Delphi murders investigation timeline: Review the case through 5 years of reporting (2024)

The bodies of Liberty German and Abigail Williams were found on Feb. 14, 2017, after the two teens from Delphi, Ind. failed to return from an afternoon on the Monon high bridge.

The haunting images and video from their final moments caught on the cell phone of 14-year-old Libby, and the twists and turns of the highly-scrutinized investigation drew national attention.

Police released two completely different suspect sketches years apart, held several intense and slightly mysterious press conferences and released few details in the case over the course of a five-year investigation.

On Oct. 31, 2022, police announced they arrested and charged 50-year-old Delphi resident Richard Allen with two counts of murder in the deaths of Libby and Abby.

Take a look back at the key points in the case that lead to the arrest, or take a subscriber-only look at every story we've written since 2017.

The girls go missing

Police didn't identify whose bodies were found near Deer Creek on Valentine's Day of 2017, but indications were that they were Delphi teenagers Liberty German and Abigail Williams, who had been missing since Feb. 13.

"It's pretty scary to think somebody is running around loose up there capable of doing that," Verlin Bohnert said on the morning of Feb. 15, 2017, as he and about10 other retired friends discussed the killing of the two girls over coffee at McDonald's."I hope they catch the guy because if I was a parent, I'd be scared to death up here right now."

Indiana State Police Sgt. Tony Slocum said review of the evidence leads investigators to believe that the man in the photo — at the very least — participated in the killing of German, 14, and Williams, 13.

"This young lady is a hero, there’s no doubt," he said. "To have enough presence of mind to activate that video system on her cellphone, to record what we believe is criminal behavior that's about to occur."

Carroll County Sheriff Tobe Leazenby said the portrait, released in July of 2017, was drawn byan FBI sketch artist and wasbased on "recent information" from a witness who saw the suspect about the timeof German and Williams' deaths.

6 months later

By August 2017, police had released the 'bridge guy' photo, audio and a suspect sketch. They'd received more than 24,000 tips and police said new, encouraging information was coming in.

Steve Brummett of Delphi grew up south of town and used to ride bikes from sun up to sun down.

"You wouldn't dream of doing that today," he said.

1 year later

"Here we are at a year," Libby's grandfather Mike Patty told the Journal & Courier. "I never thought we’d be at a year on this. Let’s face it, with information that law enforcement has, it’s hard to believe we don’t have this guy caught.”

2 years later

The second anniversary of the slayings came just months before the case would take a massive shift. Despite more than 38,000 tips in the case, countless questions remained unanswered as police said they had not ruled out thepossibility of multiple suspects.

"Directly to the killer, who may be in this room: We believe you’re hiding in plain sight," Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter said in an April 2019 press conference. "We've likely interviewed you or someone close to you."

"We also believe this person is from Delphi — currently or has previously lived here, visits Delphi on a regular basis or works here," Carter said. Police later clarified that the sketchwas not the same personas the original, and thatthey'd had the newer sketch for two years.

3 years later

“There is still hope. There is still trust. There is still belief,” said the Rev. Todd Ladd, pastor of the Delphi United Methodist Church who performed Libby’s funeral. “It really impacts the entire community, still.”

4 years later

In February of 2021, Libby German and Abby Williams should have been preparing for graduation and life after high school in their sleepy, little city along the Wabash River in northwestern Indiana.

“Lots of sass. Lots of attitude," Abby's mother, Anna Williams, said when asked what she's missed over the past four years. "The whole teenage experience.We had some, but we certainly didn’t get all of it."

In April, a $100,000 donation increased the reward for the arrest and conviction of a killer in the case. It brought the total reward to $325,000.

In July, the teens' memories were honored with the opening of Abby & Libby Memorial Park.

Police announced in December of 2021 that Kegan Anthony Kline used the fake social media profile "anthony_shots" to solicit underage females and obtain nude photos,according to a 2020 affidavit. They began seeking information about the profile in connection to the Delphi case.

HLN's Barbara MacDonald asked Kline why the state police focused on his catfish social media profile.

5 years later

"For me, personally —whether it’s five years or four years,is the significance any more or less?" Libby's grandfather Mike Patty rhetorically asked. "No, because the pain isn’t less.

“What really gets under me is the man has been a free man for five years,” he said.

As the year continued, it felt like progress was being made behind the scenes. The investigation into Kegan Kline was continuing, and in September a popular podcast reported that police were conducting an extensive search of the Wabash River.

On Halloween, the news came that the victims' families, Delphi and people nationwide had been waiting for: a suspect was in custody.

Doug Carter, superintendent of the Indiana State Police, announced Richard Allen, 50, of Delphi has been charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of Libby and Abby. Carter added the probable cause affidavit remains sealed.

Richard Allen, 50, was theguy who worked at CVS. He played pool at the now-closed JC's Bar and Grill. He was nice enough, not overly outgoing.

In the small community of Delphi, Indiana, that was about it, until the arrest.

After it was initially sealed, a redacted probable cause affidavit in Richard Allen's arrest was released to the public. The court document described evidence linking Allen to the scene of the girls' murders, but included few details about what happened.

IndyStar's Sarah Nelson, Kayla Dwyer, Vic Ryckaert, and Justin L. Mack, along with the Journal & Courier's Joe Paul and Dave Bangert contributed to this report.