Iowa College student Mollie Tibbetts was purportedly found dead last week in Poweshiek County, Iowa. Reportedly, Tibbetts, 20, went missing while on a run. Several weeks after her disappearance an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, Cristhian Rivera, admitted to killing the coed.
Naturally the family is distraught over the loss of their beloved family member, but the Tibbetts’ are asking people not to be angry at God for her death, instead they are encouraging people to follow her example and live a positive life.
According to The Christian Post, Tibbetts’ cousin, Morgan Collum, said about Tibbetts, that she would seek the good in everyone she met.
At a mass in honor of Tibbett’s, Collum said, “Please, don’t be mad at God for taking Mollie away from us. Rather, praise God for His perfect creation in making a soul so sweet, so pure and so caring to all.”
Mollie’s older brother, Jake Tibbetts, emphasized that his sister worked tirelessly to bring people together.
Last week Rivera was charged with first-degree murder in the case and led the police to Tibbetts’ body.
Rivera claims that he panicked when she threatened to call the police since he was following Tibbetts and does not remember how he killed her. He did recall, however, that he dragged her body into a cornfield and covered her with corn stalks.
At the Mass on Sunday Rob Tibbetts, the father, said in his eulogy, “The Hispanic community are Iowans. They have the same values as Iowans.” Rob Tibbetts noted that the Hispanic community supported his family during the search for their loved one saying, “As far as I’m concerned, they’re Iowans with better food.”
The minister of the church Mollie Tibbetts was a member of, Rev. Corey Close of St. Patrick Catholic Church, said that Tibbetts was a “bright, shining light” who affected others with her “infectious joy and smiling.”
Close said, “When I think of the life of Mollie Tibbetts and her tragic death, I wonder why she is gone and I am still here.”
The reverend asked those in attendance at the mass not to “let Mollie die in vain.”
Close said, “Rededicate yourselves to live a good life, a faithful life, a life of goodness and compassion. It is so easy to be bitter, to feel like we have nothing to contribute. But Mollie’s energy, her smile and her tenacity for doing good reminded me who I am called to be.”
Photo courtesy: Unsplash/Ben White
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