The mother of a missing Iowa college student gave a heartfelt plea to the potential abductor to please release her daughter, offering a $172,000 reward.
The mother, Laura Calderwood, said during a press conference Thursday that she believes her daughter, Mollie Tibbetts, was abducted, although the police did not confirm that statement. Tibbetts has been missing since July 18.
“If someone has abducted her, we are pleading with you to please release her,” Calderwood said, The Associated Press reported Thursday. “It is our greatest hope that if someone has her, that they would just release her and claim that money we have raised for her freedom.”
Tibbetts, 20, was last seen going for a jog in her hometown of Brooklyn, Iowa, on July 18. Donations went from $2,000 earlier this week to $172,000, when donations poured in from nationwide donors. Brooklyn is a small town with a population of about 1,400 people in central Iowa.
She was reportedly spotted at a truck stop on July 26, ABC News reported. The truck stop was more than 230 miles away from where she was last seen. (RELATED: Missing Iowa Jogger Mollie Tibbetts Reportedly Spotted At Missouri Truck Stop)
Police have “conducted a search of the area, spoke with witnesses and reviewed any potential surveillance video,” according to ABC.
“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,” Rob Tibbetts, Mollie’s father, said, ABC reported.
Rob Tibbetts praised the investigation, while noting he hasn’t been told much, adding that “they’ve put together an incredible investigation.”
“If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear. Come forward, bring information to the authorities, and let’s bring Mollie home,” he said Thursday.
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