
DES MOINES – Cristhian Rivera, the man accused in the death of a 20-year-old University of Iowa student, worked for an Iowa farm owned by the brother of a prominent Iowa Republican.
In a statement Tuesday night, Dane Lang, of Yarrabee Farms, said Rivera was an “employee in good standing” and was “shocked to hear” Rivera was implicated in the death of Mollie Tibbetts.
Dane Lang is related to Craig Lang, the former president of both the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation and the Iowa Board of Regents and a 2018 Republican candidate for state secretary of agriculture. Documents immediately reviewed by the Des Moines Register listed several owners of Yarrabee Farms, including Dane Lang and Eric Lang, Craig's brother.
Aug. 21: Arrest of undocumented immigrant in Mollie Tibbetts murder case may play into 2018 race
Aug. 21: Fox News host says Manafort and Cohen crimes can't sway votes like Tibbetts murder
On Tuesday, authorities said they found a body in a cornfield that they tentatively identified as Tibbetts', based on clothing found at the scene, according to a criminal complaint.
Rivera, 24, who resides in rural Poweshiek County, Iowa, was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder in the alleged abduction and death of Tibbetts, according to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.
During a news conference Tuesday, authorities said Rivera was employed and lived in the area for four to seven years, but they would not disclose his employer.

In a statement, Dane Lang said Rivera worked for Yarrabee Farms for four years and passed the government’s vetting process. Investigators visited the farm Monday to speak with employees.
Investigators said Rivera was in the country without proper legal documentation.
In the wake of Rivera's arrest, Republicans, including President Donald Trump and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, inveighed against the country's immigration system.
Aug. 21: Mollie Tibbetts' death: What we know about the Iowa student's case
Aug. 21: Arizona GOP Senate candidate: John McCain, Jeff Flake contributed to Iowa girl's murder
Trump alluded to the case at a rally in West Virginia on Tuesday: “You heard about today with the illegal alien coming in, very sadly, from Mexico and you saw what happened to that incredible, beautiful young woman,” he said, shaking his head. “Should’ve never happened.”
Tibbetts was last seen the night of July 18.
Read the full statement from Yarrabee Farms below:
“First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Mollie Tibbetts. This is a profoundly sad day for our community. All of us at Yarrabee Farms are shocked to hear that one of our employees was involved and is charged in this case.
This individual has worked at our farms for four years, was vetted through the government's E-Verify system, and was an employee in good standing. On Monday, the authorities visited our farm and talked to our employees. We have cooperated fully with their investigation.
Yarrabee Farms follows all laws related to verifying employees are legal to work in the United States, and we regularly seek outside counsel to ensure we stay up-to-date on employment law matters. We keep records on all employees and have shared that information with authorities.
We appreciate the hard work of law enforcement officials. We will continue to cooperate with authorities as the investigation moves forward.”
Tibbetts was last seen on surveillance footage running along Boundary and Middle Streets in her hometown Brooklyn, Iowa, about 70 miles east of Des Moines. Rivera allegedly followed her in a black Chevy Malibu.
Rivera parked his car and started running alongside and behind Tibbetts. She pulled out a cellphone and said she would call the police. Rivera told police he panicked and got mad, and then "blocked" his memory, becoming aware while at the driveway of a cornfield that he had placed a woman in his trunk, according to a criminal complaint.
Aug. 21: Undocumented immigrant charged with murder in killing of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts
Aug. 21: Condolences pour in after body found in Mollie Tibbetts' search
Rivera dragged the woman to an isolated area in the cornfield, he told police, then covered her body with corn leaves and drove away. After officials identified his vehicle in surveillance footage, he complied with law enforcement and led them to the body.
Contributing: Linh Ta and Barbara Rodriguez, The Des Moines Register; The Associated Press. Follow Austin Cannon on Twitter: @Cannon_Online
Aug. 21: Mollie Tibbetts was destined to 'change lives': 'You couldn’t help but just love her'
Aug. 9: Mollie Tibbetts search: Friend's video shows missing woman day before she disappeared
Aug. 7: Reward fund for missing Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts tops $300,000
Aug. 6: What Snapchat can and can't do to help find Mollie Tibbetts
Aug. 5: Donors from coast to coast raise Mollie Tibbetts reward fund to $260,000
Aug. 2: Missing Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts' father says not too late for abductor to return her
Aug. 1: Mollie Tibbetts investigation: Missouri police respond to possible sighting of missing Iowa student
Aug. 1: Mollie Tibbetts gets far more coverage than other missing persons. Is media bias to blame?
July 31: Mollie Tibbetts investigation: 'We are not giving up on any possible leads'
July 28: Mollie Tibbetts search: University of Iowa student goes missing, hasn't been seen 10 days
July 25: Why the FBI thinks Fitbit could help them find a missing University of Iowa student
July 22: 'She's a fighter': Community continues its search for missing University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts

DES MOINES – Cristhian Rivera, the man accused in the death of a 20-year-old University of Iowa student, worked for an Iowa farm owned by the brother of a prominent Iowa Republican.
In a statement Tuesday night, Dane Lang, of Yarrabee Farms, said Rivera was an “employee in good standing” and was “shocked to hear” Rivera was implicated in the death of Mollie Tibbetts.
Dane Lang is related to Craig Lang, the former president of both the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation and the Iowa Board of Regents and a 2018 Republican candidate for state secretary of agriculture. Documents immediately reviewed by the Des Moines Register listed several owners of Yarrabee Farms, including Dane Lang and Eric Lang, Craig's brother.
Aug. 21: Arrest of undocumented immigrant in Mollie Tibbetts murder case may play into 2018 race
Aug. 21: Fox News host says Manafort and Cohen crimes can't sway votes like Tibbetts murder
On Tuesday, authorities said they found a body in a cornfield that they tentatively identified as Tibbetts', based on clothing found at the scene, according to a criminal complaint.
Rivera, 24, who resides in rural Poweshiek County, Iowa, was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder in the alleged abduction and death of Tibbetts, according to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.
During a news conference Tuesday, authorities said Rivera was employed and lived in the area for four to seven years, but they would not disclose his employer.

In a statement, Dane Lang said Rivera worked for Yarrabee Farms for four years and passed the government’s vetting process. Investigators visited the farm Monday to speak with employees.
Investigators said Rivera was in the country without proper legal documentation.
In the wake of Rivera's arrest, Republicans, including President Donald Trump and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, inveighed against the country's immigration system.
Aug. 21: Mollie Tibbetts' death: What we know about the Iowa student's case
Aug. 21: Arizona GOP Senate candidate: John McCain, Jeff Flake contributed to Iowa girl's murder
Trump alluded to the case at a rally in West Virginia on Tuesday: “You heard about today with the illegal alien coming in, very sadly, from Mexico and you saw what happened to that incredible, beautiful young woman,” he said, shaking his head. “Should’ve never happened.”
Tibbetts was last seen the night of July 18.
Read the full statement from Yarrabee Farms below:
“First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Mollie Tibbetts. This is a profoundly sad day for our community. All of us at Yarrabee Farms are shocked to hear that one of our employees was involved and is charged in this case.
This individual has worked at our farms for four years, was vetted through the government's E-Verify system, and was an employee in good standing. On Monday, the authorities visited our farm and talked to our employees. We have cooperated fully with their investigation.
Yarrabee Farms follows all laws related to verifying employees are legal to work in the United States, and we regularly seek outside counsel to ensure we stay up-to-date on employment law matters. We keep records on all employees and have shared that information with authorities.
We appreciate the hard work of law enforcement officials. We will continue to cooperate with authorities as the investigation moves forward.”
Tibbetts was last seen on surveillance footage running along Boundary and Middle Streets in her hometown Brooklyn, Iowa, about 70 miles east of Des Moines. Rivera allegedly followed her in a black Chevy Malibu.
Rivera parked his car and started running alongside and behind Tibbetts. She pulled out a cellphone and said she would call the police. Rivera told police he panicked and got mad, and then "blocked" his memory, becoming aware while at the driveway of a cornfield that he had placed a woman in his trunk, according to a criminal complaint.
Aug. 21: Undocumented immigrant charged with murder in killing of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts
Aug. 21: Condolences pour in after body found in Mollie Tibbetts' search
Rivera dragged the woman to an isolated area in the cornfield, he told police, then covered her body with corn leaves and drove away. After officials identified his vehicle in surveillance footage, he complied with law enforcement and led them to the body.
Contributing: Linh Ta and Barbara Rodriguez, The Des Moines Register; The Associated Press. Follow Austin Cannon on Twitter: @Cannon_Online
Aug. 21: Mollie Tibbetts was destined to 'change lives': 'You couldn’t help but just love her'
Aug. 9: Mollie Tibbetts search: Friend's video shows missing woman day before she disappeared
Aug. 7: Reward fund for missing Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts tops $300,000
Aug. 6: What Snapchat can and can't do to help find Mollie Tibbetts
Aug. 5: Donors from coast to coast raise Mollie Tibbetts reward fund to $260,000
Aug. 2: Missing Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts' father says not too late for abductor to return her
Aug. 1: Mollie Tibbetts investigation: Missouri police respond to possible sighting of missing Iowa student
Aug. 1: Mollie Tibbetts gets far more coverage than other missing persons. Is media bias to blame?
July 31: Mollie Tibbetts investigation: 'We are not giving up on any possible leads'
July 28: Mollie Tibbetts search: University of Iowa student goes missing, hasn't been seen 10 days
July 25: Why the FBI thinks Fitbit could help them find a missing University of Iowa student
July 22: 'She's a fighter': Community continues its search for missing University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts
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