IN - Abigail Williams, 13, & Liberty German, 14, Delphi, 13 Feb 2017 #5

[MsMarple]

I need to slow down.

I think we're all stretching ourselves thin over this case. Hopefully something will break soon. In the meantime, I don't do meditation or yoga so I depend on stuff like this to give me a break and calm me down:

[video=youtube;-2niHf8k-Bg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2niHf8k-Bg[/video]

 

[vliam]

Does Mr. L, property owner, have barbed wire or other fencing around his property? How would a walker/hiker know if they were on private property, if there was no fence. If suspect knew the area, he was bold and not concerned that Mr. L could have checked his property that afternoon. moo

According to one of the newscasts, he has barbed wire on his property but I doubt it extends all the way to the creek.

 

[jillycat]

Three different people who know guns have identified what they think is a weapon. I'm not necessarily ready to believe it, but it's evidence that should be weighed.

I don't call the appearance of something "evidence". I've said that I think a gun could have been involved in some way, I am not discounting that. What I said in response to the Glock claim specifically is that there are many Glocks and many 9mm Glocks. So how are people deciding first, that because they know guns, or have shot one, that a bad picture proves there is a concealed one? And how do we reach even farther and know it's a Glock? And that not only is it a Glock, but a 9mm?

Google semi-auto pistols and see which one under clothing in a bad pic would tell anyone that it's a 9mm Glock. And which one in the Glock buffet?

That was my point.

 

[galaxygal]

The water temperature would probably be in the mid to upper 30's at best. Going in the water would have to a last resort.

I wonder how high the creek was on that day. I saw a photo of the bridge on an Indiana landmarks website, the water level was very low in the photo.

 

[carbuff]

I don't call the appearance of something "evidence". I've said that I think a gun could have been involved in some way, I am not discounting that. What I said in response to the Glock claim specifically is that there are many Glocks and many 9mm Glocks. So how are people deciding first, that because they know guns, or have shot one, that a bad picture proves there is a concealed one? And how do we reach even farther and know it's a Glock? And that not only is it a Glock, but a 9mm?

Google semi-auto pistols and see which one under clothing in a bad pic would tell anyone that it's a 9mm Glock. And which one in the Glock buffet?

That was my point.

I guess it would have been more accurate to use a different word than "evidence." But I'm not stating it as an opinion. I'm asking somebody else for more information about what they think they see. I don't see it, personally, but that doesn't mean I'm right, and I'm willing to have something pointed out to me. That's all.

 

[vliam]

I wonder how high the creek was on that day. I saw a photo of the bridge on an Indiana landmarks website, the water level was very low in the photo.

The helicopter news footage showed the "divers" wading around in waist deep water. It probably would have been high on the girls though. I can't imagine them being very tall.

 

[Hatfield]

Trying to put myself in the girls shoes if they crossed paths with him on that bridge and it really is a tough predicament and a tough situation to get out of if the person was out to attack them.

As a safety tip for others just want to share a brief true story example of a very similar situation that happened to me when I was hunting along a major wooded trail in the deep woods.

Out of nowhere there appeared a stranger coming at me from the other direction and the trail was narrow and we were going to cross paths. He looked very sketchy and the hair on my neck stood up when I first saw him approaching.

Even though I had a loaded gun in my arms I was still very vulnerable and here is why. Its not like I was going to raise my gun and point it at him while we crossed. So I had to keep it down in a relaxed position and pretend to be friendly. As we crossed paths he could have easily grabbed at it and possibly overpowered me and maybe even shot me with it if he meant to do me harm.
Repeat he was very sketchy looking and looked like he lived out there in the woods and looked desparate.

I think back at how I would have handled things differently and the only thing I could come up with was to have a secondary weapon handy. One that he wouldnt know about so if he managed to get my gun then I would have a backup plan.

Just wanted to share because the girls situation was very similar as they crossed paths with him and they probably had to assume he was friendly until it was too late.

The bottom line is we need to always be on guard and have multiple forms of protection when crossing paths with strangers on hiking trails or anywhere else for that matter.

I dont fault the girls because its not like we encounter monsters like the perp very often. Thankfully it is a rare event. But one we should be prepared for.

 

[Rachel1]

There's definitely no way to tell if it's even a gun at this point ( I do believe it is by the way, honestly that's the only thing I see in the picture. I can't see the rod, white long hair, blood stains and rainbow unicorns that everyone sees though) so because we have no way to know for sure that a gun even exists, there's certainly no way to say it's a Glock. Or which model.

I do own a desert eagle and tried to have my son recreate the image but we just couldn't get the angle needed, it was a disaster trying to recreate.

 

[Gardenista]

I wonder how high the creek was on that day. I saw a photo of the bridge on an Indiana landmarks website, the water level was very low in the photo.

From that day

 

[jillycat]

I guess it would have been more accurate to use a different word than "evidence." But I'm not stating it as an opinion. I'm asking somebody else for more information about what they think they see. I don't see it, personally, but that doesn't mean I'm right, and I'm willing to have something pointed out to me. That's all.

I look at it this way - my son was both a special warfare trained gun, and definitely a Glock, expert and owner, as well as a fine photographer with an incredible eye. And I believe he would take the opinion of the professional photographer who posted that no one can tell if that is a gun.

 

[Blythe]

What we know:

The girls were where they were supposed to be that afternoon. School was not in session.
They were murdered.
There is a photo of a suspect. The "totality of evidence" points to him according to statement from LE.
LE believes the suspect attempted to disguise himself. LE has asked people to report seeing an individual walking or hitch hiking on the Hoosier Heartland Hwy. later that Monday afternoon.
The suspect has not been identified by anyone.
LE continues to search the area.
The girls were reported missing on Monday at 5:30 pm when they were no shows for a 3:30 pick up at the location they were dropped off.
There was an official search for them until midnight.
The last recorded activity was a snap chat photo at 2:07 pm.
Their bodies were found on private property in the vicinity the next day in early afternoon.
The property owner had been in Lafayette the day they went missing.
A search warrant issued for the 11000 block of Bicycle Bridge Rd. found nothing.

What am I missing?

 

[Inthedetails]

I know this guy is a creep (to put it way too mildly), but I am guessing he didn't come off as a creep at first to the girls. I don't think he pounced on them out of the blue, but somehow cajoled them and enticed them into an area where he could then control them.

So, what could he say *AND* who could he be to pull that off?

Was he a familiar face to them? Or maybe someone who comes off as "dad like" and knows how to chat with that age group? Maybe not someone who looks and acts like a drifter, but rather someone who looks and acts like a regular guy from the area out for a walk.

jmopinion

 

[Elainera]

OK, I have a theory on a timeline.

By looking at the shadows of the side rail and the orientation of the bridge with respect to the sun this time of year, it looks like the suspect walked SE on that bridge HOURS BEFORE the younger girl is seen in the photo at 2:07 pm.

That would put the suspect in the woody area on the opposite side of the creek where the girls were found. If he saw them coming and ambushed them, then dragged them down in the woods to do what he did. Could he have then dragged them across to the other side to hide them from being found? Since maybe others had seen him camping out on the south side of the creek?

Just my guess.

bbm - LE said I think it was yesterday that he was walking the trail between 1pm and 3.30pm.

Does Mr. L, property owner, have barbed wire or other fencing around his property? How would a walker/hiker know if they were on private property, if there was no fence. If suspect knew the area, he was bold and not concerned that Mr. L could have checked his property that afternoon. moo

Interesting thought. Maybe suspect knew Mr. L would not be out and about on his property for some definite reason. Maybe Mr. L should think about who could know that (a friend, neighbour, handyman, etc).

 

[Inthedetails]

What we know:

The girls were where they were supposed to be that afternoon.
They were murdered.
There is a photo of a suspect.
LE believes the suspect attempted to disguise himself.
The suspect has not been identified by anyone.
LE continues to search the area.
The girls were reported missing on Monday at 5:30 pm when they were no shows for a 3:30 pick up at the location they were dropped off.
The last recorded activity was a snap chat photo at 2:07 pm.
Their bodies were found on private property in the vicinity the next day in early afternoon.
The property owner had been in Lafayette the day they went missing.

What am I missing?

There was no school that day.

 

[Elainera]

I wonder how high the creek was on that day. I saw a photo of the bridge on an Indiana landmarks website, the water level was very low in the photo.

There were photos posted in the last thread of the search in the water. It barely reached waist height iirc, at some points just to the knee.

 

[monkeypants]

I know this guy is a creep (to put it way too mildly), but I am guessing he didn't come off as a creep at first to the girls. I don't think he pounced on them out of the blue, but somehow cajoled them and enticed them into an area where he could then control them.

So, what could he say *AND* who could he be to pull that off?

Was he a familiar face to them? Or maybe someone who comes off as "dad like" and knows how to chat with that age group? Maybe not someone who looks and acts like a drifter, but rather someone who looks and acts like a regular guy from the area out for a walk.

jmopinion

Could he have snuck up on them in the woods from behind? Those girls were very young. If he grabbed one and used a knife immediately it would have been very possible to catch the second one if she even moved after witnessing her friends demise. What if the killing was just to kill? No sex assault etc...just pleasure derived from pain?

 

[LWH]

Hi - I'm new. I've lurked at WS for a long time around various cases and finally wanted to register. But I'm worried that what I want to contribute may be against the TOS so I'm prepared to be embarrassed by having my post deleted (blush). Anyway - I keep thinking about the odd statement the LE made at the early press conference:

[FONT=&quot]“I think people are smart enough in our community to draw their own conclusions about what they should feel and shouldn’t feel,” Delphi Police Chief Steve Mullin replied. “Our people are very smart. They are a very good community and they are very strong. And they are able to draw their own conclusions about this whole situation I think quite successfully.”

[/FONT]When I first heard that it was before they had even said the girls had been murdered I believe, and my thought was, "well it was either a suicide pact or a family member of one of the girls and the small town people already probably know which family member it was" - that was the only explanation I could come up with as to why the LE wasn't warning the community to be vigilant, etc.

Well, we know of course that it wasn't a suicide. Which makes me still wonder about family member - even more distant one. I grew up in a small town - in many small towns people are related to almost everyone else in town. So it wouldn't necessarily be an immediate family member - could be a cousin, great uncle, former step father, etc. This would also explain how perhaps the girls would have followed this person. But yet I don't know how the man-on-the-bridge picture would fit into that theory, so obviously there are some issues with my theory.

 

[tiffay01]

I truly think he saw the girls on the bridge. Heck may have even crossed paths on the bridge. The girls might have been "weary" of him but I doubt he caused a lot of concern to them while on the bridge. I think the girls went further and closer to the cemetery which is how he was able to contain them and avoid being seen. I would suspect the girls truly thought he was long gone, before the actual events took place. I also think the photos came from a different persons footage on the bridge that day. Wether it was an earlier encounter before the girls arrived or around the time of the girls arrival. Which is why there are only these two photos, because the person started filming other sights at that time. Perhaps the perp saw the person using the phone which is what prompted the change in his walk, maybe to "avoid" getting in their way. Not the girls but someone else on the trails. Just my take, if it had come from the girls phones then he had to have encountered them on more than one occasion during that brief time and I have to think that would have alarmed them.

 

[Tulessa]

There's definitely no way to tell if it's even a gun at this point ( I do believe it is by the way, honestly that's the only thing I see in the picture. I can't see the rod, white long hair, blood stains and rainbow unicorns that everyone sees though) so because we have no way to know for sure that a gun even exists, there's certainly no way to say it's a Glock. Or which model.

I do own a desert eagle and tried to have my son recreate the image but we just couldn't get the angle needed, it was a disaster trying to recreate.

O/T and my apologies, but your Shepherd looks just like Rumor that won the Best in Show Westminster Dog Show 2017!

 

[Confusion]

Until they arrest the perp then anyone who was admittedly at the bridge that day would be a POI in my book until proven otherwise.

I was so surprised that I saw where there was at least 4 other people at the bridge right around the time the girls were killed.

I posted the link a few posts ago and dont have it handy. The article was interviewing a girl who was at the bridge that day and she saw 3 other people beside herself.

What I've been wondering about is the man who was seen there who was dressed in black. Since one girl saw a man and a couple, and the other teens saw the girls and a man (I never heard if they were together or just seen at different times), I've been thinking they were the same guy. Once seen in the clothes he wore before the murders and once after he had changed his clothes and was preparing to leave. I wish they had a description other than just dressed in black or a composite sketch, or something.