DELPHI, Ind. (AP) 鈥 Authorities on Monday announced an arrest in the unsolved murders of two teenage girls -- a drugstore worker who has been living in the same small northern Indiana community where their bodies were found after they went on a hike nearly six years ago.
Richard Matthew Allen, 50, was arrested Friday on two murder counts in the killings of Liberty German, 14, and Abigail Williams, 13, in a case that has haunted the Indiana city of about 3,000 people.
The investigation is 鈥渇ar from complete,鈥 State Police Superintendent Doug Carter said at a news conference on Monday. He encouraged the community to come forward with more information, and said if any other people 鈥渉ad any involvement in these murders in any way, that person or persons will be held accountable."
Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland described Allen鈥檚 arrest as 鈥渁 step in the right direction.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 concerning that he鈥檚 a local guy,鈥 McLeland said.
The evidence against Allen, a licensed pharmacy technician who worked at a local CVS store, has been temporarily sealed to avoid jeopardizing the 鈥渋ntegrity鈥 of their investigation, authorities said. 鈥淲hile I know you were all expecting final details today concerning this arrest, today is not that day,鈥 Carter said.
The deaths of Libby and Abby were ruled a double homicide, but police have never disclosed how they died or described what evidence they gathered. A relative had dropped them off at a hiking trail near the Monon High Bridge just outside their hometown of Delphi, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) northwest of Indianapolis. Their bodies were found the next day, Feb. 14, 2017, in a rugged, heavily wooded area near the trail.
Libby鈥檚 grandmother, Becky Patty, told reporters that Allen once processed photos for the family at the CVS store in Delphi where Allen worked. He didn鈥檛 charge them for the photos, she added.
The families always knew that the suspect could have been 鈥渓iving right amongst us, hiding in plain sight,鈥 said Libby's grandfather, Mike Patty. 鈥淭hat's why we never stopped searching anywhere, because we didn't know where he was.鈥
The Pattys wore gray shirts that read 鈥淭oday is the Day ... Justice will be served for Abby and Libby," to Monday鈥檚 news conference.
A judge found probable cause to arrest Allen, who entered a not-guilty plea at his initial hearing on Friday, authorities said. 鈥淎ll persons arrested are presumed innocent,鈥 Carter said.
Sheriff Bill Brooks in adjacent White County, where Allen is being held without bond, said he did not know whether Allen has an attorney. No murder case was listed Monday afternoon under his name in Indiana鈥檚 online court system.
鈥淲e haven鈥檛 closed the door on the investigation,鈥 McLeland said when asked if authorities were investigating others. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not presuming anything at this point.鈥
No one answered the door Monday at Allen鈥檚 house, on a street of single-family homes where some put 鈥淜eep Out鈥 signs in their yards.
Outside the CVS store, just down Main Street from the historic courthouse square where wanted posters still seek information in the murder case, Ralph Barnaby, a Delphi resident who knows the girls鈥 families, told The Associated Press that he鈥檇 鈥渂e more comfortable if he鈥檚 indicted.鈥
Within days of the killings, investigators walking on the abandoned railroad bridge the girls had visited, and an believed to be the suspect saying 鈥渄own the hill.鈥
Authorities released an initial sketch of the suspected killer in July 2017, based on showing a suspect walking on the abandoned railroad bridge the girls had visited. The images and audio of the suspect came from Libby鈥檚 cellphone. Authorities hailed her as a hero for recording potentially crucial evidence before she was killed.
In December 2021, state police announced they were seeking information from people who had contact with someone who used a . State Police said investigators determined the profile 鈥渁nthony_shots鈥 was used from 2016 to 2017 on Snapchat, Instagram and other social media platforms.
A statement from CVS said the company is 鈥渟hocked and saddened to learn that one of our store employees was arrested as a suspect in these crimes. We stand ready to cooperate with the police investigation in any way we can.鈥
鈥淲e remain devastated by these murders and our hearts go out to the German and Williams families,鈥 the statement said.
The case has been followed closely over the years by true-crime enthusiasts who have offered plenty of theories, but Carter urged people not to 鈥渟ubjectively interpret鈥 the case while officers continue to gather information. 鈥淚f you choose to be critical of our silence be critical of me, not the front line,鈥 he said.
Sheryl McCollum, who has appeared on television as a cold case consultant, traveled to the news conference from Atlanta after meeting the Germans at a true-crime convention. She praised the authorities for holding the facts close to their vests.
鈥淚 think the integrity of this case, and not telling every single thing they know, I think that鈥檚 powerful,鈥 Sheryl said. 鈥淚f you start showing your hand, you know, you can mess things up and you can tell too much ... The investigation does not stop at arrest. It really just begins. So now is when they鈥檙e really going to go to work.鈥
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Callahan reported from Indianapolis.
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Arleigh Rodgers is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Arleigh Rodgers on Twitter at
