Mom of slain Delphi girl: ‘We’re one step closer’ after sketch released
DELPHI, Ind. (WISH) –The mother of a teenage girl murdered in Delphi has a favor to ask of you: Share the suspect sketch as often as you can.
Indiana State Police released the sketch Monday morning in connection to the February murders of 14-year-old Liberty German and 13-year-old Abby Williams.
“We’re one step closer. Maybe today is the day,” Abby’s mom, Anna Williams, said.
ISP Sgt. Kim Riley said multiple witnesses saw someone matching the original suspect photo, a grainy image found on Liberty’s phone after she died. Those witnesses helped police create the sketch.
“She should be here. She’s supposed to be here,” Anna said with tears running down her face. “We’re supposed to be getting ready for her freshman year of high school.”
Police said the suspect is between 5’6 and 5’10. He is between 180 and 220 pounds. Witnesses told police he has reddish-brown hair.
Detectives don’t know who he is or where he is, but Anna believes police will find him.
“We just hope that people keep that same confidence that we have that [police] know what they’re doing, and this is that piece of the puzzle we’ve been looking for,” she said.
Abby and Libby were last seen alive in mid-February when a family member dropped them off to hike the Monon High Bridge Trail. A relative came to pick them up, and they weren’t there. A search party volunteer found the girls dead in a wooded area near Deer Creek.
“Does the guy still go out there? Does he wander around?” Anna said. “You wonder about that, and I think a lot of folks do.”
The suspect sketch is the latest clue police have released since they shared their original suspect photo and an audio recording of a man saying “down the hill.” Police said the audio and image both come from a video Liberty took with her phone before she died.
Hundreds of thousands of people have shared the evidence online.
“I’ve seen enough folks saying, ‘Can we share this? Can you send it to me? We’re in Australia, U.K., Africa,’” Anna said.
Anna’s hoping for the same enthusiasm with the new evidence. Police said the six hours after they released the sketch, more than 150 phoned or emailed tips.
Anyone who can give police a tip that leads to a conviction can get a reward of more than $230,000. You can call a tip in to 844-459-5786, or you can email a tip to AbbyAndLibbyTip@cacoshrf.com.
Detectives said they’re highly confident the sketch is accurate, but they’re not sure if the man was wearing a cap. They’re asking people to focus more on the facial features than the hat in the sketch.