Unsolved: Delphi Murders

Monday February 13, 2017 was a warmer than normal day in the city of Delphi, Indiana. 14-year old Libby and 13-year-old Abby were excited to have a day off from school. The two had a sleepover at Libby’s home the night before and decided to go for a hike on the Monon High Bridge Trail, not far from their homes. Libby had walked the trail several times before and was pretty familiar with the area.

The Delphi Murders

The Murders of Abigail Williams and Liberty German

Libby’s sister dropped the girls off at the trail around 1:30PM, and her father was going to pick them up in about 2 hours. At 3:30PM, Libby’s father couldn’t reach the girls by phone. He walked the trail, looking for the girls, figuring they’d simply lost track of time. The day turned to night and the girls were nowhere to be found. Less than 24 hours later, the deceased bodies of both girls were found, less than a mile from where they began their hike. It was clear from the scene that the girls had been victims of homicide, but what wasn’t clear was who targeted these teenage girls and why their day at the trails had ended so tragically.

Who Were the Victims?

Liberty “Libby” German was born on December 27, 2002 in Lafayette, Indiana to Derrick German and Carrie German Timmons. Libby loved sports, and was very active at her school. She participated in soccer, volleyball, softball, and swimming. She played the alto saxophone in her band at school, and was part of the Academic Bowl as well. She enjoyed music, like Taylor Swift, Florida Georgia Line, and Luke Bryan. Her Facebook page shows that she was a fan of Harry Potter, Pretty Little Liars, and Zoey 101. She posted tons of pictures of her and her friends, posing with each other and silly Snapchat filters.

Blonde haired, and blue eyed Libby was under primary guardianship of her grandparents, Mike and Becky Patty. She had four siblings, two who lived in Kentucky and two who lived in Delphi. Her father, Derrick and older sister, Kelsi also lived with Libby and her grandparents. Becky said that Libby would often leave sticky notes of thanks or encouragement for those she loved. One time she left one in Becky’s car’s sun visor, thanking her for everything she did for her and her sister Kelsi. She left another one for her band teacher at school saying “Band is Awesome!” Her grandfather said that Libby was incredibly generous and thoughtful. She called him one day from school, asking if she could give her leftover money to a classmate who needed it.

Abigail “Abby” Williams, who had auburn hair and hazel eyes was born on June 23, 2003 in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan to Anna Williams. Abby’s father isn’t mentioned in any reports. She grew up in a loving household with her mother, and played saxophone in the band, just like her best friend Libby. Abby was on the school volleyball team and also loved crafting and art. She was really excited to join the same softball team that Libby was on in the upcoming summer. She loved animals and finally convinced her mother to let her bring home a furry black cat that she named Bongo. Abby also loved swimming and being outdoors. She’d go on camping trips in Michigan with her extended family, and loved to ride ATVs. On her Facebook page, she listed her job as a taste tester at Pizza Hut. LOL

The two girls met each other in 2014, in the beginning of sixth grade at Delphi Community Middle School. They shared classes and participated in sports together. Their families said that the two girls were best friends, that they were inseparable.

The Day of the Disappearance/Murder

School was out on Monday, February 13th. The girls were happy to have a long weekend. Abby spent the night at Libby’s house Sunday evening, and the girls slept in on Monday morning. When they woke up, the day was warmer than usual for Indiana in February, with a high temperature in the mid-40’s, with lots of sun. Derrick, Libby’s father, made the girls pancakes for breakfast. After breakfast, Becky offered the girls some spending money if they’d help her with some filing for her business. The girls happily took her up on her offer, hoping that she might take them shopping later in the day. It was a spur of the moment decision to go for a hike, but Libby loved taking pictures and both of the girls wanted to be outside that day. As the girls prepared to leave, Libby’s grandmother Becky told her that she should put a sweatshirt on. Libby, wearing her tie-dyed t-shirt, told her grandmother that it was warm enough and she didn’t need one. Becky remembered her smiling and saying, “Grandma, it’ll be okay.” Carrie, Libby’s mother, said that they spoke on the phone that morning while she was on her way to work. They snapchatted throughout the morning. Carrie didn’t know that the girls were going to the bridge that day.

Kelsi, Libby’s 17-year-old sister, dropped the girls off near the head of the Monon High Bridge Trail around 1:30PM at an entrance across from the Mears’ Farm. This trail is part of Delphi’s Historic Trails and well known within the community. The Monon High Bridge is an abandoned railroad bridge that crosses over Deer Creek. It runs 853 feet long and sits just about 60 feet over the creek. These trails and the bridge were frequented by teenagers and others in the community. The bridge was often used for senior photos and wedding pictures. There’s a short trail that would’ve led in two different ways from where the girls were dropped off: one way would lead to the Freedom Bridge and away from Deer Creek, the other would lead to the Monon High Bridge. Kelsi watched as the girls walked towards the trail before driving off. She didn’t recall seeing anything out of the ordinary. Derrick had told the girls that he’d pick them up when he was finished with his photography job. He estimated that he’d be finished in 1.5-2 hours, and that he’d call Libby’s phone when he was on his way to pick them up.

At 2:05PM, Libby uploaded a picture to Snapchat of the Monon High Bridge. At 2:07PM, she uploaded another photo, this one was of Abby walking across the bridge. Both pictures were posted to Libby’s Snapchat “story,” which meant that any of her Snapchat friends could view them.

At 3:11PM, Derrick called Libby’s cell phone to let the girls know he was almost there. This call went unanswered. He pulled into one of the parking lots near the trail at 3:14PM. He called his daughter again, with no answer. Concerned because it wasn’t like Libby to ignore his phone calls or texts, Derrick got out of his car and started to walk the trail.

At about 3:15PM, Derrick reached the point in the trail where it intersects with another trail. He saw a man wearing a flannel shirt, coming from the direction of Monon High Bridge. He asked the man if he’d seen two girls. The man said no, but he’d seen a couple on the bridge. (This man has been spoken to by police and does not seem to have any involvement in the murders) With this information, Derrick headed down the intersecting trail that led to the creek’s edge. At 3:30PM, Derrick reached the end of the trail, hitting the creek but still hadn’t found the girls. He headed back up to the trail intersection and called Becky, hoping she could get in contact with Libby. Her calls to her granddaughter also go unanswered. Derrick then walked down the trail towards the Freedom Bridge, but didn’t see Libby or Abby. He walked back to where his car was parked.

It was about 4:00PM when Becky and Libby’s aunt headed to the trails to help search for the girls. Becky called her husband Mike, who immediately left work to head to the trails. She also called Kelsi, who quickly left her boyfriend’s house to help look for the girls. Libby’s uncle, Cody also arrived to help. Becky and Cody drove the paths that they believed the girls might’ve taken if they had decided to walk home. The family believed that one or both of the girls might’ve gotten hurt on the trail, and that Libby’s phone could’ve been damaged. Abby didn’t have a cell phone.

Kelsi and Cody walked across the Monon High Bridge and were able to see down the hill, into a private driveway. They called the girls’ names for 20-30 minutes, but heard nothing. Kelsi called Libby’s cell phone while standing at the end of the bridge. Her phone rang on Kelsi’s end, but they couldn’t hear anything in the woods. Kelsi felt that it was quiet enough that she would’ve been able to hear her sister’s phone ring. While still searching, Becky called AT&T and asked if they could search for the location of Libby’s phone. They said they were unable to for legal reasons.

Around 5:20PM, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Department received a call from Libby’s family. The two girls were officially reported as missing. The sun was setting and the temperatures were starting to drop. Libby’s family was increasingly concerned, because they know Libby was terrified of the dark, and that she wouldn’t stay out past sunset, especially in the woods. Becky had tried to reach Abby’s mother, Anna, but hadn’t been able to. Finally, Anna called Becky back, saying she’d just finally had a chance to check her phone at work. At this point, Becky and Mike were on their way to the police station to fill out a missing person’s report. Anna agreed to meet them at the station. Around 5:20PM, police arrived at the trails and began searching for Abby and Libby. Family friends began to post on social media about the missing girls, hoping that someone might have seen them or knew where they were. Community members showed up to the trails, helping with the search for the girls. There were over 300 acres of woods around the area, some of which was dangerous terrain to navigate. Kelsi went to the police station to tell them about her last interaction with the girls, and to show them the two photos that her sister had posted on Snapchat during their hike. Mike had run back to the house to grab all of Libby’s electronics for the police, hoping they could find any clue that might lead them to the girls. Police contacted AT&T in order to track Libby’s phone, but reports say that they found her phone to either be dead or turned off.

Around midnight, police called off their official search for the night, with plans to resume as soon as the sun came up in the morning. At this time, police reported that they had no reason to believe that the girls had met with foul play. They were mostly concerned about exposure to the elements and the possibility that one or both of the girls had gotten injured. Firefighters, civilians, and the girls’ family members continued to search throughout the night.

On Tuesday, February 14th, morning news broadcasts repeatedly aired pictures of both Abby and Libby, along with information about the girls’ last known whereabouts. Police asked searchers to stay away from the trailhead where Libby and Abby were dropped off in order to preserve their scent for tracking dogs.

At around 12:15PM, Kelsi remembered being with a search group that was beneath the bridge. She said that she heard someone from another group yell out that they’d found a shoe, and to find out what shoes the girls were last seen wearing. Kelsi shouted back that that was the shoe Libby had been wearing. A volunteer searcher had found the bodies of Liberty German and Abigail Williams, about half a mile from the end of the bridge and just across the creek. The volunteers said that a set of footprints were what led them to the bodies.

Abby’s mother was at the fire station in Delphi when her former pastor approached her. He asked if anyone had spoken to her about what had been found. She said no. He brought her upstairs and told her that they’d found the two girls, and that they were deceased. Anna remembered that the first thing she said was that Abby had never been baptized. Her pastor said that Abby had given her heart to the Lord and that he was sure she was with him today.

At 2PM, the police held a press conference announcing that two bodies had been found, but had not been confirmed as Libby and Abby. They said that the area was now being investigated as a crime scene and that they strongly suspected foul play. A reporter asked why they believed it to be foul play and one of the investigators replied: “Just the way the bodies were found. That’s about all I can say at this point in time.”

The Evidence

On Wednesday, February 15th, autopsies were performed on the bodies that had been found. Around 3PM, police confirmed that the bodies were those of Abby and Libby and that the case was being investigated as a double homicide. The cause of death was not released, however rumours from those who attended the memorials for the girls said that they both were wearing scarves, which led to rumors that the girls may have been strangled or had their throats’ slit. This has never been confirmed or denied.

Just after finding the bodies, police immediately shut down the area and began processing the crime scene, looking for any evidence that would help figure out what happened to the girls. Not far from the bodies, the police found Libby’s cell phone, which helped solidify their timeline that they’d built. They also discovered a video that Libby had taken of a possible suspect. This whole video hasn’t been released to the public, however police said that the girls were initially talking about “things girls talk about” and then mentioned a man walking behind them. The video then showed the man walking towards them. This man was wearing a bulky, dark blue jacket and jeans. He looked to have some sort of pack on his waist, and to be possibly wearing a hat. Some people believe that he looked to be carrying a gun on his waist. They said that the attack was not captured on video. Abby’s mom said in an interview that she’d watched a bit more of the video, and remembered that Libby said something like, well the trail ends here, we can’t go any further. The police released 2-3 still shots from the video showing the man. There was audio on the video as well. The piece that was released to the public was a man’s voice saying, “down the hill.” Sgt. John Perinne of the Indiana State Police said that “once they got to that trail, somebody was following them.” While they weren’t sure who the man in the video was or what their connection to the girls was, police strongly believed that he was the murderer. Libby was hailed a hero for her quick thinking in recording the video, and giving police what seemed to be the only lead in finding who murdered the girls. The video was the key to leading investigators to their first move of the investigation: releasing a sketch.

In July of 2017, the police released a sketch of the man that they believed to be the man in the video on the bridge. The sketch depicted an older male with facial hair, a large nose, and wearing a newsboy cap. The sketch was made based off of witnesses who’d been on the trails that day, and information gathered by investigators. After this sketch was released, tips began to pour in, all leading to dead ends.

In April of 2019, the police released a new sketch. This sketch seemed to be drastically different from the initial sketch. It showed a younger man, with a thinner chin, no facial hair, and a thinner nose bridge. The man had short curly hair and hooded eyes. The public felt extremely frustrated, that they’d been on the lookout for a completely different person than the man who might actually be responsible for the murder of Abby and Libby. The police defended this saying that new evidence had been presented and that they felt this new sketch more accurately depicted the man in the video, based off of witness interviews. In hopes of adding to the sketch, the police released a 1-2 second clip from the video, the same image that was shown in the previously released stills, however, this time, the public was able to see how the man walked and how he held his hands. While some believed the man had a unique gait, others who were familiar with the bridge said that it would be difficult to walk normally on, and impossible to run. Police also added to the “down the hill” audio. There was a new clip released that said “guys…down the hill.” It’s unclear if the suspect is saying all of these words in one sentence, or if “guys” was taken from another part of the video. Police said that they believe the suspect is “somewhere between the two sketches.” Apparently, the newly released sketch was created around the same time as the first one, but initially wasn’t thought to be as credible. When asked questions about the switch of sketches on her Twitter account, Kelsi said that she was under the impression that there was a new development, and that she’s happy the new sketch has been released. She said there were reasons for why the police withheld the new sketch in the beginning. It seems like there were witnesses who saw the man around the same time that they saw the girls on the trail. These witnesses may have seen his face.

During the same press conference in April, police said that they believed the suspect to be from or, at least, very familiar with the Delphi area. He may have lived, worked, or routinely visited the area. This is thought to be based off of the difficult terrain and unfamiliar area of where the girls were found. Kelsi said, in a later podcast, that she believed that the suspect had walked that bridge before. She agreed that only people in Delphi know that the bridge is there. She continued to emphasize that the bridge is terrifying to walk across, and that the man appeared to be comfortable with how he was walking across the bridge. They said they believed him to be between the ages of 18-40 years old, however might appear younger than he actually is. They later added that they estimated him to be between the heights of 5’6 and 5’10, weighing between 180-220 pounds, with reddish-brown hair.

There was physical evidence collected from the scene, but none of it has been publicly addressed by the police. There is, however, police scanner audio discussing some of the items, including girl’s undergarments and cigarette butts. It’s important to remember that this was a very public area, and the pieces of evidence collected may not have been related to Libby or Abby. There was also DNA evidence recovered from the scene, but it has not been released as to how much, who it belonged to, and whether it is related to the girls or their murderer.

Another piece of evidence that police requested the public’s assistance with was regarding a vehicle that was parked near the trail. The vehicle was spotted parked at the abandoned Child Protective Services center between noon and 5PM on the day of the girls’ murders. The building, now demolished, was not far from the trail where the girls were last seen. They’ve requested that anyone who saw a vehicle there or might have been the owner of that vehicle contact them.

Theories and Possible Suspects

To be clear, there have not been any suspects named in this case. There have been tips that have led to investigations into certain people, however there are no solid suspects. These are the theories that are most commonly mentioned while researching this case.

In October of 2017, Daniel Nations was arrested in Colorado for threatening people on a hiking trail with a hatchet. Nations had failed to register as a sex offender in Indiana, after multiple charges of public indecency. At the time of the murders, Nations was homeless, and living about two hours away from Delphi. While Nations was in jail, his wife admitted that there were many similarities between her husband and the initial sketch released by police, though she didn’t believe him to be the man in the video, based off of the unlikeliness that her husband would dress that way. When asked if she thought her husband could’ve been involved with the murders, she said that she couldn’t say one way or another. The day following the murder, Nations checked in with the Morgan County Sherriff’s Department, which was a requirement for him. It’s unknown where he was on the day of the murder. His wife said that she had an ultrasound that day, but can’t remember if Nations came with her or not. Nations was also considered a person of interest in the murder of a cyclist in the same area where he was threatening people with a hatchet. Police later said that they no longer considered Nations to be a strong person of interest.

In January of 2019, police arrested Charles Andrew Eldridge during an undercover sting operation in Union City, Indiana. Eldridge went to meet what he thought was a 13-year-old girl for sex, but instead met an undercover police officer. He was charged with two counts of child molestation, one count of attempted child molestation, and one count of child solicitation. Eldridge wasn’t considered to be involved in the Delphi murders until his mugshot appeared on news broadcasts and people saw the incredible similarity between him and the original police sketch. Eldridge was not ashamed to admit that he’d had several sexual encounters with children under the age of 13. He regularly posted articles about sex crimes, missing children, and murder to his Facebook page, even posting articles about Libby and Abby days after their murders. While police saw the clear resemblance between the photos, they were unable to find any evidence to link Eldridge to the murders and he was placed on a backburner.

**Both of the two above suspects were considered prior to the second sketch being released.

In July of 2019, a man named Paul Etter who was wanted by police for the kidnapping and sexual assault of a 26-year-old woman, died by suicide after a 5 hour standoff with police. Etter more closely resembled the first sketch, but police had said again that they do not believe the person from the first sketch to be the suspect.

In November of 2018, Thomas Bruce was arrested in Imperial, Missouri and charged with first-degree murder, sodomy, kidnapping, and several more. He had brandished a gun and forced three employees of a thrift store to the backroom, threatened them, and shot one in the head. The public was quick to note his similarity to the initial sketch and the murder in Delphi. He had multiple female victims, used a weapon to control the victims, and committed multiple violent acts that appeared to be acts of opportunity. When police arrested Bruce, they found that he had attempted to dispose of blue jeans, a blue Carhart jacket, and a grey pageboy cap, similar to the outfit of the man in Libby’s video. Investigators looked into Bruce’s possible involvement, however nothing has been publicly announced regarding their findings.

A widely argued theory is that the girls were victims of revenge. Between September of 2014 and April of 2015, Derrick, Libby’s father was arrested multiple times. Once was under suspicion of trafficking methamphetamine and another was a charge of possession of methamphetamine. After his second arrest, he was facing a heavy jail sentence. Reports say that he turned state’s witness and began to cooperate with the DEA. Shortly after, several houses were raided around Indiana and led to many arrests regarding drug trafficking. This included Gabriel Ellis of Kokomo, Indiana. Ellis was not immediately caught, and a large manhunt went underway for the man, who was considered armed and dangerous. In addition to his drug charges, Ellis was also wanted for charges of child exploitation and child pornography. When he was found, he was with a sixteen-year-old runaway. He was arrested just one day after Libby and Abby were found dead. In July of 2018, Tyler French was also arrested on similar drug-related charges that were part of the initial sting that led to Ellis’ arrest. Below is what people think Ellis and French did:

**The following is complete conjecture and part of a very in depth theory that many civilians believe.** When Derrick German began to cooperate with police, he, having been involved in the trafficking of methamphetamine, gave the DEA information that led to Ellis’ arrest. This was the catalyst beyond Ellis looking for revenge. Ellis knew that he was being sought after by police, and knew that Derrick was the reason why. People believed that Ellis was “catfishing” Libby and Abby for several days prior, pretending to be a 19-year-old boy online that was interested in meeting up with them. They went to the bridge that day in order to meet him. On the day of their murder, Ellis was waiting to see when the girls arrived at the bridge. French was waiting down below the bridge. When the girls were about 70% of the way across the bridge, Ellis began walking behind them. This is when Libby began filming. When he reached them, Ellis brandished a gun and walked with the girls down the hill, where they met French. The four walked across Deer Creek and onto a nearby property with several structures. This was where they killed the girls. Ellis looks similar to the initial sketch that police released, while French looks similar to the most recently released sketch. Those who believe this theory also believe that police know that this is what happened and are involved with keeping it quiet. Ellis is also thought to be a suspect in the disappearance of an 18-year-old girl in Kokomo. Both Ellis and French are currently incarcerated for drug crimes.

There was a search warrant served on the home of Ronald Logan. Logan owned the property where the girls’ bodies were found. While Logan had run-ins with the law, generally involving alcohol use and operation of equipment, investigators said that the did not believe Logan had anything to do with the murder.

Unfortunately, regarding this case, much of what the public knows is built on conjecture and rumors. These are a few of the common questions and rumors that circulate about the murders. None of these have been confirmed by police or the families (as far as I can find).

The girls were threatened with a weapon and that was how the man controlled both of them at once. Some people think that the man in the video had such a bulky jacket on in order to conceal something, possibly a weapon. Both families have emphasized how close the girls were, that if one were in trouble, the other wouldn’t have left her. This may have made it easier for the man to control them.

The girls were killed somewhere else, then moved to the location where they were found. Some of the volunteers said that they were sure they searched the area that they eventually found the girls in during the search on the day they went missing. There were several structures located near the area that were similar to a large shed or barn. If inside of the structures, one would have good visibility of the surrounding area, however they wouldn’t have been easy to see if someone was passing on the trails or the bridge. Some speculate that the girls were killed here and moved afterwards.

There have never been any arrests or solid suspects officially named by police in this investigation. No causes of death or information regarding the injuries of Abby or Libby have been released. Police have kept everything in this investigation EXTREMELY close to the vest, saying that they want to prevent anyone or anything disrupting it. They have said that they want to keep information from the public, so that they can confirm they have the right person when that day comes. Investigators do not classify this as a cold case, as they are still receiving tips daily and investigating them as they come in. In a recent interview, Carrie, Abby’s mom said that she doesn’t get many updates from the police and that she fears the case will never be solved. Kelsi, Libby’s sister, is extremely proactive about finding her sister and Abby’s killer. She does many interviews and answers questions on her Twitter account. In 2019, Becky, Libby’s grandmother was diagnosed with a rare form of endometrial cancer. She remained positive about fighting her diagnosis:

“It’s a win-win situation in my heart. It didn’t hit me as hard as maybe it would have because I thought if I don’t beat this, I’m going to be with Libby and wait for my family. And if I do beat this, I get to look for this killer.”

Kelsi has spearheaded the process of building a memorial park in Delphi called The Abby and Libby Memorial Park. With donations, events, and sponsors, they are in the process of building a community area with baseball/softball fields, an amphitheatre, picnic shelters, playgrounds, and walking trails. This was designed with the girls in mind, highlighting the things that they enjoyed so much.

If you have any information regarding the murders of Abigail Williams and Liberty German, please contact the Indiana State Police or the Carroll County Sheriff’s Department.

**There are a LOT of rabbit holes that listeners can continue to go down if they want. Reddit and Facebook are full of more information and people who have dug way down into this case and the rumors surrounding it.