Xavior Harrelson, 11, disappeared on May 27 in Montezuma, Poweshiek County
Mollie Tibbetts was abducted and killed while out for a run back on July 2018 in the same rural Iowa county
Iowa Investigator Mitch Mortvedt denied any link between the cases and said there is no reason to believe Harrelson may have been sex trafficked
Cristhian Bahena Rivera, 27, was found guilty of Tibbetts murder May 28
Defense attorneys for Bahena Rivera said last week the two cases may be linked
The defense presented new information from two new witnesses and claimed Tibbetts was abducted as part of an Iowa sex trafficking ring
The alleged leader of the sex trafficking ring and owner of the house was James Lowe, 50 - the former live-in boyfriend of Harrelson s mom
EXCLUSIVE: Are these Mollie Tibbetts s REAL killers? Inmate who confessed to helping murder Mollie Tibbetts with suspected sex trafficker are pictured as judge is set to rule on new trial that could exonerate convicted illegal immigrant
Sentencing for Cristhian Bahena Rivera, 27, was delayed on Wednesday after defense attorneys presented new information they believe will clear him
During his trial Bahena Rivera had claimed two masked men kidnapped him and later came upon Mollie Tibbetts on a rural road and then stabbed her
Defense lawyers on Thursday said two witnesses, Arne Maki and Lyndsey Marie Voss, had come forward separately to partially support Bahena Rivera s account
Now, it appears that the case is not as straightforward as it seems. The two sources, Arne Maki and Lyndsey Marie Voss came forward separately and confirmed that Jones was indeed to blame. The revelations have led Judge Joel Yates to hold a hearing on July 27 on the defense s plea for a new trial. In the meantime, here s what we know about the new suspected killers and their alleged role.
Cristhian Bahena Rivera listens during his murder trial. (Law and Crime/YouTube)
Did Jones and Lowe really kill Tibbetts?
According to court documents, Tibbetts wasn t killed in anger by Rivera, but rather because her kidnapping had caused a lot of media attention. Maki claims Jones confessed to him that Tibbetts was kidnapped and taken for sex trafficking. According to Jones, Tibbetts was being held in a trap house owned by Lowe. However, as the case only gained more attention, Lowe decided to kill Tibbetts. Jones agreed to the plan, which involved pinning the murder on a Hispanic man.