A five-and-a-half-year nationwide search for a suspect in the killings of two Indians teens ended with the arrest of a local man, authorities said Monday. How investigators came to arrest 50-year-old Richard M. Allen, of Delphi, will remain a mystery for now, as a court has sealed charging documents and the investigation remains open, but authorities say Allen is charged with two counts of murder in the 2017 slayings of Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14.
The pair went for a hike along Delphi Historic Trails in February of that year but never showed up at a previously arranged time to meet Libby’s dad, police said. Their bodies were found the next day in a wooded area near the trail, about a half mile from the Monon High Bridge where they’d been dropped off, according to police. A grainy video of a man walking and a garbled voice recording were among the scant clues authorities publicized over the years. Neighbors saw police searching Allen’s home two and a half weeks ago, they say. Police arrested Allen on Wednesday, according to a news release, and formally charged him Friday before transporting him to White County Jail. Allen is being held without bail.
