DES MOINES – The Iowa State Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy yesterday, August 22, 2018, on the body confirmed to be Mollie Tibbetts, and drew some preliminary conclusions as to the manner of death.
The State Medical Examiner determined that the manner of death was homicide resulting from multiple sharp force injuries. Further examination may result in additional findings. Autopsy reports are confidential under Iowa law, except for the cause and manner of death.
Cristhian Bahena Rivera has been charged in the Iowa District Court for Poweshiek County with Murder in the First Degree. Iowa courts have established rules limiting the release of information regarding an individual who has been criminally charged in a state court. The rules are designed to protect a defendant’s interests in a fair trial that could be affected by media attention to the facts in the case. Court proceedings are open to the public, in almost all circumstances, and those formal proceedings are the primary method for communicating information about the case.
Given that criminal charges have been filed in state court, the Division of Criminal Investigation does not intend to grant individual interviews with members of the media, and will conduct a limited number of press conferences while the case is pending in the Iowa District Court.
