Evidence from a smartphone leads to more questions in Delphi | Forensic Files

next week case file we'll be releasing the second episode of our companion podcast from the files special guest
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there's not many events that would basically stop a newsroom in its tracks but when news first started to filter
through on the Thursday evening that someone has been arrested that was stunning enough but then on the Friday
morning when when the confirmation officially came through via first by email and then W a police it's called a
sort of hasty press conference and for about nine o'clock that morning when the then police commissioner Carlo Callahan
basically stood up and said the words and gave the news to the city that they'd been waiting for for more than 20
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case file [Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at
anytime you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website February 2017 presented a nun seasonably
warm winter for the residents of del Fire a small Midwestern city in the American state of Indiana the season was
typically marked with freezing cold weather with the snowy period beginning in early January that could last for
several months local schools were required to schedule a set amount of days off in anticipation of the snowfall
but the uncharacteristically high temperatures in Delphi that year meant the predetermined snow days had had gone
unused as it was compulsory for administrators to close schools down for the accumulated time off regardless of
the weather Delphi as students gained an extra long weekend to that month beginning on Thursday February 9 with
classes set to resume on Tuesday the 14th on the second-to-last day of the short winter break thirteen-year-old
Abigail Williams packed her belongings in preparation for a sleepover at the home of her best friend 14 year old
Liberty German the two girls had established a close friendship from a young age and now attended eighth grade
together at Delphi community middle school with a bond described as stronger than most the pair were inseparable
they played alto sax together in the school band competed on the same volleyball team enter Liberty had
recently convinced that a gal to join her on their school's softball team they both had a love for the outdoors
and shared many other interests too including camping fishing riding all-terrain vehicles and hiking
despite their numerous similarities Center mutual hobbies the girls had their own unique qualities abigail known
by friends as Abby was the quieter of the two but was still very sociable an avid reader with a creative flair her
mother Anna remarked that Abigail had more crafts than she knew what to do with and there wasn't a form of art that
she hadn't tried she spent most of her time making an assortment of creations including rubber band bracelets and
beaded jewelry which he often gifted to her friends she had also recently begun meeting tiny colorful hats for newborn
babies at the local hospital Liberty better known as Libby was the Moriya going of the pair with the
reputation for being a joker the honor roll student dreamed of becoming a science teacher and had already laid the
foundation to achieve her goal by attending several classes at a local university an enthusiastic athlete
Liberty also participated in many sports including volleyball soccer swimming and
softball Liberty lived at the home of her grandparents Mike and Becky Pattie along with her older sister 17 year old
Kelsey and to their father Derek she often baked batches of cookies for her family ensuring there were always some
left over for her grandfather when he returned home from work on Sunday February 12 Abigail and to Liberty spent
the afternoon in the Paddy's backyard practicing their swing in preparation for the upcoming softball season that
night the pair emptied Abigail's craft box onto Liberty's bedroom floor and stayed up late painting pitches
when they woke up the following morning of Monday February 13 Liberty's father Derek made the girls a pancake breakfast
the warm weather had persisted in DeBerg a land of liberty decided to make the most of it by spending the afternoon
hiking along one of their favorite walking tracks the moanin high bridge trail they both shared an interest in
photography and aimed to capture some scenic nature shots along the secluded wooded track Liberty's sister Kelsey
offered to drive the teens to their hiking destination and at 1:45 p.m. she dropped Abigail and a Liberty off at
the large wooden sign that marked the beginning of the Monon hybrid trail [Music]
[Music] in the early 1980s the development of a half mile track known as the fenders
towpath trail paved the way for what would eventually become the Delphi historic trails ten miles of groomed
hiking trails that stretch throughout the town the trails take visitors pass the various architectural landmarks with
two miles winding through the town itself while the remainder curl through the wooded outskirts forming an
important element of Delphi identity the trails provide a popular spot for campers fishermen trail bike riders and
hikers boaters and kayakers also take to the waterways that line some of the paths the Monon high bridge trail is one
of the longest trails in their network spanning over one and a half miles located on the eastern cusp of town near
the Delphi cemetery its trailhead sits alongside a parking area at a dead-end driveway as 0.85 mile south easterly
hike leads to an eight hundred and fifty three-foot long historical railroad trestle bridge that towers 63 feet above
the shallow waters of Deer Creek it is being out of commission since 1987 with the train tracks and guardrails since
removed so that just the wooden railroad planks remain despite its remote rural setting the Monon high bridge trail is
frequently traversed by hikers dog walkers and tourists as the bridge also provides a picturesque backdrop for
wedding photos and high school senior pitches it's not unusual to encounter other people visiting it at any time of
year from the drop-off point at the trailhead Abigail Williams into Liberty Germans set out down the wired crushed
stone path that led to the bridge framed by dry fallen leaves and tall thin trees stripped bare by the winter
season the flat spacious path was easy to track making for a leisurely hike eventually the pair reached the Monon
High Bridge where Liberty stopped for a moment to hold up her smartphone and take a photo of the old splintered of
railroad overpass ahead wanting to share their adventure with her friends and family via social media
Liberty uploaded the image to her account with picture messaging app snapchat the girls continued on with
Liberty leading the way as Abigail followed close behind after walking roughly 90 feet Liberty turned around
and took a second photo this time capturing Abigail in mid-step on the bridge the candid photo displayed the
teenager in her billowy burgundy top blue jeans and black sneakers with her hands tucked into the pockets of the
grey sweatshirt she had borrowed from liberty with her head slightly lowered she was positioned in the right
foreground of the image with the bridge stretching behind her against the dense background of barren trees at 2:07 p.m.
Liberty also posted this picture to her snapchat account less than one hour later Liberty's father Derick German was
returning from an afternoon of running errands in the nearby city of Frankfurt and planned on picking the girls up from
the Monon hybrid trail on his way home although they hadn't organized the specific meetings on the trail didn't
take long to navigate and it was presumed - the girls would be finished by the time he arrived
as he approached Derrick sent his daughter a text message to let her know he was on his way at 3:14 p.m. Derrick
pulled up at the trailhead parking lot to find that neither of the girls were there he sent to Liberty several
follow-up text messages but received no response and his calls went unanswered going straight through to her voicemail
Derrick set off in search of the girls presuming he would intercept them along the trail having failed to cross paths
with the girls by 3:30 p.m. Derrick considered the possibility that the girls had just wandered too far or
lost track of time he contacted his mother to explain the situation and word quickly spread that
the girls were missing as further attempts to establish contact with the teens were met with silence
concerns began to shift to more serious scenarios including that the girls had fallen from the bridge or otherwise
sustained a severe injury a search party was quickly established with the group on the lookout for Abigail who was far
foot 4 with long blond hair and hazel eyes and to Liberty who was of similar height with shoulder-length blond hair
and blue eyes she had left home wearing a tie-dyed t-shirt with fringing at the hem grey sweatpants and black Nike
sneakers by 5:00 p.m. there was still no sign of either of the girls and as daylight was
starting to fade the families decided it was time to report them as missing Delphi police reacted immediately and
officers arrived at the trail within minutes soon joined by members of the Delphi fire department Carroll County
Sheriff's Department the natural resources department and two local volunteers hundreds of people armed with
flashlights scowl at the site while others marched the local streets looking for any sign of the missing girls
at 6:30 p.m. volunteers visited a 40 acre property on Carroll County Road that backed onto Deer Creek which
belonged to longtime Delphi resident 77 year old Ronald a Logan who would have lived on the property for over 50 years
Logan was informed of the incident and granted the search party access to comb his massive property when night fell the
search was formally postponed as the rugged surroundings were deemed far too dangerous to navigate in the dark but
several members of the girls families remained too distraught to sleep and continued to looking throughout the
night in a statement released to the community Carroll County Sheriff Tove lesson be maintained there was nothing
to indicate that the girls were in imminent danger and stated the police had no reason to suspect foul play
the search resumed at dawn the following morning of Tuesday February 14 members of the local community turned up in
droves joined by concerned citizens from surrounding towns who wanted to lend a hand after seeing the social media posts
circulating about the missing teens the hundreds of volunteers were divided into
groups of ten to twelve with each equipped with maps and instructed to cover designated areas ranging from 20
to 25 miles volunteers trekked through muddy fields and roadsides checking barns and
adjacent plots of land for any indication the girls may have been there they looked for clothing discarded drink
bottles or any other belongings the pair might have dropped back at police headquarters
investigators said about scrutinizing CCTV footage pulled from local businesses and security cameras
positioned too near the trails but failed to discover anything of note at 2:00 p.m. a press conference was called
at Delphia City Hall with law enforcement present from dill fires local Police Department the Carroll
County Sheriff's Department and the Indiana State Police officers revealed that at 12:15 p.m. search crews had
found two bodies at the bottom of a hill in a wooded area of a privately owned property 50 feet north of the banks of
Deer Creek the discovery was made one mile upstream from the Monon High Bridge an area characterized by rough sloped
terrain only accessible on foot they refused to disclose the exact location the identities of the deceased or the
cause of their death with Delphi Police Chief Steve Mullen simply stating based on the way the bodies were found foul
play is suspected as to whether or not local residents should be concerned for their safety
chief Mullen said he would leave it to the community to decide how they should react but advised them to avoid the
Monon hybrid trail and to maintain awareness of their surroundings the following day Wednesday February 15
police held a second press conference to confirm that the two bodies found were indeed to those the babba Gail Williams
sent a Liberty German the pair had been located at the rear of the Carrol County
Road property belonging to Ronald Logan roughly half a mile east of the Delphi cemetery police announced they were
treating the case as a double homicide the first in Delphi in more than 20 years though they declined to comment on
the cause of death crime-scene findings or whether the murders had been a random
or targeted attack Indiana State Police Sergeant Kim Riley stated there is somebody out there who did this and two
we're going to track them down police released two small pixelated images they believed could aid their investigation
the pictures depicted a lone Caucasian male wearing a brown cap a scarf a hooded sweatshirt and a zipped up navy
blue windbreaker he was walking along with his head tilted downwards and his left hand
tucked into the front pocket of his baggy blue jeans the image had been captured on the Monon High Bridge at the
time that Abigail and to Liberty were hiking in the area but the police refused to comment on who took the photo
they didn't name the men in the photo as a suspect but stated they wish to speak
with him regarding the investigation efforts to identify the unknown man were hindered by the fact the blurred photo
was taken from a considerable distance and his face was obstructed by his posture and attire the image was widely
circulated on social media resulting in hundreds of tips to police but none led to his identification nor did the man
himself contact authorities that evening 700 people gathered at the Delphi United
Methodist Church to attend a prayer vigil held for Abigail Liberty and their grieving families a low crime rate had
once cemented the small towns communal sense of trust but near suspicions anxiety and panic were pervading dull
fire local high school student Katie told a newspaper I just look at everyone I know now and wonder what if it was
them there is only around three thousands of people here so there's an extremely good
chance it is someone a lot of people know who did it the moon on Highbridge trail had long
been considered a safe place to track but one of its developers Den McCain believed this sense of safety would
change as a result of the murders stating I know people will be afraid now I just know that and for that
I'm devastated two classes had resumed at Delphi community middle school but all after-school activities were
canceled for the remainder of the week a therapy dog and two counselors were brought in to assist students struggling
to cope with the loss of their classmates as school administrators implemented tougher restrictions to
limit who was permitted to enter the campus and have contact with students the following night of Thursday February
16 police executed a search warrant for a residential property on west bicycle bridge road a long rural road on the
western outskirts of Delphi the male homeowner was interviewed his premises searched and some items seized the
police left without placing anyone under arrest nevertheless the investigative spotlight
caught the attention of the local community compelling some justice-seeking towns folk to flock to
the address while others made threats against the man online in order to quell the harassment police publicly announced
that the men had been cleared before warning the public to leave the investigation to law enforcement
professionals on Saturday February 18 a fundraiser benefit riot held in support of Abigail and de Liberty's families saw
an anticipated crowd of several hundred people grow to more than 3,000 cars and motorcycles packed to downtown
Delphi with traffic pouring in from nearby towns and counties raffle draws and the
bake sales also took place while bracelets were sold baring Abigail and to Liberty's names along with the
message hashtag pray for dull fire at four pm thousands of mourners gathered at the Delphi Community High School
gymnasium to pay their respects during a memorial service for the girls video footage of Abigail and the Liberty
played on a screen inside and tables were covered in memorabilia paying homage to their short yet impactful
lives at 8 p.m. the crowds grouped together outside to release dozens of golden lanterns into Dell fires night sky
the next day of Sunday February 19 the Delphi United Methodist Church clergy invited the town's residents to come in
to write their anxieties down on colorful post-it notes and stick them to two large crosses on display inside some
notes featured a single word such as sympathy fear or disbelief while others contain two longer messages expressing
the writers anger and grief that same morning separate funerals were held for Abigail Williams into Liberty German
with traffic in downtown Delphi coming to a standstill as the processions rolled through 45 minutes apart on the
day of the funerals police held another press conference in which they officially named the male who was
photographed on Monon High Bridge as a suspect in Abigail and de Liberty's murders they refused to comment on the
origin of the pitcher that explained that it's poor quality was due to it having been cropped from a larger image
this update prompted a flood of tips but none that immediately identified the suspect leading police to believe he may
have been a loner or a drifter who left their fire following the crime some witnesses reported seeing a hitchhiker
passing through Delphi on the day of the murders via the four-lane Hoosier Heartland highway which connects the
cities of Lafayette and Fort Wayne and to pastors directly by the Monon hybrid trail following these reports police
appealed for information about any strangers seen walking out of town the day the girls went missing up until this
point law enforcement had taken a cautious approach in their efforts to publicize the case and find the killer
endeavoring to share crucial information without compromising the integrity of their investigation the public were kept
in the dark about how Abigail Linda Liberty had been killed and what evidence if any had been obtained at the
crime scene although the absence of information led to public speculation and rumors
withholding these details was a strategic move by police to ensure that only the killer knew the specifics of
the crime that way if a confession was ever obtained they could easily determine its legitimacy Wednesday
February 22 marked nine days since Abigail and two Lebanese bodies were found crowds packed into the Delphi
United Methodist Church in anticipation of a police press conference which promised to unveil additional details of
the investigation Indiana State Police Sergeant Tony slogan began the conference by thanking the community and
media for their patience and support despite having been kept in the dark stating this investigation is too
important to make any mistakes and give out the wrong information the large group of investigators flanking
sergeant Slocum provided an indication of the massive amount of local county state and federal resources dedicated to
solving the case police provided two key revelations the first was that the blurred images released of the suspect
crossing moanin high bridge had been obtained from Liberty German smartphone it was not established whether the
police had recovered the device itself or if they had accessed its contents of via the cloud as she and Abigail crossed
the bridge On February 13 Liberty had turned on her phone's video camera to film the man as he was
following them although police did not reveal the full extent of the footage or how long it
went for the second revelation was that Liberty had also managed to record audio
of the suspects voice police played a segment of the audio for those present in which a man with a gruff
authoritative tone could be heard saying down the hill you can tell you can tell
you can tell according to investigators additional footage had been obtained from Liberty's
mobile phone along with other undisclosed evidence but would remain classified sergeant Tony Slocum praised the Liberty
for her quick thinking and courage quote Liberty German is a hero there's no doubt to have enough presence of mind to
activate that video system on her cell phone to record what we believe is criminal behavior
that's about to occur an extended version of the audio was played exclusively to Liberty and Abigail's
families according to State Police the longer recording included the girls talking about quote stuff girls talk
about but the pair also mentioned the men walking behind them what transpired between this interaction and the
publicly released audio segment of the suspect making the demand down the hill remained undisclosed the community were
urged to report anyone they knew who had abruptly missed work or canceled plans on February 13 or had changed their
appearance behavior travel plans sleep patterns or substance use in the days following the murders in addition to
studying the suspects clothing investigators encouraged the public to consider his posture and mannerisms such
as the way his hand was placed in his pants pocket as these minor habits may appear familiar to those
you knew him police reiterated that no detail was too small and implored citizens to name all possible persons of
interest even if they believed that individual was incapable of committing such crimes a $41,000 award was launched
for information leading to an arrest with FBI Special Agent Greg Messer firmly stating he was confident that the
case will be solved Indiana State Police Superintendent Douglas Carter said we must keep our resolve for Libby and
Abbie for this community and frankly to ensure the good Trump's evil he ended the conference with a message to the
perpetrator warning if you are watching we'll find you by March detectives from two dozen agencies were diligently
making their way through nearly 8,000 tips provided via the cases phone hotline and email account in an effort
to better support the large number of officers actively working on the case the investigation headquarters were
relocated from the Delphi Municipal Building to the REMC building in downtown Carroll County messages of
support were hung up inside to motivate detectives with one reading when you feel like quitting think about why you
started a framed photograph of Abigail and to Liberty featured the statement some people come into our lives and
quickly go some stay for a while leave footprints on our hearts and we are never ever the same a nationwide
campaign saw 6000 electronic billboards crop up across 48 states featuring photographs of Abigail and the Liberty
alongside the image of their suspected killer with a call to action from the FBI meanwhile the disturbing audio
clip of the suspects voice was broadcast extensively over national radio stations
the notoriety of the unsolved case coupled with its many unanswered questions provoked rampant rumors and
speculation among citizens Lu's who used social media to wrongfully accused men across the country of being the unknown
suspect this behavior prompted police to issue a warning that individuals who made such accusations were participating
in defamation and opening themselves up to a potential lawsuit others spread online fear but theorizing that the
murders were the work of a serial killer and attempted to establish connections to other unsolved crimes or recent
deaths in Indiana police asserted the murders did not share any link to other known homicides and to request that
members of the public to avoid buying into any news that wasn't official information provided by law enforcement
agencies the Delphi community remained too vigilant with many believing the suspect who lived amongst them local
women and children signed up for self-defense classes to better protect themselves while the task force was
established to field recommendations from the public as the health safety could be improved on Dell fires historic
trail system Abigail and de Liberty's families were inundated with ongoing support with businesses and
organizations holding fundraisers to provide them with financial assistance and to increase the amount of the reward
pool a sign placed on the door of one participating restaurant Delphi Peter King read in our community when bad
happens we been together [Music] twenty-four days after his granddaughter's murder Mike paddy
appeared at the Carroll County Courthouse in Del Fire to speak publicly about the case
for the first time supported by his wife Mike delivered a statement on behalf of
Liberty and Abigail's families which read this horrible crime has thrown a hole in our families that will never
heal it's the small things that seem to hurt the most it's just natural to holler for them to come to dinner or in
the morning to get up and get ready for school then expect them to come through the door after school the silence when
we don't hear their voice Mike explained that there was a running joke within their household that whenever Liberty
was asked to do something her response would be in a minute he implored the public to follow his granddaughter's
sentiment in catching her killer stating I believe if she were able to speak she
would ask people to please give her the one-minute she always asked for to really study the picture of the suspect
and to listen to the audio clip Mike candidly defined the unshakeable bond between Abigail and Liberty quote both
the girls are heroes they stuck together I don't know exactly what happened out there that day but I imagine there was
probably an opportunity for one or both to separate and try to make a break in different ways but those girls loved
each other they were good friends neither one of them left each other's side following Mike Patti's emotional
plea tips to police increased to hundred percent with the total number provided now exceeding 11,000
despite the number of tips and hundreds of subsequent interviews the lack of major breakthroughs led to several
police departments scaling back their involvement in the investigation pledging to return when their resources
were required Indiana State Police Sergeant John P Rhine explained this is emotional for all of us I can tell you
that it's not easy and a lot of people are putting a lot of work into this we're hoping that the tips there and
we're going to find it on Saturday March 1815 law enforcement officers executed a
search warrant at the Carroll County Road property where Abigail Linton Liberty's bodies were found a little
over a month earlier at the time the search warrant was carried out the landowner 77 year-old Ronald Logan had
been in custody for a week after admitting to violating probation for an unrelated drunk driving conviction from
2014 court mandated conditions forbade Logan from operating a vehicle and to when required to provide an alibi for
the key date of February 13 2017 he admitted to driving two miles south to the Carroll County waste transfer
station to discard some garbage he had fully cooperated with search efforts allowing volunteers and police to
inspect his property for the missing teens later describing the grim outcome as Locke being hit with a bolt of
lightning two weeks later he further violated the terms of his probation when he was spotted drinking a beer at a
pizza restaurant and was placed into custody the inspection of Ronald O Logan's home
was just one of approximately a dozen search warrants that had been executed so far in the investigation detectives
ultimately ruled a legend out as a suspect in the murders that he nevertheless found himself under the
harsh scrutiny of internet sleuths whose efforts to link him to the murders made
a profound impact on his reputation as he awaited trial for his probation violations Logan had to be transferred
to a different County Jail he fears for his safety his attorney issued a press release that
read I have known Ronald Logan for several years and have represented him in unrelated legal matters stated simply
he had no involvement in this heinous crime I would like to caution the public to
avoid jumping to conclusions before law enforcement has completed the ongoing investigation Logan was subsequently
sentenced to three and a half years in prison for being a habitual traffic offender but his sentence was later
reduced to home detention four and a half months after the murders Abigail's mother Anna Williams posted a video
tribute to her daughter online featuring photos of her from infancy through childhood with the caption tomorrow June
23rd 2017 Abigail Joyce Williams would be turning 14 it is still unbelievable to me that I won't be making a cake and
planning her party not this year not next year please remember her tomorrow and every day to honor raba gales
birthday family and friends gathered at the Delphi United Methodist Church to release dozens of colorful lanterns into
the sky after five months of dedicated investigation with no arrests tips from the public had slowly dwindled to less
than 10 per day on Monday July 17 in an effort to reignite the case police released the composite sketch of the
suspected killer the sketch had been created using descriptions provided by witnesses who traversed on or near the
Monon hybrid trail on the day of the murders the sketch had taken months to construct due to the gradual pace at
which these witnesses came forward coupled with the time it took for investigators to verify and collate
details between their statements the male suspect was described as Caucasian between 5 foot 6 and 5 foot 10 inches
tall weighing 180 to 220 pounds with reddish brown hair and an unknown eye color the sketch depicted him as
middle-aged with a square face short hair small wide-set eyes and a large nose with a neatly trimmed go t in the
drawing he wore a flat cap but investigators established this detail might not be accurate as multiple
witnesses were unable to agree on it they advised the sketch should only be viewed as a guide and not as a 100%
accurate representation of the suspect Indiana State Police Sergeant Kim Riley stated we're going to get to the bottom
of this sooner or later if the composite sketch helps us get there sooner that's what we're hoping
for following the release of the sketch investigators were inundated with information from the public with 1,000
tips coming through in the first 24 hours alone the new inquiries led to over 20 arrests
for unrelated crimes including a decade-long unsolved murder case but none that pertained to Abigail into
Liberty the sketch also fueled internet sleuths as users began sharing the image
alongside photos or mug shots of men they believed matched its description police issued yet another plea in an
effort to curtail the speculation explaining that unfounded rumors and gossip offered no value in their
investigation and only served to waste everyone's time as the six-month anniversary of Abigail and Deliver Dee's
deaths drew near the case was starting to languish the 6000 electronic billboards that at once broadcast the
suspects image across the country were no longer active and although the total number of tips from the public had
reached 24,000 the team of investigators actively working on the case through endured regardless Carroll County
Sheriff Tobler Zumbi remained optimistic that the killer would be caught telling
a local news reporter I still operate on the theory that good outweighs evil when
Liberty's grandparents Mike and Becky patty met some Indiana residents who had never heard of the case or seen the
suspects image before they decided to front their own awareness campaign they said to work distributing wanted posters
depicting the suspect and too soon thousands were on display all over the country
Becky patty told Indiana newspaper journal and courier we are asking everyone all over the United States to
help us we want to cover the entire US with this picture so he cannot go into a town where there is not a flier staring
him in the face her husband Mike added police are not giving up and to neither away I will spend every day of my life
trying to catch this guy I still believe someone out there knows something on Monday September 25 2017
roughly 1,000 miles west of Delphi in the state of Colorado 31 year-old Daniel Nations and his wife Caitlin were pulled
over by police the red Chevrolet prism they were driving matched descriptions of a vehicle that had been involved in a
recent incident according to witnesses a couple in a red car had been threatening
passers-by with a hatchet along a trail near the Colorado town of Monument Nations denied being involved but a
subsequent search of his car yielded a hatchet in the trunk along with a 22 caliber semi-automatic rifle officers
ran Daniel nations name through the police database and discovered he had a criminal history spanning a decade which
included convictions for public indecency driving violations and domestic battery in the presence of a
child as a convicted felon he was prohibited from owning a firearm and police took him into custody
Daniel nation's arrest caught the attention of internet sleuth who speculated whether he could also be
responsible for the murder of local cyclist Tim Watkins who had been shot and killed on Monument trail ten days
earlier on September 15 they also noticed that nations bore a resemblance to the composite sketch of the
unidentified suspect wanted in the double homicide of Abigail Williams and a liberty German like the sketch nations
had a goatee short hair and similar facial features including a thin mouth broad nose and a wide-set eyes
this likeness combined with his violent criminal record and the fact he had been
living in Indiana at the time of Abigail and Liberty's murders led many to cast the suspicious eye towards Daniel
Nations on Thursday September 28 investigators from Indiana flew to Colorado to interview nations announcing
he was the first named person of interest in the case but the breakthrough many were hoping
for never came as he was soon ruled out as a suspect in November the same year 53 year old
former pastor Thomas Bruce was arrested after sexually assaulting two women and murdering a third in a Catholic supply
store in Baldwin Missouri like the suspect being sought for Abigail into Liberty's murders Bruce was between five
foot seven and five foot nine inches tall and wore a flat cap and a navy blue jacket during the bore when attack
investigators looked into the possible connection but it led to another dead end
similarly 46 year-old sex offender Charles Eldridge was also compared to the sketch of Abigail and Liberty
suspected killer after being arrested in Union City Indiana on charges of child molestation and solicitation but he too
was promptly ruled out of the investigation as Indiana State Police continue to review and exclude persons
of interest they were forced to release a statement via social media discouraging the public from sharing
unsubstantiated theories or naming hypothetical suspects explaining quote by doing so you take away from the
investigation by slandering and possibly hurting those people and their families
everyone is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law if you feel someone may be the suspect
please notify the tipline Liberty's grandfather Mike paddy echo to these sentiments in a news follow up
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one-year anniversary of Abigail and to Liberty's murders at the entrance point of the Monon hybrid trail flowers were
placed at the site as Indiana State Police Superintendent Douglas Carter fronted attending media praising
citizens across the city state into country for the support they had provided over the past year saying it
showed the very best in humanity in the worst of times since the investigation had commenced thirty thousand tips had
been passed on to detectives who worked to exhaust all leads in their cue if they failed to find the answer their
plan was to start all over again Superintendent Carter said our world is completely out of balance and we cannot
allow evil to prevail I refused to accept evil as a standard-bearer in American society not here these two
young girls were everybody's daughters he went on to explain that this was the first case where his department had both
an image and a voice recording of the unknown killer before claiming I believe we're one piece of the puzzle away from
figuring out who this individual is that evening a candlelit vigil was held in Memorial of the slain teens with
Abigail's mother Anna stating I know people are frustrated nobody ever believed it would take this long and it
has and we don't understand why we're not happy about it it would be nice but this part to be
over but it's not yet and we will wait as long as it takes two months later in May 2000 18 Ana traveled to Nashville
Tennessee with Liberty's grandparents Mike and Becky to attend the true-crime Convention crying :
the trio spent the weekend speaking with the thousands of attendees and made an onstage appearance to discuss the case
alongside Indiana State Police Sergeant Jerry Holman various matters that at surfaced over the course of the
investigation were raised including the prevalence of internet sleuthing although acknowledging these people
mostly meant well the group spoke of having been accosted by strangers intent on divulging their wild theories and of
experiencing the torment of social media accusations firsthand when police initially released the sketch of the
suspect online trolls claimed it looked like Mike Pattie and accused him of being his granddaughter's killer Mike
had a proven alibi for the time of the murders but it didn't stop the hateful messages or allegations leveled against
him an experience he described as heartbreaking the panel also discussed the Internet's habit of latching on to
suspects who had already been cleared by investigators stating such behavior gave
the false impression that the case was solved and harmed at law reinforcements ability to find the real perpetrator
Becki encouraged the audience to join a Facebook page created by the girls families titled brainstorming Farabi and
Libby which instead of discussing the murders provided a space to come up with ideas to assist the progression of the
investigation and to bring attention to the case sergeant Gerry Holman would neither confirm nor deny the existence
of DNA evidence but remarked in a crime like this very rarely do we not come up with DNA he made it clear that despite
police keeping details of the murders close to their chest it was still a very active and high-priority investigation
like Abigail into Liberty's families they were unwilling to give up and mark the crime as a cold case as to what
motivated the families to carry on mike patty explained quote the anger of the fact that Liberty's gone that somebody's
taken our girls from us that's what drives me I have to find this guy I'll do whatever it takes
go to whatever place I have to go to I'm not going to stop until we catch this guy or I've exhausted every effort I
humanly possibly can we owe it to our girls our community our state our nation somebody out there knows this guy
by 2019 the second anniversary of the case came and went with no major breakthroughs two months later on Monday
April 22 superintendent Douglas Carter fronted a packed press conference delivering an emotional address to the
crowd quote I've got to say to the Delphi community how grateful I am you inspire people and you don't even
understand why you did everything you could to support us but most importantly you surrounded the family of these two
little girls I will never forget it he announced that police were now seeking the public's help to identify any
vehicles witnessed in the parking lot of the former Department of Child Protective Services headquarters on 6
931 West 300 North in L fire between noon and 5:00 p.m. on Monday February 13 2017 the time Abigail and her Liberty
were hiking the Monon hybrid trail superintendent Carter expressed the opinion of police that the unidentified
suspect either currently or previously lived or worked in Delphi or visited the area on a regular basis in addition he
was likely aged between 18 and 40 years old but may appear younger than his true
age he then addressed the killer directly stating we believe you are hiding in plain sight for more than two
years you never thought we would shift ears to a different investigative strategy but we have we likely have
interviewed you or someone close to you we know that this is about power to you and you want to know what we know and
one day you will a question to you what will those closest to you think when they find out
that you brutally murdered two little girls two children only a coward would do such a thing we are confident that
you have told someone what you have done or at the very least they know because how different you are since the murders
I believe you have just a little bit of conscience left following this statement
police unveiled a new composite sketch of the prime suspect which looked significantly different to the original
it depicted a much younger clean-shaven Caucasian man with narrow facial features and short neat wavy hair unlike
the original sketch which was reportedly generated by an assortment of eyewitness
descriptions the new sketch was based on the person filmed by Liberty German it was accompanied by the release of a
silent two-second video excerpt of the footage showing the suspect in motion as he walked along the bridge with his head
down and hands in his pockets an updated audio clip of him speaking was also released in the extended audio file he
can be heard saying the word a guys at the outset of the previously released - snippet down the hill some members of
defiers community were rattled by the possibility the murderer may be among them others were not as surprised
having long concluded the killer must have some level of familiarity with the area as the Monon high bridge was not a
location an outsider could easily stumble across as with the release of the first sketch
the second also led to an influx of amateur sleuthing on Tuesday April 30 the Carroll County Sheriff's Office
posted a message on their Facebook page which read please stop posting site-by-site pictures of people you
think did this you are ruining innocent people's lives before posting a side-by-side imagine that is your son
brother or father by the end of May 2019 police had received four thousand two new tips with superintendent Douglas
Carter telling ABC news reporters that they needed just one final piece of information to solve the case and were
quote one tip away from success he believed there was someone acquainted with the killer or who knew a crucial
detail but was too afraid to come forward in the two-and-a-half years since Abigail Williams into Liberty
German were murdered the reward for information that leads to an arrest has increased to two hundred and forty
thousand dollars the loss continues to impact the Delphi community with small things serving as a constant reminder of
the tragedy posters of the two best friends are still displayed in the windows of local businesses who vow to
keep them there until the suspect is apprehended in response to a request from the teens family's porch lights
throughout town now glisten orange and the lampposts that bordered the Carroll County Courthouse Square are still tied
with ribbons in the girls favorite colors teal and purple to remind the townspeople that justice is yet to be
served when Abigail and de Liberty's families first started receiving donations from
supporters around the country they considered using the money to purchase new equipment for the softball field
where the girls had played together but as the funds steadily increased the families set their sights higher and by
mid 2019 construction had begun on the Abbey and to Libby Memorial Park an outdoor recreation area for Delphi
residents to appreciate nature are in sport for generations to come built on a conspicuous 21 acre lot at
the southeast corner of the Hoosier Heartland highway and Indiana State Road to 1/8 upon its completion
Diaby and the Libya Memorial Park will incorporate three softball fields an amphitheater two playgrounds and a
walking trail in preparation for construction Liberty's grandfather Mike paddy used a backhoe to begin clearing
the land himself telling a local newspaper it will be a tribute to those girls long long after our God I'm not
resting until that happens in addition to assisting with the memorial parks development Anna Williams has taken up a
cause that was close to her daughter's heart now the girl had been passionate about helping those less fortunate and
one of her favorite projects was putting together care packages for children in need she would fill shoeboxes with
school supplies and personal hygiene products then sent them to charities that worked with disadvantaged overseas
communities Anna has since created Abbey's angels to carry on her daughter's tradition each year in the
lead-up to Christmas she bands together with students from Delphi community middle school and other
members of the community to organize parcels to sent to charities in Abigail's name and I told a reporter
that she feels her daughter's presence with her as she so quote this was something that was
really important to Abby she loved this project it was something we looked forward to doing together and I'm glad
that we're still doing it in her honor Liberty's older sister Kelsey German does anything to keep her sisters story
in the public consciousness speaking candidly to reporters and podcasters often while making appearances the true
crime conventions and campaigning via her Twitter account at Liberty gee underscore sister a tattoo of Liberty's
name etched onto her back pays tribute to her younger sister and is accompanied by the words I can't see you but I can
feel you Liberty's brave decision to record the suspect on her smartphone has since helped others facing their own
threats during the family's 2018 crime con appearance an audience member informed the panel that his niece was
attacked in a park and because she was aware of Liberty Germans actions had the foresight to record evidence on her
phone which ultimately led to the capture and prosecution of her perpetrator Liberty's grandparents run
an official news information website titled Abby and to Libby org where you can find up-to-date
credible information on the case anyone with information regarding the unsolved murders of Abigail Williams
into Liberty German in Delphi Indiana on Monday February 13 2017 is encouraged to
send an email to the Carroll County Sheriff's Department using Abby and Libby tip at CAC oh Sh
RF calm or to call the FBI phone tip line on eight double four four five nine five seven eighty-six an inscription on
Liberty's gravestone reads the Lord took you when a February day to a wonderful place so far away not a day goes by we
don't cry for you although we know you would not want us to our hearts will heal our thoughts will clear but in our
hearts we'll keep you near for God has welcomed you with open arms with his love and
without any more harm will keep your memories in our minds but happiness without you is awful hard to find you
will always be a blessing no one can replace our love for you but living without you is the hardest thing we do
we'll wipe our tears for your in a better place and to keep you our memories of you that no one can erase
[Music] you

Case 119: Abigail Williams and Liberty German

On Sunday, February 12, Abigail Williams and Liberty German spent the afternoon practicing their swing in preparation for the upcoming softball season...

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research – Erin Munro and Anonymous Host Writing – Elsha McGill, Erin Munro, and Milly Raso Production, scoring – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn

SOCIAL LINKS

Website https://www.casefilepodcast.com Facebook https://www.facebook.com/casefile Twitter https://twitter.com/case_file Instagram https://www.instagram.com/casefilepodcast Patreon https://www.patreon.com/casefile

RESOURCES

For all credits and sources please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-119-abigail-williams-and-liberty-german

Brief Summary

The episode covers the unsolved murders of Abigail Williams and Liberty German in Delphi, Indiana, detailing the investigation and community response.

Key points

A Notorious Cold Case. Journalist Tim Clark joins to discuss a cold case that shocked a community.
The Arrest After 20 Years. After two decades, news breaks of an arrest in a long-awaited case.
Community Vigil for Missing Girls. A prayer vigil gathers 700 people as the community mourns the missing teens.
Fear Grips Delphi. Residents express their fears and anxieties following the tragic events.
Public Speculation Grows. The absence of information from police leads to rampant speculation in the community.
Police Press Conference Reveals Key Details. Investigators unveil crucial evidence including audio recordings and blurred images of the suspect.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

They'd been waiting for more than 20 years that someone had been arrested.

0:51WatchJul 27, 2019

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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