Mollie Tibbetts' dad 'very reluctantly' returns to California, family resumes normal activities

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Monday, August 20, 2018
Missing student's father gives desperate plea to public
Mollie Tibbetts was last seen on July 18. Her father gave an emotional plea to the public to send in any information they have, even if they think it might not be important.

More than a month after 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts went missing, the family says law enforcement have asked them to return to their daily lives while they continue with the search.

For her father, Rob Tibbetts, this means returning to California. Rob, who lives in Fresno and works in the Bay Area, had come to Iowa soon after she was reported missing to help with the search.

"I'm doing this very reluctantly, being told I need to do this," he said of returning to California. "We've called it sort of a halftime."

Mollie has not been seen since she went for a run in Brooklyn, Iowa, on July 18. Authorities have launched a website to help with the search.

RELATED: Mollie Tibbetts timeline

As the investigation continues, law enforcement have asked her loved ones to resume their day-to-day lives.

Mollie's brothers, Jake and Scott, went back to college last week. Their dad said it was a difficult move-in because they passed by the place where Mollie would be staying for her sophomore year.

Rob said he plans to come back to Iowa the moment there's a development. He is still holding out hope that his daughter will be found safe.

"We'll still find Mollie and bring her home, and I still feel that way. We all still feel that way," he said. "That's why it's difficult for me to leave, knowing that there's a good chance we're going to bring her home, and I want to be there when she arrives."

Send in any tips by filling out the website form, emailing tips@poweshiekcosheriff.com or calling 800-452-1111 or 515-223-1400. Authorities urged anyone with tips who is not in the Brooklyn, Iowa, area to contact local law enforcement in order to speed up the process.