Dateline: The Last Mile - Everything we know about the latest true crime episode

What happened to Mollie Tibbetts? That is the question Dateline NBC's new episode, 'The Last Mile', goes to answer—and does so with precision. This true crime segment follows in the footsteps of the 20-year-old University of Iowa student whose nighttime run turned into tragedy.

From neighborhood streets to court testimony, the episode follows how investigators assembled an unsettling puzzle that started on a peaceful summer evening. Packed with surveillance tape, police interrogations, and legal analysis, 'The Last Mile' presents a minute-by-minute chronology of Tibbetts' disappearance and the trial of Cristhian Bahena Rivera.

The one-hour broadcast does not aim to sensationalize or guess—instead, it hews to the timeline, drawing on actual interviews with the police, family members, and legal professionals who worked on the case.

Here's the trailer of the series for your reference:

Who was Mollie Tibbetts in Dateline?

In the show, Dateline brings viewers to meet Mollie, a popular psychology student from Brooklyn, Iowa. She was living at her boyfriend's residence when she worked part-time at a nearby summer camp before she vanished.

Interviews present her as brilliant, friendly, and outgoing—qualities that rendered her unexpected vanishing even more shocking to people who knew her.

July 18, 2018 – The night Mollie vanished

According to Dateline, Tibbetts was last seen on July 18, 2018, stepping out for an ordinary evening run. When she didn't show up for work the next day, her family promptly reported her missing.

The report describes how her disappearance caused a massive search effort by the local residents, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and then, finally, the FBI.

Surveillance footage reveals a clue

A breakthrough in the case, as featured in 'The Last Mile', was provided by a homeowner's security camera. Investigators, during the episode, take viewers through the footage of Mollie running—accompanied closely by a black Chevy Malibu. Police used the make and model of the car to trace Cristhian Bahena Rivera, a farmhand in the local area.

Rivera's confession and discovery of the body

The segment describes the day Rivera was taken in for questioning. Bahena Rivera testified he exited showering at the trailer where he was staying and found two strangers in his living room on July 18, 2018, the day Tibbetts vanished. As per ABC News,

"They were both wearing sweaters and their faces (were) covered. One of them was bigger and a little bit fatter. The other one was about my stature. They said I should not do anything stupid and everything was going to be OK. They told me to drive straight. One of them said to the other one something about someone running"

He stated they rode through town and out to the countryside on 385th Avenue, where they "saw a person jogging". He said he now identifies the jogger as Tibbetts.

After a long interrogation session—some parts of which have been incorporated in the broadcast—he took officers to a cornfield, where the body of Mollie was found over a month after her disappearance.

On Dateline, Rivera admitted to having followed Mollie and then proceeded to step out of the car and led the police to where she had been.

In court: Sentencing and trial

Dateline offers a thorough summary of the 2021 trial. The segment features courtroom video and analysis from legal experts, detailing how Rivera entered a plea of not guilty and blamed two unidentified men.

Prosecutors, though, emphasized his words to police and the online trail leading him to the scene. In the end, the jury convicted him of first-degree murder. He received a sentence of life without parole.

Have a look at Mollie Tibbetts's suppression hearing on Day 1:

Legal challenges and public attention

As documented in 'The Last Mile,' Rivera's subsequent defense questioned the validity of his confession, asserting that he was sleep-deprived and inadequately Mirandized. These factors are examined with advice from legal analysts highlighted in the episode. While Rivera sits behind bars awaiting appeals and hearings, the conviction remains.

The aftermath in Brooklyn, Iowa

The segment concludes with reflections from townspeople and Tibbetts' family. Dateline steers clear of maudlin sentimentality, rather highlighting how the town adapted and how Mollie's case inspired memorial scholarships and public education campaigns.

Her murder left an indelible mark not only on Brooklyn but on the wider national discussion on safety, surveillance, and immigration.

Why does The Last Mile stand out?

Unlike most true crime specials, 'The Last Mile' maintains its attention firmly rooted in facts and eyewitness testimony. It takes the viewer step by step through the investigation with precision, emphasizing the importance of tips from the community, digital data, and police tenacity.

The show doesn't jump to conclusions outside of the verdict reached by the court but provides the public with insight into what happened and why.

Dateline NBC's 'The Last Mile' is a subdued, evidence-based report on one of the most closely tracked missing persons cases of recent years. By staying on course in terms of timeline and with voices from both sides of the investigation, the episode provides a detailed examination of the case of Mollie Tibbetts—without sensationalism, speculation, or self-aggrandizement. It's a reminder of how one night can result in an investigation that captivates a whole nation.