Bodies of 2 girls identified as missing Indiana teens, foul play suspected
DELPHI, Ind. — Law enforcement officials have identified two bodies found Tuesday near an Indiana riverbank as the two girls who were reported missing Monday.
Indiana State Police representatives said during a press conference Wednesday that the deaths of Abigail “Abby” Williams and Liberty “Libby” German, both 13, were being investigated as a double homicide due to the “nature of the bodies.”
No suspects were in custody as of Wednesday afternoon, police said at the conference.
Indiana State Police Public Information Officer Sgt. Kim Riley, Delphi Chief of Police Steve Mullin and Carroll County Sheriff Tobe Leazenby addressed the discovery of the two bodies, as well as the toll the girls’ disappearance has taken on the residents of Carroll County.
“It’s been a long several hours,” Leazenby said. “It’s played tremendously on the emotions of this community.”
Around 1 p.m. Monday, Williams and German were dropped off by a family member near the Monon High Bridge east of Delphi, Indiana, police said. When the girls didn’t show up later that evening where they had agreed to be picked up, family members contacted police.
Emergency officials from multiple agencies began searching the area near the bridge Monday night, Delphi Fire Department Assistant Chief Curtis Borden said, and the search continued throughout the day Tuesday.
By mid-morning, the downtown Delphi Fire Department became a makeshift command center for volunteers assisting in the search. Crews of 10-12 people were being sent out to help cover an area of 20 to 25 square miles, Leazenby said.
Officials weren’t sure just how many volunteers came, but sign-in sheets appeared to log hundreds.
“Having girls of our own, it just hit home,” Karen Boucher, who volunteered in the search, said. “We just wanted to do whatever we could.”
Dunlap writes for the Logansport, Indiana Pharos-Tribune.