Mystery Man Now 'Main Suspect' in Girls' Murders

Indiana cops cite 'totality of evidence' in killing of Liberty German, Abigail Williams
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Feb 19, 2017 12:15 PM CST
Mystery Man Now 'Main Suspect' in Girls' Murders
A man walking along the trail system in Delphi, Ind. Indiana authorities want to talk to the man in connection with the killings of two teenage girls. He was photographed on the trail system around the time Liberty German and Abigail Williams were dropped off Monday to go hiking.    (Uncredited)

A man photographed walking along a northern Indiana trail system around the time two teenage girls later found slain were dropped off by a relative is now considered "the main suspect," State Police said Sunday. The unidentified man previously had been considered a person authorities wanted to speak to in their investigation of the killings of 14-year-old Liberty German and 13-year-old Abigail Williams, reports the AP. "He's not just someone we want to talk to; we consider him a suspect in these murders," Sgt. Tony Slocum said Sunday. "We're officially calling him a suspect versus a subject we're looking to speak to. He's going to be our main suspect at this time," he said. The girls' bodies were found Tuesday about a quarter-mile from an abandoned railroad bridge that's part of a trail system where the teens had gone hiking on during a day off school in Delphi, a community of about 3,000 people.

Their deaths have been ruled a double-homicide, but authorities have not disclosed how the girls died. Slocum said the fact that the man hasn't contacted authorities in the days since two photos of him were released is just a tiny part of what led them to describe him as a suspect. "That doesn't make him a suspect by not contacting us. It's the totality of the evidence we've been developing so far that leads us to that," he said. Slocum is urging the public to call police with tips about the man. Police on Wednesday released two photos of the man walking Monday along Delphi's trail system around the time the girls were dropped off. On Saturday, a large crowd filled Delphi Community High School for a memorial honoring the two girls. A line of mourners wrapped around the school as people waited to enter the building. Private funeral services were scheduled Sunday for the teens. (More child murder stories.)

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