Advertisement

New video of missing jogger emerges from day before she vanished

A video of missing jogger Mollie Tibbetts has surfaced from the day before she vanished, showing the young woman appearing her “normal, outgoing, happy self”.

The clip, recorded by a friend, shows the 20-year-old university student laughing just hours before she was last seen.

Ms Tibbetts vanished on July 18 when she went for a run in her small hometown of Brooklyn, Iowa, US.

A video shows missing Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts laughing the day before she disappeared.
The video, taken by a friend, shows a happy Mollie Tibbetts laughing and being her ‘normal happy self’ the day before she was last seen. Source: Olivia Ritter / Facebook

Her family reported the young woman missing the next day after she didn’t show up to work.

The mobile phone footage was shared on Snapchat by friend and co-worker Olivia Ritter, showing the young woman laughing, smiling and making funny faces among her girlfriends.

In the video, Ms Tibbetts is seen wearing a tie-dye shirt, sitting cross-legged on the floor at Grinnell College, appearing in good spirits.

Her friends told Fox News Ms Tibbetts was “totally normal” on July 17 – the day before she vanished.

Missing Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts was last seen going for a jog on July 18.
Mollie Tibbetts was last seen as she went out for a run about 7.30pm on July 18. Source: AAP

“All of her actions were the same as they had been previous days,” Ms Ritter described to Fox News.

“She hadn’t been talking about anyone suspiciously or randomly. She was her normal, outgoing, happy self.”

The footage has come to light days after a man who was caught on CCTV taking pictures of young women jogging handed himself over to police.

While police described the man’s actions as “creepy” they don’t believe he was linked to the disappearance of Ms Tibbetts.

Dozens of local, state and federal agents are working to determine what happened to the young woman, but her disappearance has so far left investigators stumped, having reached no conclusions over her whereabouts.

The missing girl’s iPhone and Fitbit can also be seen in the video, which police and family members still have not found, believed to offer major clues into where she might be.

Search for missing 20-year-old University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts.
Officials continue to search for the 20-year-old University of Iowa student. Source: Reuters

Ms Tibbetts had been dog-sitting the evening of her disappearance for her boyfriend and her boyfriend’s brother at their home where she was living this summer after completing her second year at the University of Iowa.

The two men were out of town when she disappeared.

The reward for her safe return has now increased to more than $40,000.