either because they think it’s too trivial or because they are worried it will incriminate a loved one.

"Nothing is irrelevant. Nothing is trivial," he said. "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear. So come forward, share that information with authorities, and let’s bring Mollie home."

The most recent unconfirmed sighting of Tibbetts in Kearney, Missouri on July 26 at a trucks top in the area.

The location is more than 230 miles away from where Tibbetts was last seen.

Officers conducted a search of the area, spoke with witnesses and reviewed any potential surveillance video.