What we have been told is that the 13 and 14 year old friends were enjoying a day off from school together, exploring a local trail. Libby's older sister, Kelsey dropped of the girls at the trailhead on her way to work at 1:35pm. The Delphi Historic Trail contains the Monon High Bridge, which is an old railroad bridge girder that was abandoned in 1987. It's a popular trail for that many locals frequent.
Libby took a picture and posted it on Snapchat of Abby at 2:07pm, as well as another photo of the bridge itself. Soon after, the girls disappeared and could not be located when it came time for Libby's father to pick them up at 3:15pm. It quickly became an all-out search for the girls, as continuous calls to Libby's cell phone remained unanswered.
Law enforcement, family, and friends converged onto the trail, looking for Abby and Libby. At about 12:00pm the next day, February 14th, searchers discovered the bodies of the teens. The girls were found just a half mile from the Monon High Bridge.
That same day, Libby's cell phone was also recovered. Authorities found that she had taken a video with audio of a strange man walking toward her and Abby on the bridge. This information was not told to the media or publicly initially.
On February 15, 2017, Indiana State Police released a grainy, still image of a man, that appeared to be a Caucasian male, walking with his head down, hands in his pockets walking on the bridge. They informed that this individual was a "person of interest" in the case, and that they needed help finding him. Soon after, they would state that this man was now considered the prime suspect.
Days later, on February 22, 2017, police would release an audio recording containing the voice of the suspect. A muffled audio clip containing three words were played for the media, "down the hill." It was during this police press conference that police revealed that the image and audio came from Libby's cell phone. Libby German had had the foresight to realized something was very wrong, and secretly recorded the encounter.
Then, after over two years with no new updates on the case, the Indiana State Police shocked everyone by stating they were now pursuing a "new direction." Superintendent Doug Carter lead the April 22nd news conference on behalf of the multi-agency task force investigation. New materials including a short video recording in which a man, wearing what appears to be blue jeans and a heavy jacket is seen walking along the Monon High Bridge for just over a second. An extended version of the audio recording was also released, with the same man saying the word, "guys" before the "down the hill" phrase.
The most shocking information released though was an entirely new updated sketch of the suspect, now referred to as "Bridge Guy." This new sketch was far different than the previously released older man with a goatee and cap. This drawing depicted a younger, clean-shaved man, and was referred to as a secondary sketch. Police advised that the key suspect is between the ages of 18 and 40, and that his "youthful appearance" could make him seemingly appear younger than he truly is.
Superintendent Carter stated that they have reason to believe that the suspect could be hiding in plain sight. That he is most likely familiar with the Delphi area, and may even be in the room during the news conference. Carter expressed that they will find him, and that it's simply a matter of time.
This was basically the extent of the information provided to the general public about the murders. Police would not release the manner of death of the girls, nor how they ultimately died. They would only elude to that they did find some DNA, and signatures were found at the scene.
This lack of public information has frustrated many since the murders of Libby and Abby. It has almost felt as through the case went cold, but law enforcement continued to promise that was not at all true. Investigators have been working on the case every day, according to the Indiana State Police.
The silence on providing more details broke this past weekend. Authorities have confirmed three new pieces of information.
1. The video that Libby captured on her cell phone is 43 seconds long.
2. Audio with the suspect telling them, "Guys...down the hill" is heard toward the end of the video.
3. The timestamp on the video is 2:13pm.
Furthermore, the catfishing suspect that was arrested back in December 2020, after police discovered his fake Snapchat profile, "anthony_shots" that was being used to solicit young girls may have ties to Libby. Kegan Kline insists that he is not Bridge Guy, nor was he in Delphi on the day of the murders. Police still believe that Kegan's account may have been the last to communicate with Libby before her death.
After five years, these sweet, young girls deserve justice. The families deserve answers as to who did this horrific crime and why. We can only hope and pray that with the newly released information this helps bring law enforcement closer to finding the murderer.
If you have any information or tips about the murders of Abby Williams and Libby German, please contact the case hotline: 765-822-3535. Let's help get justice for Abby & Libby.
