The older sister of one of two teenage girls who were found murdered after they vanished from where they were last seen near an abandoned railroad bridge in Delphi, Indiana, in 2017 is studying forensic psychology to find the killer.
Meanwhile, investigators, who have not yet made an arrest in the deaths of Liberty ‘Libby’ German, 14, and her friend Abigail Williams, 13, insist the case has not gone cold, and that new tips are coming in daily.
Libby’s older sister Kelsi German says she was compelled to study forensic psychology at Purdue University in the wake of the teenager and her friend’s gruesome murder.
Kelsi German says she was compelled to study forensic psychology after her younger sister, Liberty ‘Libby’ German, 14, and a friend, 13-year-old Abigail Williams, vanished on Feb. 13, 2017. Both were last seen going off on a hike near an abandoned bridge in Delphi, Indiana
Liberty German, 14, and Abigail Williams, 13, vanished on Feb. 13, 2017 after being dropped off for a hike near an abandoned railroad bridge close to their hometown of Delphi, Indiana
It was Kelsi who dropped Libby and Abigail off for a hike near an abandoned railroad bridge close to their hometown of Delphi on February 13, 2017.
Both girls failed to show up at a pre-arranged pickup location and their bodies were found the next day following a widespread search in a wooded area about half-a-mile away.
‘I run through that day every day, trying to find out if there is something I could have done differently,’ Kelsi says, WLFI reports.
The older sister has since chosen to major chose her major at the university while investigators have not made any arrests in the case.
Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter, head of the lead agency in the investigation, has insisted repeatedly that slayings murders of both girls have not turned into a ‘cold case.’
It was Kelsi who dropped Libby and Abigail off for a hike near an abandoned railroad bridge (pictured) close to their hometown of Delphi, Indiana, on February 13, 2017
Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter, head of the lead agency in the investigation, has insisted repeatedly that slayings murders of both girls have not turned into a ‘cold case.’
‘We’re still working very hard on this case. It’s not something that we’ve put off. It’s not a cold case,’ said Sgt. Kim Riley of the Lafayette Post of the Indiana State Police, IndyStar reports.
‘We’re still getting tips … at least one a day on average,’ he explains.
‘We’ve told the family that we’re not going to give up until we’ve run out of information to look at. That’s kind of where we’re at right now.’
Within days of the killings, authorities released two grainy photos of a suspect walking along the abandoned railroad bridge the two girls had visited.
Within days of the killings, authorities released two grainy photos of a suspect walking along the abandoned railroad bridge the two girls had visited
Liberty had posted photos of herself on Snapchat walking on the bridge on the day she and Abigail vanished.
Authorities also released an audio recording of a man believed to be the suspect saying ‘down the hill.’
The images and recordings came from Liberty’s cellphone and police hailed her as a hero for recording the potentially crucial evidence.
Supt. Carter issued a direct appeal to the killer during press conference when the footage and audio was released, saying: ‘We believe you are hiding in plain sight. We likely have interviewed you, or someone close to you.’
A composite sketch of the suspect wanted in the deaths of Liberty German, 14, and Abigail Williams, 13, who vanished on Feb. 13, 2017 after being dropped off for a hike near an abandoned railroad bridge close to their hometown of Delphi, Indiana
The banner from Kelsli’s Twitter page has a different composite sketch of the suspect
Kelsi says she’s ‘listened to that audio clip about a million times.’
‘I think the voice is just so familiar to all of us,’ said Kesli. ‘After we heard that he was local, it became more of an idea that I might have talked to him. Maybe I met him at Dairy Queen or the gas station.’
Even though the suspect has yet to be caught, Kelsi says she’s trusting investigators.
‘After I started my forensics classes, I understood more of why we don’t have all the answers,’ she told WLFI.
Kelsi says she’s ‘listened to that audio clip about a million times,’ referring to an audio recording of a man believed to be the suspect saying ‘down the hill’
Even though the suspect has yet to be caught, Kelsi says she’s trusting investigators. ‘After I started my forensics classes, I understood more of why we don’t have all the answers’
‘Everybody sees a person differently. If I were to tell you the person I was sitting next to on the bus on the way here, I would probably tell you their nose was small and their eyes were blue. But, I couldn’t tell you much more than that. I think the best bet is to keep watching the video and listening to the audio.’
She expressed thanks to members of her community, who have offered support and their prayers, which has helped her through her anguish.
‘But I think the support system I’m creating right now has helped me through it so much that I’m no longer in the spot I was three years ago,’ she adds.
Kesli said she hopes the killer is listening to her words.
‘I don’t want this person to do this again, and if he has, I hope that I’m able to help that family and be a part of their lives eventually,’ Kelsi said.
‘Catching this guy is my main goal in life right now.’