Richard Allen, 50, Detained Over Murders of Abby Williams and Libby German in Delphi
Richard Allen, a 50-year-old man, has been arrested in relation to the 2017 murders of two Indiana schoolgirls, Abby Williams and Libby German, in Delphi. Authorities took Allen into custody on Friday, marking a significant breakthrough in the high-profile case. The arrest comes more than five years after the girls were tragically killed.
Allen was initially booked into Carroll County Jail in Delphi before being transferred to a state facility for his safety, according to reports. Although the exact charges are still unclear, law enforcement officials have described the arrest as a “major development,” and a press conference by Indiana State Police is scheduled for Monday.
Following the arrest, Kelsi German, Libby’s sister, expressed her gratitude on social media, writing: “Today is the day. Just know how grateful I am for all of you.”
The arrest of Allen is the first time he has been publicly linked to the murders, which have long remained unsolved. Abby, 13, and Libby, 14, vanished on 13 February 2017 while hiking at the Monon High Bridge near Delphi. Their bodies were discovered the following day, around half a mile off the trail.
Authorities have yet to reveal the cause of death, but a crucial piece of evidence emerged in the form of a Snapchat video recorded by Libby during the hike. The footage, released last year, shows a man approaching the girls while a voice instructs them to “down the hill.” The suspect remains unidentified, though he is described as a white male between 16 and 40 years old, standing between 5’6” and 5’10” tall, and weighing between 180 and 200 pounds.
In a separate development, Indiana State Police revealed last December that a fake social media account, “anthony_shots,” may have been used to lure the girls on their hike, potentially through a process known as catfishing. The account was allegedly used to solicit inappropriate images and attempt to arrange in-person meetings.
The investigation into the case has uncovered further chilling details. Court documents obtained by The Murder Sheet podcast in May suggested that the girls’ bodies had been staged, with the killer possibly taking items from the scene as trophies. FBI search warrants also indicated that the victims suffered significant blood loss and were not killed where their bodies were found.
In August, investigative hosts Áine Cain and Kevin Greenlee revealed that police had been searching the Wabash River, about 35 miles east of Delphi, in connection with the case.
