Mollie Tibbetts was killed by ‘sharp force injuries,’ preliminary autopsy shows

BROOKLYN, Iowa (AP) — Preliminary autopsy findings released Thursday show that Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts was killed by "sharp force injuries.'' Tibbetts, 20, vanished while running last month. The state medical examiner has determined that Tibbetts' death was a homicide. No details were released about what caused the sharp force injuries. The Division of Criminal Investigation released the information Thursday, saying the autopsy also officially confirms that the body found in rural Iowa this week was that of the 20-year-old Tibbetts. A man has been charged in Tibbetts' slaying. Investigators say Cristhian Bahena Rivera led police to the body on Tuesday in a cornfield outside of Brooklyn, Iowa. Investigators allege that Rivera abducted Tibbetts while she was out for an evening run on July 18. Investigators say he killed the young woman and later disposed of the body in a rural location.