BROOKLYN, Iowa –  The Chevy Malibu that investigators linked to 
Cristhian Rivera, the illegal immigrant suspected of killing 
Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts, was not registered in 
Rivera's name, a law enforcement source revealed to Fox News on 
Wednesday.
Police said Tuesday that the Malibu, which was caught on 
surveillence footage in Brooklyn, Iowa, was driving back and 
forth in the area where Tibbetts, a 20-year-old University of 
Iowa student, was running in the "late afternoon hours of July 
18," the day she went missing.
"We were able to, first of all, see what we believed to have 
been Mollie running on one of the streets," Iowa Division of 
Criminal Investigation special agent Rick Rahn told Fox News. 
"From that, we started to look into all the vehicles that were 
also captured on video and eventually identified the vehicle 
that was driven by Mr. Rivera."
The surveillance footage in which the Malibu was seen was not 
able to capture the vehicle's license plates, but there were 
"unusual markings" on the car which helped lead investigators 
track it down, Rahn told said.
The special agent said there were "some distinct features to the 
vehicle that allowed us to basically search the area for it and 
just happened that we were able to locate the vehicle, and 
subsequently identify Mr. Rivera driving the vehicle."
The footage was provided by a resident. It clearly showed 
Tibbetts running, and also had a clear shot of the Malibu 
driving back and forth, Rahn told Fox News. The video was 
"critical" and allowed authorities to zero in on the 24-year-old 
Rivera, Rahn added.
Rivera was charged with first-degree murder on Tuesday in 
Tibbetts' death, and was being held Wednesday on a $5 million 
cash-only bond. During his first court appearance Wednesday 
afternoon, Rivera looked stoic and refused to speak when given 
the chance. Rahn said authorities believe this was a 
"premeditated" attack.
While investigators earlier had looked into the area where 
Tibbetts' body was ultimately discovered — a cornfield roughly 
12 miles southeast of Brooklyn — Rahn said detectives wouldn't 
have seen the woman's body even if they were relatively close, 
as it was covered in cornstalks.
He wouldn't detail what led investigators to the Deep River Area 
where Tibbetts' body was found, but stressed that they "focused 
hard on her digital footprint."
Investigators said they were working to determine whether Rivera 
acted alone. They said that other charges may be filed against 
Rivera if evidence shows that sexual assault or other crimes 
were committed against Tibbetts.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents said that 
Rivera, of Mexico, has been in the U.S. illegally for four to 
seven years.
Yarrabee Farms, which had hired Rivera, initially said he passed 
a federal E-Verify check, which is intended to maintain a 
database of I-9 forms and tax records of employees across the 
country. On Wednesday, however, co-owner and manager Dane Lang 
said that the farm used a different program that a family member 
wrongly thought was E-Verify. The farm used Social Security 
Administration data in the vetting process, Lang said.
Lang added that Rivera provided a state-issued photo ID and 
social security card.
“We learned that our employee was not who he said he is," Lang 
told reporters on Wednesday, and noted that his coworkers knew 
him by a different name, but recognized him after seeing media 
reports about his arrest.
A spokesperson with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services 
said in a statement that, "A search of records by USCIS revealed 
Rivera did not make any DACA requests nor were any grants given. 
We have found no record in our systems indicating he has any 
immigration status."
Despite what federal officials have stated about Rivera's status 
in the U.S., his lawyer said the suspect worked legally in the 
country.
Attorney Allen Richards alleged that the government was saying 
falsely that Rivera was not in Iowa legally, in a court document 
through which he asked for a gag order on the case, the Des 
Moines Register reported.
A judge denied Richards' gag order request.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/08/22/mollie-tibbetts-
investigation-chevy-malibu-seen-in-surveillance-video-not-
registered-to-suspect-rivera-source-says.html