A man who played a crucial role in locating the missing Delphi teens has shared his recollection of the moment their bodies were discovered.
On February 13, 2017, 13-year-old Abigail Williams and 14-year-old Liberty German were dropped off at the Monon High Bridge near Delphi, Indiana, only to vanish soon after.
Abby and Libby, as they were affectionately known, set out for a scenic walk in the wooded area. When their parents arrived to pick them up later that day around 2pm, they were nowhere to be found and were not responding to phone calls.
A search party was quickly organized, continuing into the early hours of the morning. However, when the girls were still not found by 2am, the search was paused and resumed the next morning at 7am on February 14.
Shortly after, their tracks were identified, leading the search party to their bodies.
Over seven years have elapsed since the tragic recovery of Abby and Libby’s bodies, and the individual suspected of their murder is now standing trial.
Richard Allen, a 52-year-old married man employed at a local pharmacy, was arrested in 2022, five years after the incident, and charged with two counts of murder and two counts of felony murder.
Initially, he pleaded not guilty to the charges of murder while committing or attempting kidnapping, before the charges were amended earlier this year.
During the trial at the Carroll County Courthouse, witnesses from the search party have described the chilling moment they found the teens.
Patrick Brown and Jake Johns, residents of Delphi, were instrumental in discovering the girls.
Johns detailed how he noticed bright clothing colors of yellow, pink, and blue against the winter’s drab backdrop, and then heard Brown exclaim, ‘we just found the bodies’.
“At first, I thought they were mannequins,” Brown recalled of the distressing moment he found Abby and Libby’s bodies.
Prosecutors revealed the tragic details that both girls had their throats cut. Libby was found unclothed and covered in blood, while Abby was wearing some of Libby’s clothing.
The trial also heard testimony from former Delphi police chief Steve Mullin, who initially believed the girls would return home, and visited Hoosier Harvestore, an agricultural supply store, to review security footage.
It is reported that a vehicle similar to Allen’s 2016 Ford Focus was observed on the surveillance camera.
When taking the stand, Mullin expressed that at the conclusion of the first search, he ‘had no idea anything nefarious had happened to the girls’.
He further stated: “At that point, I still believed that, given time, they would return home. I just couldn’t imagine that someone would do harm to them.”
The trial is scheduled to continue tomorrow (October 21).