Not to sound too idealistic or unrealistically optimistic, but I have been around investigations enough to recognize significant movement in a “cold case”.
Two of note have occurred this week alone:
1. Commissioners have approved funding to lease a brand new space dedicated solely to the Delphi investigation.
This includes a $600/mo rental fee, and at least $20k of funds for upgrades to the space — security systems, fortified steel doors, interview room setup, kitchen, etc — $15k which were made available immediately. The timeline is incredibly tight: investigators will be moved into the new space before the end of this month, and the space will hold 2-4 full-time investigators working on this case alone. That is a huge personnel increase from the TWO detectives currently working on this case within CCS, which acts as the lead agency.
Some posters on another website have suggested this move is meaningless, as the City of Delphi mayor requested back in June that the Delphi investigation vacate from the space they have been occupying within the city building. This is true. What is significant, however, is that this move is not a downgrade or indicative of a “winging down” of investigative efforts. On the contrary, Delphi is a city that has undergone significant economic downturn in recent years — vacant space is available everywhere, much of which is cheap and in close proximity to their current space within the Delphi building.
So, why the sudden increase of personnel, space and security dedicated to this space? Leazenby cites that the space will hold “local and state” investigators — there are currently no ISP detectives working this case in Delphi. Something changed in the last several weeks that has caused this investigation to disrupt its media blackout and announce a major increase of attention and investigative efforts. The mayor’s order to vacate seems more like a very convenient “reason” to give for the movement than any negative development.
2. Detective Kevin Hammond, one of the sheriff department’s only two investigators, announced his retirement yesterday.
Again, many posters in other forums have suggested that this is bad news for the investigation. I couldn’t disagree more. If we look at TL’s comments thus far on the move, specifically his mention of ISP investigators moving in and how “this isn’t what the commissioners or sheriff department wanted but it’s for the girls” (paraphrasing), I am inclined to believe that the sheriff department is taking a lesser role in the investigation to make way for a small, directed and more secure team consisting of state-level investigators and “other agencies” (i.e. A TASK FORCE).
As Carroll County has held onto the lead role in this case with an iron fist, I imagine this is a tough blow to TL and the county. It is never easy for an agency to take a backseat in an investigation that they have become emotionally invested in — it sucks and feels like failure. Having said that, I truly believe these things are GOOD news for the investigation. We are talking about two MAJOR and relevant announcements in a case that has had ZERO significant movement since April 2019.
Say what you will about it being a positive or negative sign — movement is movement. I am hopeful they have something significant and are preparing for an intense next few months.