Iowa college student died of 'sharp force injuries,' autopsy finds

[August 24, 2018]    (Reuters) - An Iowa college student who was killed after she disappeared while jogging last month succumbed to "multiple sharp force injuries," according to the results of a preliminary autopsy released on Thursday.

The Iowa State Medical Examiner has ruled that the death of Mollie Tibbetts, 20, was a homicide, the Iowa Department of Public Safety said in a statement.

Mollie Tibbetts of Brooklyn, Iowa, a college student who went missing, poses for an undated photograph obtained by Reuters August 22, 2018. Social Media via REUTERS.

The statement said "that the manner of death was homicide resulting from multiple sharp force injuries." The agency declined to elaborate on the nature of the injuries or what caused them. The medical examiner's office declined comment.

A 24-year-old farm worker accused of killing Tibbetts made an initial court appearance on Wednesday as the case reignited a national debate over illegal immigration and crime.

Cristhian Rivera was ordered by a judge to be held on $5 million bail on charges of murder.

Law enforcement officials have told reporters that Rivera was Mexican and in the country illegally. His defense lawyer said in a court filing on Wednesday that Rivera had legal status.

President Donald Trump has said the death of Tibbetts was a result of weak immigration laws.

Trump, whose pledge to build a wall on the border with Mexico was a central plank of his 2016 presidential campaign, has mentioned the case at least twice since Rivera's arrest, most recently in a videotaped speech posted to Twitter on Wednesday.

"Mollie Tibbetts, an incredible young woman, is now permanently separated from her family. A person came in from Mexico, illegally, and killed her. We need the wall. We need our immigration laws changed," Trump said.

(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz in Austin, Texas; Editing by Peter Cooney)

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