Mollie Tibbetts, a 20-year-old psychology student at the University of Iowa, was found dead in a cornfield in Guersney, Iowa, on Tuesday morning Mollie Tibbetts died from “multiple sharp force injuries,” according to preliminary autopsy findings released on Thursday, though some other details in her mysterious slaying remain unclear. Tibbetts, a 20-year-old psychology student at the University of Iowa, was found dead in a cornfield in Guersney, Iowa, on Tuesday morning, some 11 miles southeast of her hometown of Brooklyn. She vanished there on July 18 while going for a run. Get push notifications with news, features and more. Later on Tuesday police also charged Cristhian Rivera, 24, with Tibbetts’ first-degree murder. Police documents obtained by PEOPLE allege that Rivera abducted and killed Tibbetts after crossing paths with her while she was jogging. However, it is still publicly unknown when, exactly, Tibbetts was killed and how well she knew her suspected murderer, if at all. RELATED VIDEO: Man Is Charged in Connection with Mollie Tibbetts’ Murder An autopsy on her body was conducted Wednesday by the Iowa State Medical Examiner. Some of the initial findings were announced on Thursday, such as the nature of her fatal injuries. But more specific information was not released, including what weapon or weapons may have been used and the extent of Tibbetts’ wounds. “Further examination may result in additional findings,” state authorities said. “Sharp force injuries” include cuts and stab wounds, according to the University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine and Public Health, and they are “caused by a sharp/pointed object.” • Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. Rivera’s arrest warrant affidavit is not more enlightening. It shows that he allegedly said he “blocked” his “memory” after Tibbetts grew unnerved by him when he began running around her. The next thing he remembered was being in his car and then realizing that her dead body was in his trunk, her head bloody, according to the arrest affidavit. Rivera, who made his first court appearance on Wednesday, remains in custody in lieu of $5 million cash bond. He has not entered a plea but his attorney reiterated that he is presumed innocent and no evidence has yet been presented in court.<doc-sep>The Iowa State Medical Examiner confirmed Thursday that the body found earlier this week in rural Poweshiek County was Mollie Tibbetts and that she died from "multiple sharp force injuries." Tibbetts' body was found face-up and covered by corn stalks in a secluded part of a farm field, near the intersection of 460th Avenue and Highway 21 outside of Guernsey. A funeral Mass for Tibbetts will be at 2 p.m. Sunday in the gymnasium of BGM High School in Brooklyn, according to an obituary by Smith Funeral Home & Cremation Service. The family will receive friends following the service at a reception. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital. Tibbetts was a psychology major at the University of Iowa and worked with children at a day camp this summer. She vanished after going for a run in her hometown of Brooklyn on the evening of July 18. Her disappearance captured national headlines. Police arrested Cristhian Bahena Rivera, 24, and charged him with first-degree murder. In an affidavit released after his arrest was announced Tuesday, police said Rivera guided them from memory to Tibbetts' location. The Division of Criminal Investigation released its summary of the state medical examiner's preliminary autopsy Thursday afternoon. The DCI would not release additional details regarding the manner of Tibbetts' death or what kind of weapon, if any, was used. Further examination may result in more findings, the DCI said. RELATED:A look at the facts regarding the immigration status of Mollie Tibbetts' accused killer MORE:How to help Mollie Tibbetts' family: Photos, donations, prayers and privacy During a press conference Wednesday, Iowa DCI Special Agent Rick Rahn said video recordings from area security cameras helped investigators connect Rivera to Tibbetts' disappearance. Footage showed Tibbetts running near Boundary and Middle streets outside of Brooklyn when a black Chevy Malibu was driving in the area around 7:45 p.m. on the day she disappeared. The footage shows the vehicle, driven by Rivera, going back and forth in the area, according to the criminal complaint. Rivera told investigators Monday that he exited his vehicle, and that as he ran alongside Tibbetts, she grabbed her phone and threatened to call police, according to a charging document that prosecutors filed in court Tuesday. Investigators believe Tibbetts was abducted around the 1900 block of 385th Avenue. "Rivera said he then panicked and got mad and that he then 'blocked' his 'memory,' which is what he does when he gets very upset," according to the document, which was written by a sheriff's deputy. He is currently being held in the Poweshiek County Jail on a $5 million bond. RELATED:Complete coverage of Mollie Tibbetts' disappearance MORE:Mollie Tibbetts suspect's past begins to emerge as scrutiny expands<doc-sep>Preliminary autopsy reports show that murdered Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts died of “multiple sharp force injuries,” according to multiple reports. The manner of death was homicide, according to the state medical examiner. Tibbetts’ accused murderer, Cristhian Bahena Rivera, a 24-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico, is being held in lieu of $5 million cash-only bail in Poweshiek County Jail. The ME released the following update through a statement on Thursday, according to the Des Moines Register: The Iowa State Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy yesterday, August 22, 2018, on the body confirmed to be Mollie Tibbetts, and drew some preliminary conclusions. The State Medical Examiner determined that the manner of death was homicide resulting from multiple sharp force injuries. Further examination may result in additional findings. Autopsy reports are confidential under Iowa law, except for the cause and manner of death. (Iowa Code § 22.7(4)(c)). Cristhian Bahena Rivera has been charged in the Iowa District Court for Poweshiek County with Murder in the First Degree. Iowa courts have established rules limiting the release of information regarding an individual who has been criminally charged in a state court. The rules are designed to protect a defendant’s interests in a fair trial that could be affected by media attention to the facts in the case. Court proceedings are open to the public, in almost all circumstances, and those formal proceedings are the primary method for communicating information about the case. Given that criminal charges have been filed in state court, the Division of Criminal Investigation does not intend to grant individual interviews with members of the media, and will conduct a limited number of press conferences while the case is pending in the Iowa District Court. It was also reported on Thursday that Rivera had a connection to Tibbetts: He fathered a child with Tibbetts’ former schoolmate. Tibbetts went missing on July 18; investigators believe Rivera abducted her when he saw her out on a run that day. Her body was only found on Tuesday, more than a month after her disappearance.<doc-sep>
Dad of missing student: We just want her back Mollie Tibbetts' relatives and friends have been posting fliers seeking information on her whereabouts. Mollie Tibbetts (left) and Cristhian Rivera (right). Rivera was charged Aug. 22, 2018 with first-degree murder in the disappearance of Tibbetts, according to arrest documents from the Poweshiek County Sheriff's Office. (CNN) — A preliminary report from the autopsy on Mollie Tibbetts’ body determined that her death was a “homicide resulting from multiple sharp force injuries,” the Iowa State Medical Examiner said. Tibbetts, a 20-year-old student at the University of Iowa, went missing after an evening jog on July 18, sparking an extensive month-long search in the region. A body that officials believed to be hers was found on Tuesday in a rural area, hidden under corn stalks, and the autopsy confirmed her identity. “Sharp force injuries” are those caused by pointed or sharp-edged objects, such as in stab wounds, incised wounds and chop wounds, according to the medical news site Medscape. Tibbetts’ funeral has been scheduled for Sunday afternoon, according to a release on the Smith Funeral Home and Cremation Service website. The Mass of Resurrection will be held at the gymnasium of the BGM High School in Brooklyn, Iowa. Cristhian Bahena Rivera, a 24-year-old Mexican man who illegally came to the United States, was charged with her murder on Wednesday after he confessed to following her on her run. In an arrest affidavit, Rivera said he remembered getting mad at her; what happened afterward was “blocked” from his memory. When he came to, he realized he had put a bleeding Tibbetts in his trunk, and then he carried her into a cornfield and left her there, the affidavit states. Tibbetts’ tragic death and the suspect’s unauthorized immigration status have thrust the story to the forefront of the US immigration debate in the past few days. President Donald Trump and other leading Republicans have argued that this case shows the need to maintain stricter border security and kick out undocumented immigrants. However, studies have cast doubt on the argument that immigrants commit crimes more often than others. A study published in Justice Quarterly in 2012 found that “foreign-born individuals exhibit remarkably low levels of involvement in crime.” Similarly, a study from Northwestern University found no correlation between immigrants and violent crime. Rob Tibbetts Mollie Tibbetts, here with her dad, was last seen alive on July 18 on an evening run. Rivera has not yet entered a plea in the case and is being held on $5 million bond. He has no criminal record and had worked at a local dairy farm for four years prior to his arrest. Rick Rahn, special agent in charge at the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, said the suspect’s motive was unclear. “I can just tell you it seems that he followed her and seemed to be drawn to her on that particular day and for whatever reason, he chose to abduct her,” Rahn said. CNN’s Sheena Jones contributed to this report.