The father of missing University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts has issued a plea to the public, asking that they come forward with information even if they may feel it is irrelevant to the case.
Speaking on Good Morning America in an interview Monday morning, Rob Tibbetts said he believes someone out there could hold the key to finding his 20-year-old daughter, who has not been seen in nearly two weeks.
“It doesn’t matter what we’re going through, we just need people to think — because somebody knows something and they don’t even know it’s important,” he said. “We can get Mollie back. We just have to have somebody call [the tip line].”
Authorities say they have been fielding dozens of leads in Mollie’s disappearance, chasing every tip that comes in.
Police and volunteers have been looking for any sign of the rising sophomore since July 19, when her parents reported her missing from Brooklyn, Iowa, where she lives.
“What we need is for people to tell their friends and neighbors that if they saw anything that seemed even remotely out of the ordinary to call the authorities and they will run that down,” Rob said on GMA. “The authorities have told us again and again and again that all the similar cases like this are always solved by some tip.”
The last time Mollie was seen alive was on July 18, when someone spotted her on her regular evening jog in Brooklyn.
She also sent a text message that night about 7 o’clock, and boyfriend Dalton Jack opened a Snapchat message from her around 10 p.m. The message was a selfie that appeared to have been taken indoors, Jack has reportedly said.
Jack said he last saw Mollie on July 16 before traveling some two hours away for a construction job. Tibbetts stayed in Brooklyn, at his home, to dog-sit. (Last week authorities said they had ruled Jack out as a suspect.)
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Authorities were not immediately available Monday to give PEOPLE an update on the investigation, but news reports indicate that, according to Mollie’s relatives, investigators have learned more about how she spent her evening on July 18 — the last day she was seen.
KMTV reports that Mollie’s brother said he was told by authorities that she was on her computer the night of July 18 doing homework.
Her dad said on Monday that while he is thankful for the outpouring of support from the public, he wants to find his daughter.
“We all want her back and we’re going to have to rely on our law enforcement partners,” he said, “but we can help them by driving those leads to them that are guiding this search effort and that’s all we can do.”
Mollie is described as 5-foot-3-inches tall, weighing about 120 lbs., with long brown hair and brown eyes.
Authorities are also poring over the data recovered from Mollie’s social media accounts and her fitness tracker as well as extensive surveillance footage from the area.
Anyone with information about her whereabouts is urged to email investigators at tips@poweshiekcosheriff.com or call 641-623-5679.
