The father of a 20-year-old Iowa college student found dead after her disappearance is speaking out against those who have attempted to make political hay of his family’s loss.

As CrimeOnline has previously reported, Mollie Tibbetts’ alleged killer, Cristhian Rivera, is an undocumented immigrant of Hispanic descent.

Ron Tibbetts penned an editorial just over a week after his daughter’s death was confirmed in which he called on politicos and pundits to refrain from using his daughter’s legacy to make their partisan points.

“Please leave us out of your debate,” he wrote in the Des Moines Register.

He went on to reference an earlier editorial by Donald Trump Jr., which injected politics into the story of his daughter’s death, as reported by BuzzFeed News.

“I encourage the debate on immigration; there is great merit in its reasonable outcome,” he wrote. “But do not appropriate Mollie’s soul in advancing views she believed were profoundly racist.”

The grieving father added that such behavior in response to the tragedy “grieviously extends the crime that stole Mollie from our family and is, to quote Donald Trump Jr., ‘heartless’ and ‘despicable.’”

President Donald Trump has also publicly referenced the crime, using it in one Twitter video to advance his argument for a wall along America’s southern border.

Ron Tibbetts made sure to draw a clear distinction between the man accused of killing his daughter and those who share his ethnicity.

“The person who is accused of taking Mollie’s life is no more a reflection of the Hispanic community as white supremacists are of all white people,” he wrote. “To suggest otherwise is a lie. Justice in my America is blind. This person will receive a fair trial, as it should be. If convicted , he will face the consequences society has set. Beyond that, he deserves no more attention.”

[Featured image: Mollie Tibbetts and Rob Tibbetts, handout]