“We will get answers. We will get answers.” These are the chants anyone would hear from the homes of Liberty German and Abigail Williams. But, who are they? Were they brutally killed by someone?
The town of Delphi, Indiana will never forget the tragic deaths of teenagers Liberty German and Abigail Williams. The best friends’ corpses were found just after a day they seemingly vanished without a trace. But the progress seemed minimal after months.
Who is Liberty German?
Liberty German is one of the victims who was found dead far from the Moron High Bridge on Feb 14, 2017. The police revealed that the girls were taking photos when they encountered a stranger on that Bridge. For several years, that unknown man has been the focus of an intense manhunt.
Although no noticeable improvements have been made by the investigators, Liberty German’s family is confident that they will, however, find the killer someday.
How Did Liberty German Die?
Liberty German was an eighth-grade student at Delphi Community Middle School. She was a smart and outgoing girl, who dreamed of becoming a science teacher. Abigail was her friend ever since seventh grade and they were also together on the volleyball team.
At around 1.30 pm on Feb. 13, 2017, Kelsi, Liberty German’s older sister dropped the two friends near the Monon High Bridge in Deer Creek Township. The girls were supposed to go hiking and had plans to meet Liberty German’s father after hours. But they never showed up. The families were quick to take action as they informed the nearby police station about the missing at around 5.30 pm.
The very next day, a search team discovered two girls’ bodies inside a private property about a half mile away from the bridge. Although they were pronounced dead, the cause of death wasn’t disclosed.
The Murder Sheet, the true-crime podcast, shared photographs showing the search happening at the Wabash River, which was located miles away from where the bodies were originally found. However, the authorities didn’t disclose what they were looking for in the river or how the investigation was connected to the murder case.
Who Killed Liberty German?
Initially, the investigators did not think there was any foul play involved and thus, no Amber Alert was issued. The property from where the bodies were found was examined and its owner Ron Logan’s testimony was also taken. However, he wasn’t found a suspect at first.
During the first few months of the investigation, many hints came through, and it urged the officials to transfer the case to the FBI.
The clues included a blurred image from Liberty German’s phone that focused on a Caucasian man walking along the bridge. After several inquiries, they reached the conclusion that the photo must have been captured just before the girls disappeared. Also, an audio clip saying “Down the Hill” was also found in her phone, which the police believed could be the voice of the prime suspect.
Despite the case receiving 18,000 tips plus immense media attention, there were no arrests made. Since it was an ongoing investigation, the authorities remained tight-lipped for a long time. Over the course of years, many were considered suspects, but none were the actual suspects.
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However, In April 2019, the police published a new composite sketch of the suspect which seemed completely different from what they released before. Along with that, they also released more of the video and audio that was found on Liberty German’s phone.
In 2020, they arrested a man named Kline, who was accused of child exploitation and child pornography in another case, to which he was proven not guilty. Although Kline agreed that he had a fake account on social media where he used to chat with young girls, he completely denied any kind of connection with the death of Liberty German and Abigail.
Very recently, in February 2022, Indiana State Police Superintendent said that they had a witness.
“You made a mistake and we are coming for you,” he continued, “there is no place to hide for a heartless coward like you who gets thrilled from killing little girls.”
However, no arrests have been reported so far, but the authorities claim that the case was still open and that they were bringing more clarity to it. After 2 years, James Bryan Chadwell II was called to check his possible connection with the case. He was previously arrested for a murder attempt on a 9-year-old girl, who was beaten and sexually assaulted in his basement. However, a lot of attention regarding Jame’s potential connection was made public.