Murders of Abigail Williams and Liberty German

Murders of Abigail Williams and Liberty German
Liberty German (left) and Abigail Williams
Date February 13, 2017 (2017-02-13)
Location Delphi, Indiana, United States
Type Murder
Casualties
Abigail Williams
Liberty German
Deaths 2
Arrest(s) 0
Suspect(s) 0

On February 14, 2017, the bodies of Abigail J. "Abby" Williams and Liberty Rose Lynn "Libby" German were discovered on a hiking trail in Delphi, Indiana, United States, after the young girls had disappeared from the same trail the previous day. The murders have received significant media coverage because a photo and audio recording of a man believed to be the girls' murderer was found on German's cell phone. Despite the photo and audio recording of the suspect being released to the public by police, and over 26,000 tips being sent to police, no arrests have been made in the case.[1][2][3]

Murders

At 1:45 p.m. on February 13, 2017, two friends, 13-year-old Abby Williams and 14-year-old Libby German, were dropped off by a family member (Libby's older sister Kelsi) at an abandoned bridge where they planned to go hiking. The girls were reported missing at 5:30 p.m. after they did not arrive to be picked up from the bridge. Authorities initially did not suspect foul play was involved in the disappearance until the bodies of the girls were found the next day, about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) from the bridge.[4] The bodies were discovered around noon on February 14, 2017 about 50 feet from the north bank of Deer Creek.

Police have not publicly stated how the girls were murdered.[5]

Investigation

Composite sketch and trail camera image of the unidentified person of interest in the case

On February 15, police released a photo of a man they wanted to speak to about the murders, but did not officially identify him as a suspect until February 19. Police later released an audio recording of the suspect allegedly saying "Down the hill".[4] The photo and voice recording were taken from German's cell phone. Authorities have indicated that more evidence relating to the suspect was found on the phone, but it will not be released so as not to "compromise any future trial".[1] As of June 16, police had received an estimated 18,000 tips, with four to five new tips coming in daily.[1]

Police released a composite sketch and description of the suspect on July 17. He is described as a white male between 5 feet 6 inches (168 cm) and 5 feet 10 inches (178 cm) tall, weighing between 180 (82 kg) and 220 pounds (100 kg) with reddish-brown hair.[6]

Person of interest

In September 2017, a possible suspect was identified with the arrest of Daniel J. Nations in Colorado. Nations is a registered sex offender in Indiana and was driving a car with expired Indiana license plates at the time of his arrest. Nations was arrested in Woodland Park for threatening people with a hatchet on a Monument hiking trail. A bicyclist was also fatally shot on the trail around the same time Nations was allegedly threatening people. An El Paso County Sheriff's official told reporters there are "many similarities" between the cases but stated that Indiana investigators did not want any more information released.[7]

Daniel Nations was sentenced to three years probation on January 5, 2018, for the charge of threatening hikers in Colorado. Because he has an active warrant from another county, Nations still is being held in police custody.

Nations was transferred to Indiana custody on an unrelated charge on January 24, 2018.[8]

In early February 2018, police announced that Nations was no longer considered an active person of interest in the Delphi murders.[9]

Memorials

In August 2017 the girls' families announced plans to construct a $1 million sports complex in Delphi in their memory.[10]

In response to a request from German's mother, homeowners across central Indiana have installed orange light bulbs on their front porches, both to honor the slain girls and to indicate that their murderer remains at large.[11]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Peters, Trevor (June 16, 2017). "Police: Delphi homicides far from cold case; 18K tips received". WISH-TV. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
  2. ↑ Shapiro, Emily. "Indiana teens' mysterious murders still unsolved 2 months later, leaving fear, frustration in Delphi". ABC News. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  3. ↑ Lewbel, Paris; Sanchez, Rafael; Cox, Katie (April 25, 2017). "Delphi: The Investigation". WRTV. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  4. 1 2 "TIMELINE - Disappearance and deaths of Liberty German and Abigail Williams in Delphi". FOX 59. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  5. ↑ Mack, Justin. "2 months later, 5 questions about the Delphi killings". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Delphi, Indiana murder case: Sketch of suspect released in girls' slayings". cbsnews.com. CBS. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Colorado Arrest May Be Break In Delphi, Ind. Murders". chicago.cbslocal.com. CBS Local. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Person of interest in Delphi homicide heading back to Indiana on unrelated warrant". IndyStar. January 24, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  9. ↑ Crane, Emily (February 6, 2018). "Man questioned over murder of two Indiana teens faces court for 'failing to register as a sex offender' just months after he was arrested for threatening hikers with a machete". Daily Mail Australia. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  10. ↑ Cox, Katie (August 26, 2017). "Delphi Murders: Plans unveiled for Libby & Abby memorial park and softball field". WRTV. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  11. ↑ Sanchez, Rafael; Cox, Katie (September 14, 2017). "7 months after Delphi murders orange lights still burn bright in search for Libby and Abby's killer". WRTV. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
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