Suspect in Delphi girls' double murder may live in town 'hiding in plain sight,' police say as they release new info
The unknown suspect in the mysterious murder of two Delphi eighth-graders may live in the small Indiana town, police said Monday, as new information about the killer was released.
The male suspect is believed to currently or previously live in Delphi, work in town or visit on a regular basis, Indiana State Police Superintendent Douglas Carter said at a news conference.
He's believed to be between 18 and 40 years old, Carter said, but may appear younger than his age.
Carter said the person seen in this image could be the girls' killer.
'We believe you are hiding in plain sight," Carter said at the news conference, and even "may be in this room."
"We likely have interviewed you or someone close to you," he said.
Abby Williams, 13, and Libby German, 14, who were fast friends once they joined the same volleyball team, were enjoying a day off from school on Feb. 13, 2017, when they vanished on a hiking trail.
Their bodies were found the next day near the trail.
Delphi is a tight-knit community of nearly 3,000 people, dubbed by the local sheriff as "small-town USA." Main Street runs through the center, with the jail, city courthouse and a library all located within walking distance of each other.
Two years after the double murder shocked the community, Indiana State Police on Monday released that new sketch of the suspect, as well as new audio and video evidence.
The never-before-seen video recovered from Libby's phone shows the suspect walking on the bridge near where the girls were last seen.
"When you see the video, watch the person's mannerisms as they walk," Carter said Monday. "Do you recognize the mannerisms as being someone you might know?"
Authorities in 2017 released a grainy image of someone seen on the trail the day the girls went missing along with a chilling recording found on Libby's phone with just three words heard: "Down the hill."
On Monday, police released additional portions of the audio recording from Libby's phone.
While it is hard to decipher what was said in the clip, "the person talking ... is the person on the bridge with the girls... please listen to it very, very carefully," Carter noted.
To former Delphi resident Clint Rayne, it's terrifying to think the suspect lives or works in the community.
"It makes you wonder if your kids have came in contact with this person," he told ABC News after the news conference. "Does he work at the school? Does he work at McDonald's?"
Carter, addressing the killer, said at the news conference, "What will those closest to you think of when they find out that you brutally murdered two little girls, two children? Only a coward would do such a thing."
Carter vowed to not stop searching until an arrest is made.
Anyone with information is asked to contact abbyandlibbytip@cacoshrf.com.
