true crime

Five years after Liberty and Abigail took a Snapchat of their killer, a man has finally been arrested.

An arrest has been made in connection to the 2017 Delphi Murders, a case that gripped not only the small community of Indiana but also the world. 

A family member dropped 14-year-old Liberty German and Abigail Williams, 13, to go for a walk and take photos at Monon High Bridge east of Delphi in the US state of Indiana.

They never returned. 

Abigail Williams and Liberty German. Image: Indiana State Police.

After an extensive police search - which also included help from members of the Delphi community, a dive team and K9 units - their bodies were found the next day and the hunt for their killer began.

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The two teenagers left an eerie trail of clues behind, with police only releasing the bare minimum of information about the investigation into their murders.

Liberty posted two images to Snapchat before she and Abigail disappeared, with intrigued members of the public playing detective and speculating that the girls photographed their killer in the pictures.

Image: Indiana State Police.

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Police only released an image of a male suspect, a short voice recording and a sketch of the believed killer. Now, five years later, an arrest has finally been murdered. 

On Friday, police arrested 50-year-old Richard Allen in connection to the murder of Liberty and Abigail.

Allen is a licensed pharmacist technician, who lives just five minutes from the trail where Liberty and Abigail were murdered. 

While the investigation is still ongoing, police have revealed they know the murderer took clothes from the girl's bodies as a souvenir and that he moved and staged their bodies. 

Image: Snapchat.

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Police have pursued several suspects over the years, including a man who was arrested for participating in the U.S Capitol Riots on January 6.

Officials are also investigating a fake Snapchat and Instagram account that had been interacting with Libby around the time she and Abby were killed. The catfish identified themselves as "anthony_shots" and claimed to be a wealthy male model.

At the time of Allen's arrest, Liberty's sister, Kelsi, sent a tweet out to her followers. 

"Just know how grateful I am for all of you," she wrote. "No comments for now, any questions please refer to the Carroll County Prosecutor’s Office. There is tentatively a press conference Monday at 10am. We will say more then. Today is the day."

She added that "nothing is confirmed at this time."

Police are asking anyone who may know something about the Instagram profile or anything about the Delphi Murders to contact law enforcement at abbyandlibbytip@cacoshrf.com.

Feature Image: Indiana State Police.

This article was originally published in 2017 and has since been updated with new information.