More than five years on from the murders, news that an arrest has finally been made has raised hopes among the Delphi community that there can finally be closure in the case. The implication that an alleged clerical error by an FBI employee caused years of delay in identifying this defendant is misleading. However, shocking new details about the murders came to light in a search warrant application obtained by podcast The Murder Sheet and shared with The Independent back in May. Could be why this time he was more in control. There, he proceeded to sexually assault two women, and when a third refused to comply with his demands, she was shot and killed. But no arrests were made, no suspects formally named and one promising lead after the next went cold. Up until last night we were all under the impression that there was no indication and even now, as far as Im aware, there is no indication that the girls had any plans to meet anyone out there [on the trail], she said. However, in addition to having a strong bond with her mother, she was close with her grandparents, Eric and Diane Erskin - whom she nicknamed Pah-Paw and Mee-Maw, respectively - as well as her aunts, uncles, cousins, and other grandfather, Cliff. They had to walk.". Unfortunately, this belief would be proven completely wrong a little more than twelve hours later. And maybe that's the one thing that gets this guy.". 17-Year-Old to Be Charged as Adult in Alleged Attack on Several Homes Destroyed in Peru Landslide. Days later, her body was discovered - strangled and sexually assaulted - and the killer had left behind several clues taunting the police, as well as the loved ones of 8-year old April. Got scared. There is tentatively a press conference Monday at 10am. There is tentatively a press conference Monday at 10 am. The trail itself - which is one of Delphi's historic trails - runs along an old, abandoned railroad track. He was aided by two teenaged accomplices, David Owen Brooks and Elmer Wayne Henley. In December 2021, Indiana State Police announced that officials had uncovered a fake online profile called anthony_shots. When she approached, offering help, the young man told her that he was waiting for his dad to pick him up. Last week, the Indiana State Police announced that thanks to an anonymous donation of $100,000, the reward for information leading to a conviction in the case has increased to $325,000. Both disappearances happened in the early afternoon. if it is James Brian Chadwell then yes they probably were because he was caught assaulting a 10 year old girl. Their means of death dont match, Steven Goncalves said on Fox News Lawrence Jones Cross Country on Dec. 3. In Lafayette -- about 20 miles away from Delphi -- I just didn't believe it. A man named Richard Allen has reportedly been arrested and placed in a Carroll County Jail in connection to the Delphi murders, a source told Fox59. We are very happy as a community. Again, that entire story is heavily-rumored to have been reported by a Delphi local, so take it with a grain of salt. ", At least one victims family believes the students were targeted. The affidavit said that Indiana State Police and the FBI carried out a search warrant on 25 February 2017 - less than two weeks after Abby and Libby were murdered - at Klines home in Peru after tracking down the user of the anthony_shots profile to the property. As CrimeOnline previously reported, 13-year-old Abby and 14-year-old Libby were murdered in 2017, but the killer remains Police continued searching for details in the time-frame that this crime happened. The order will remain in place until at least Jan. 13, 2023, when the next hearing on the case will be held. Libby and Abby went missing on 13 February 2017 after they set off on a hike along the Monon High Bridge Trail in Delphi, Indiana. The warrant says it is likely the killer had blood stains on his clothes, although no one has ever been arrested for the girls' murders. The warrant, filed by an FBI agent investigating the murders back in 2017 and partly redacted, was to carry out a search on the home of a local man Ronald Logan. All Rights Reserved. Despite exhibiting some odd behaviors online - and looking like a composite image - there is currently nothing connecting Charles Eldridge to the murders of Abigail Williams or Liberty German. Why Are Some Late-Night Brawls Breaking Out at Waffle H Masseur Accused of Inappropriate Touching Loses License. Tony Slocum told reporters this morning. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? I wonder if he wanted to hurt a female that day, and bit off more than he can chew taking two girls. Within a year, they had even ensnared the help of both Tennessee and Georgia state agencies, expanding the scope of their search and revitalizing certain aspects. Specifically, he said he walked on the Monon High Bridge, the abandoned railroad trestle where Libby German filmed a man telling the girls, Guys, down the hill, at 2:13 p.m. The search crews gathered near the Monon High Bridge at around 10:00 AM, hoping to expand outwards in separate directions and cover a good plot of land during daylight hours. His attorneys are already disputing the science behind it. Xana Kernoldes mom, Cara Denise Northington, told NewsNation's Ashleigh Banfield on Dec. 2, I do not think it was the house that was targeted. That was when he had lost his only remaining family member, his brother, to violent crime. About 20 FBI agents are on site each day providing support to local authorities, Massa said. Mr Underhill said that Mr Allen always seemed normal when he would come into the pub where he works. We are very happy. But this morning Slocum said at the news conference, "We are actively looking for this person. She told police that she was in Chadwell's home petting his dogs, and then he attacked her, hitting her in the head multiple times, the document said. feel i need to declare my position on that. Abby and Libby are believed to have been killed in another location, before their murderer then moved their bodies to where they were found, the surfaced documents show. He used the ruse to abduct her and held her prisoner in his basement where he beat and sexually assaulted her. The search for the two girls - which set off early that evening - was conducted by the aforementioned sheriff's department, as well as by members of the Delphi Police Department, the Delphi Fire Department, and the Department of Natural Resources. She suffered bite marks, strangulation marks on her neck, black eyes and bruising on her head, arms and legs, according to the document. Dru Moorhouse is the copy chief for BuzzFeed News and is based in Los Angeles. Investigators have been mostly mum You'll hear the original clip - of the man telling the girls "down the hill" - which is preceded by him saying the word "guys." - but these vague statements by police seem to indicate that there is no connection. On the day the girls went missing, Libby had posted photos on Snapchat of her and Abby walking along the trail. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. If you're unfamiliar, a planned snow day is just a day set aside at the beginning of the school year to help keep the schedule from overflowing into the summer. That investigators found their clothes in the creek also raises questions that are not addressed in the affidavit. Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. We will say more then. The witness left, but reportedly told her husband about the strange encounter later that evening. WebMurder suspect Richard Allen, 50, (left) was allegedly part of a child sex ring that planned to kidnap murdered teens Liberty German, 14, and Abigail Williams, 13, in Delphi, Indiana, Most of the two girls' families would remain quiet for a prolonged period of time, letting the police handle the case both publicly and behind-the-scenes. Additionally, this sketch was made just days after the girls' bodies were found - back on February 17th, 2017 - but was just now being released. An autopsy revealed their identities. In it, the agent revealed that the girls had lost a lot of blood during their deaths and that their killer is believed to have moved and staged their bodies, before taking some sort of souvenir from the scene. Just like a normal guy that Ive seen for the last couple years, not really thinking anything.. Submit it here, A Man Has Been Arrested More Than Five Years After The Delphi Murders Of Two Girls, Idaho Student Killings: Separating Facts From Theories, Down The Hill: A Teen Girl Killed In Indiana Captured Cell Phone Audio Of The Suspect, killings of 14-year-old Libby German and 13-year-old Abby Williams, laws related to the conservation of natural resources, two completely different composite sketches, clarify contradictory statements made by their own prosecutor. It is not clear what information has led to Mr Allens arrest now, more than five years on from the 2017 slayings. Why would they meet outside a grocery store? Abigail Joyce Williams was born on June 23rd, 2003, to her mother, Anna Williams. The investigation to find the killer of Liberty German and Abigail Williams quickly became a joint-venture between Indiana State Police and the Carroll County Sheriff's Department, who also had help from the Delphi Police Department. Abby's grandmother, Diane Erskin, later told Inside Edition: "It's like I had open-heart surgery, but they never used any anesthetic and they say, 'I'm sorry, you're just gonna have to live this way, with part of your heart missing the rest of your life.'". How reliable is the police analysis allegedly tying the bullet found at the crime scene to Allens gun? impotence in the moment can be a factor. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. On Nov. 17, her father, Jeffrey Kernodle, told 3TV in Phoenix that the autopsy showed Bruises, torn by the knife. Don't forget to subscribe to our true crime newsletter, Suspicious Circumstances, to get true crime deep dives delivered straight to your inbox every week. Who found the statement, and under what circumstances? The last recording of the teens appeared on Snapchat, showing them crossing the Monon High Bridge while a man follows them in the background. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Especially if the two cases are unrelated, because what are the odds that two similar killers happen to live less than 500 miles from one another? But I hope someday, they're able to come forward and be like, 'I'm sorry, I've been holding this back. And if the victims had been shot, wouldnt the newly unsealed police affidavit mention evidence related to fired bullets in addition to the single unspent round located near Libbys body? They no longer believed that he was undoubtedly middle-aged, but rather - was somewhere between 18 and 40 years old. The image of this man was cropped from a much larger image; hence, him being a vague, heavily-pixelated figure that is hard to make out. After all, more than 50 feet above the creek, this is the last place you'd want to trip. Police acknowledged the families frustration in this latest press release and also noted the dangers to the prosecution that releasing information prematurely could cause: There have been statements and speculation about this case, victim injuries, cause of death, evidence collection and processing, and investigative techniques. The girls were found murdered on Valentines Day 2017 in Delphi, after they took a hiking trip at an abandoned bridge. No one has been arrested in the 2017 killings of Abby Williams and Libby German. Authorities and community leaders are offering a $41,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest. However, even if the development does bring some closure to the case, the families of Libby and Abby will never have closure from what happened, she said. For many we spoke to, the worst revelation today was that the suspect was one of their own. 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