Man in US illegally charged with murder in death of Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts

A man in the U.S. illegally has been charged with murder in the death of Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts, police announced Tuesday, according to The Associated Press.

Cristhian Bahena Rivera, 24, was charged with murder in connection to the death of Tibbetts, 20, who had been missing for more than a month before authorities discovered her body this week.

If convicted, Rivera could face life in prison, the AP reported.

Authorities said that Rivera led investigators to Tibbetts’s body, according to The Washington Post. The body was reportedly found in a cornfield. 

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Tibbetts, who was a student at the University of Iowa, was last been seen July 18 jogging in her hometown of Brooklyn, Iowa, a town in the central part of the state. She had been dog-sitting for her boyfriend, who was out of town, according to media reports.

Police reportedly said Tuesday that they used video surveillance to connect the murder to Rivera. Video showed Tibbetts jogging and Rivera’s car, the AP reported.

The search for Tibbetts involved officers from the FBI, state and local agencies.