On Feb 13, 2017, Abigail (Abby) Williams, 13, and Liberty (Libby) German, 14, had the day off from school. The two decided to go on a hike on the Monon High Bridge, a popular walking trail and historical site in Indiana.
Monon High Bridge, Delphi, Indiana (RTV6 Indianapolis)
The girls were dropped off at 1 pm and were to be picked up a couple of hours after by Libby's father. At 2:07 pm, Libby posted a Snapchat of Abby walking across the bridge, as seen below.
Libby's snapchat of Abby walking on the Monon High Bridge (news.com.au)
At 3:30 pm, Libby's dad is at their agreed-upon pickup point but his calls go answered. He left his car soon after to go search for them, walking the same path they would have walked.
At 4:00 pm, with no sight of the girls, he called Libby's grandmother and Abby's mother to ask for help in his search for the girls. With both families searching, they were still unable to locate the girls.
At 5:30 pm, the police were called, and soon a full search was underway. Around the same time, Libby's phone went dead. The search concluded that night with no answers.
The next morning the search resumed with canines, divers, and the FBI. Around noon, the bodies of two girls were found by a volunteer searcher near the edge of the water of Deer Creek. Deer Creek was approximately half a mile from where Libby's last Snapchat was taken. The area was part of a private 40-acre lot belonging to a 70-year-old man (he was eventually ruled out as a suspect).
The next day, autopsies were completed and the two bodies were confirmed to be of Abby and Libby. No other information was given by the police on how they died, but a photo of a man is released by them to the public. At the time, they did not name him as a suspect, just someone they wanted to interview, as he was seen on the trail at the same time as the girls.
The photo released by police of the man they wanted to interview (inquisitr.com)
A week later, the police and FBI hold a press conference to give more details on the case. They revealed that the photo of the man was taken from Libby's own phone. They also released a small audio clip taken from the phone. In the clip, the man can be heard saying "Down the hill". Circumstances of why the video was taken was and is still a mystery. Police have openly stated they think it was a conscious decision by Libby to film the man because she may have sensed that something was not right.
On July 17, police released a sketch of what the suspect could look like:
Original police sketch of the possible suspect (Inside Edition)
To date, the only person of interest to be named is Daniel Nations. On September 25, Daniel was arrested in Colorado for suspicion of wielding a hatchet and threatening people on various trails, as well as a possible shooting on a trail.
Daniel Nations (in the middle) compared to the police sketch (yahoo)
Police eventually announced that they could not rule him in or out of the case, and instead named him a person of interest. There were two other names that were connected to the case: John Miller, 59, of Fort Wayne, Indiana (now serving 80 years in prison for the death of April Tinsley) and Charles Andrew Eldridge, 46 (arrested after arranging sex with an undercover cop posing as an underage girl). In the end, police removed both these names from their suspect list.
On April 22, 2019, police held a press conference stating that the case was going in a "new direction". They released an updated sketch of the suspect. The new image was the result of over 2 years of investigation. The new sketch shows a man with a broader age range of 18-40 years old.
New police sketch, as of April 22, 2019 (FBI.gov)
Police believe the man lived, worked, or regularly visited Delphi. A longer audio clip of the suspect speaking from Libby's cell phone was also released (see the full press conference here).
Police also revealed that they are looking for the owner of a vehicle that was abandoned between 12 pm and 5 pm on Feb. 14, 2017. The vehicle was seen on the east side of County Road 300 North and was parked at the old CPS/DCS/Welfare building.
We believe you are hiding in plain sight. For more than two years, you never thought we would shift gears to a different investigative strategy, but we have. We likely have interviewed you, or someone close to you. We know this is about power to you. You want to know what we know. One day, you will.Police Superintendent, Doug Carter (FOX 59 News)
Update - April 28, 2021
Police announced today that they are looking into a potential new suspect for the murders of Abby and Libby. Police have recently arrested 42-year-old James Chadwell for the attempted kidnapping and murder of a 10-year-old girl in Lafayette, Indiana. Lafayette is located approximately twenty miles from Delphi. Police have stated that there are several factors that lead them to believe that he could be involved—but have not released any additional information.
James Chadwell (Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Dept)
Read more about this development: Delphi murders 'might' be connected to nearby kidnapping case.
Update - December 7, 2021
Indiana State Police and detectives with the Carroll County Sheriff's Office announced today that they have uncovered a fictitious online profile of "anthony_shots" that they think may be linked to the murder of Abby and Libby. This profile was active on various social media apps such as Snapchat and Instagram from 2016 to 2017. The profile showed photos of a known male model and was used to communicate with multiple juvenile girls to solicit nude images, obtain addresses, and coordinate meetups with them.
Instagram screenshot of the profile of anthony_shots (wishtv.com)
Watch the full announcement below:
More sources:
Delphi murders: Police seek information on fake social media profile that may be linked to killings
If you have any information about this please contact abbyandlibbytip@cacoshrf.com, or by phone at 765-822-3535.
Update - October 31, 2022
Today Indiana State Police announced that they have arrested 50-year-old Delphi resident Richard Allen. Richard Allen entered a not-guilty plea and is being held without bond. He is set to return to court in January. Police have not released any further details on the arrest.
Richard Allen (ABC news)
Sources:
Delphi murders live updates: Suspect charged in killing of teen girls
They spent years waiting for a break after 2 girls were killed. The man who’s been arrested worked at the local CVS
Update - November 11, 2024
After a four week trial, suspect Richard Allen was found guilty and charged with four counts of murder and sentenced to 130 years in prison. Prosecutors during the case said that Allen had encountered the girls on the hiking trail, and armed with a gun, forced the girls down the hill and cut their throats. Witness sightings of him on the trail that day, confessions to both the police and his wife, and an unspent bullet found on the trial all helped to prove his guilt in the case.
Sources:
Delphi murders: Richard Allen sentenced to 130 years for killing Indiana teens
Delphi murder trial: Richard Allen used power and fear to kill the teen victims, prosecutors say in their opening statement
