Police: Man in the U.S. illegally charged with murder in Tibbetts' death

Updated: 4:20 p.m. on August 21, 2018

MONTEZUMA, Iowa (AP) — Police say a man in the country illegally has been charged with murder in the death of Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts.

A charge of 1st degree murder has been filed against 24-year-old Cristhian Bahena Rivera. If convicted, the charge carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

Investigators say they used surveillance video in tracking down Rivera. The video showed Tibbetts jogging in a rural area near her hometown of Brooklyn as well as Rivera's car.

Police had searched the area but noted her body was found in a field, covered with corn stalks.

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Updated: 3:55 p.m. August 21, 2018

MONTEZUMA, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say they are holding a suspect in the death of Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts, and he is being held on a federal immigration detainer.

Mitch Mortvedt, an assistant director of the state Division of Criminal Investigations, says Tuesday that authorities are holding a suspect and will release more details during a 4 p.m. news conference.

Earlier Tuesday, investigators announced a body believed to be Tibbetts was found in rural Poweshiek County.

Tibbetts, a 20-year-old student at the University of Iowa, has been missing since July 18.

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Posted: 8:21 a.m. August 21, 2018

(CBSNews) -- CBS News has learned that Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts has been found dead, just over a month after she was reported missing. The 20-year-old was last seen July 18, jogging near her home in the central Iowa town of Brooklyn. 

Her family reported her missing the following day when she didn't show up for work. Her disappearance set off a massive investigation and weeks of fruitless searches.

Police have scheduled a news conference for 6 p.m. ET Tuesday to provide an update on the latest developments. So far, no details have been released about where she was found or what the cause of death might be.

Last week, authorities said they were focusing their investigation on five areas in and near Tibbetts' hometown. Those areas reportedly included her boyfriend's home in Brooklyn, a car wash, a truck stop, a farm more than three miles from downtown Brooklyn, and another farm more than six miles away.

In an interview earlier this month, Mollie Tibbetts' father said he believed his daughter may have left willingly with someone she knew. 

"I think someone went to the house that Mollie knew or that Mollie trusted and that she left with them willingly," Robert Tibbetts told CBS News correspondent Adriana Diaz. "Now they're in over their head and they don't know what to do."

He says if he could talk to his daughter, he would tell her to "hang on."

"We're gonna come get you," he said. "Everybody's looking."

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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