SELLEST OSAST
On February 13, 2017, two eighth-grade best friends, 14-year-old Liberty “Libby” German and 13-year-old Abigail “Abby” Williams, set out to walk the trails near the Monon High Bridge in Delphi, Indiana. It was an unseasonably warm afternoon. School had been canceled. Family members dropped them off around 1:30 p.m., expecting to pick them up just a few hours later.
They never made it to that pickup.
When the girls failed to appear at the agreed meeting spot, relatives began searching the trails. By the next day, February 14, their bodies were discovered on private property near Deer Creek, roughly half a mile from the bridge.
Before her death, Libby had the presence of mind to record video on her phone. The footage captured a man walking toward them on the bridge. In a short audio clip later released by investigators, the man can be heard saying, “Guys… down the hill.” That brief video and audio became some of the most recognized evidence in modern true crime.
For years, the investigation moved slowly and publicly. Law enforcement released multiple sketches. The FBI assisted. Thousands of tips poured in. The case became one of the most followed unsolved murders in the United States.
In October 2022, Indiana State Police announced the arrest of 50-year-old Delphi resident Richard Allen. He was charged with two counts of murder in connection with the deaths of Libby and Abby. Court documents later revealed evidence including statements Allen allegedly made and ballistic analysis tied to a firearm.
The case remains one of the most emotionally gripping investigations of the digital age: a crime partially captured on a victim’s phone, a small town living under suspicion for years, and families who never stopped pushing for answers.
This episode walks through the timeline of February 13, the evidence recovered, the investigative twists, and what we know today.
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📚 Sources (MLA Citation Format)
Carroll County Prosecutor’s Office. Probable Cause Affidavit, State of Indiana v. Richard Allen. 2022.
Dwyer, Colin. “Man Arrested in 2017 Killings of 2 Indiana Girls.” NPR, 31 Oct. 2022, www.npr.org.
FBI Indianapolis. “Seeking Information in Double Homicide Investigation.” Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2017, www.fbi.gov.
“Indiana Man Charged in 2017 Murders of Two Teenage Girls.” CNN, 31 Oct. 2022, www.cnn.com.
“Timeline: Delphi Murders Investigation.” WTHR, Tegna Inc., 2023, www.wthr.com.
Indiana State Police. Press Conference Statements, 31 Oct. 2022.
