# Where Does The Money For Rewards For Missing Persons Come From?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-money-for-rewards-for-missing-persons-come-from/819655>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 15, 2018, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-money-for-rewards-for-missing-persons-come-from/819655 "2018-08-15T14:52:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2018, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-money-for-rewards-for-missing-persons-come-from/819655/1 "2018-08-15T14:52:53Z")

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The reward for information leading to Mollie Tibbetts is now over $400,000. Does the family pay that money to the person who gives the information? The local police department? Iowa taxpayers?

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**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2018, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-money-for-rewards-for-missing-persons-come-from/819655/2 "2018-08-15T15:25:19Z")

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Generically, a specific person or group puts up the money. It could be the family but doesn’t have to be.

In Tibbetts case, [the parents](http://time.com/5356482/missing-iowa-student-mollie-tibbetts-reward/) are offering part of the reward using donations made to them and the rest of the money comes from a group called [Crime Stoppers of Central Iowa](http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/08/14/mollie-tibbetts-reward-jumps-to-nearly-400000-amid-ongoing-search.html).

Government money is not a factor.

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**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2018, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-money-for-rewards-for-missing-persons-come-from/819655/3 "2018-08-15T15:32:35Z")

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In this case I think the substantial majority is coming from donations. The initial reward offering was $2,000 (half from Crime Stoppers and half from a neighboring business) so I very much doubt that Crime Stoppers is putting up much money. The parents come across as middle class so there are limits on how much they can personally offer.

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**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2018, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-money-for-rewards-for-missing-persons-come-from/819655/4 "2018-08-15T15:38:14Z")

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Actually it is Crime Stoppers operating the donation fund:  
[https://whotv.com/2018/08/01/donate-to-mollie-tibbetts-reward-fund/](https://whotv.com/2018/08/01/donate-to-mollie-tibbetts-reward-fund/)