FBI agent: Bodies ‘moved and staged’ in Delphi murders, suspect took clothing
DELPHI, Ind. (WISH) — Investigators believe the bodies of Abby Williams and Libby German were “moved and staged” at the Delphi murder scene, according to court documents obtained by I-Team 8.
The revelation is included in a nine-page request for a search warrant filed March 17, 2017, a little more than one month after the murders.
The Murder Sheet Podcast first published the documents, and I-Team 8 has confirmed with a police source that the document is authentic.
The document was written by an FBI agent and describes what investigators found when they discovered the bodies of Abby and Libby on Feb. 14, 2017.
“A large amount of blood was lost by the victims at the crime scene,” the agent writes. “Because of the nature of the victim’s wounds, it is nearly certain the perpetrator of the crime would have gotten blood on his person/clothing.”
The document says authorities also found that two articles of clothing from one of the girls “…was missing from the crime scene while the rest of their clothing was recovered. It also appeared the girls’ bodies were moved and staged.”
The agent goes on to say, “Based upon my training and experience it is common for perpetrators of this type of crime to take a ‘souvenir’ or, in some fashion, memorialize the crime scene.”
The agent also references the video on Libby’s phone where the suspect says “guys, down the hill.” She confirms the full video is 43 seconds long.
Only a few seconds have been made public.
The agent also confirms the girls were followed by the suspect on the Monon High Bridge Trail in Delphi, and that there were no visible signs of a struggle or fight.
Investigators were seeking a judge’s permission to search the property of Ronald Logan, who owned the land where the two girls were found dead. It describes his activity the day the girls went missing.
The agent said Logan claimed someone drove him to an aquarium store in Lafayette on the afternoon of February 13 at the time the girls disappeared.
However, the agent said, “These statements were found to be factually false and intentionally designed to deceive LEOs (Law Enforcement Officers).”
The agent said Logan contacted his cousin and asked him to tell that story before the bodies were found.
“Based on investigators experience it is reasonable to believe that the creation of an alibi prior to the discovery of a crime indicates culpability or knowledge of the crime,” the agent wrote.
The agent goes on to say “I believe there is probable cause to believe that RONALD LOGAN has committed the crime of murder and evidence of that can be found on RONALD LOGAN’S property.”
Ronald Logan died Jan. 24, 2022. Logan was never formally named a suspect and never charged in the Delphi murders.
He was charged with a probation violation for driving with a suspended license.
The FBI agent does say Logan’s voice “is not inconsistent with that of the person in the video.”
The search warrant request came just over two weeks after ISP investigators interviewed Kegan Kline, the man they say was behind the “Anthony_Shots” social media accounts. WISH-TV was the first to break the story connecting Kline to the Anthony Shots social media profile in Dec. 2021.
State Police say Kline admitted using the fake profile to get sexual pictures and videos of nearly 100 underage girls.
The Murder Sheet Podcast was first to publish the transcript of an Indiana State Police interview with Kline, where he admitted having contact with Libby German and suggested police had told him he failed a polygraph test about the murders.
Kline is in jail awaiting trial on 30 charges related to child pornography, but he has not been charged in the Delphi murders.
Statements
“I would like to remind the public that this is an active and ongoing investigation, and we will do everything we can to protect its integrity and to not try it in the court of public opinion. We cannot publicly convict someone based on a single document which was not released by investigators. Our profession will not allow us to speak on what we think, but to always speak about what we know. This is especially important with the heinous murders of Abby and Libby. We must continue to be mindful of their surviving family members and the entire Carroll County community who are affected by this investigation.”
Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter
“The FBI has provided assistance to the Indiana State Police and the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office in this investigation and will continue to help in any way we can to see justice done for Libby and Abby. Because this is a pending investigation, we do not have any details to share at this time.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Herbert J. Stapleton
An earlier version of this article misstated the date of Logan’s death.