Mollie Tibbetts Was 'Nobody's Victim,' Her Dad Says in Powerful Eulogy

EUN KYUNG KIM
TODAY
Aug. 28, 2018

The grieving father of murdered Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts insisted on "celebrating something wonderful" at the young woman's funeral, remembering her spirit and passion for life instead of how she died.

During a eulogy Sunday for his 20-year-old daughter, Rob Tibbetts recognized a couple who had gotten married a day earlier and asked them to stand because "that's what Mollie would have done."

"Today, we need to turn the page. We're at the end of a long ordeal," Tibbetts said, according to the Des Moines Register. "But we need to turn toward life — Mollie's life — because Mollie's nobody's victim. Mollie's my hero."

[...] Authorities say Rivera, who was being held in lieu of a $5 million cash-only bond, is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. His case has inflamed the national debate over immigration and has drawn comments from President Trump.

Rob Tibbetts has not commented publicly on the topic. But in his eulogy he highlighted how the local Hispanic community had embraced him as he searched for his daughter.

"The Hispanic community are Iowans. They have the same values as Iowans," he said, including an emphasis on family. "As far as I'm concerned, they're Iowans with better food."

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