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Abigail Williams and Liberty German – known as Abby and Libby – disappeared on February 13, 2017, aged 13 and 14 respectively. The discovery of their bodies the next day in Delphi, Indiana started a murder investigation that continues to this day. Abby and Libby were friends who went on a short hike on an abandoned railroad track the day they died. When they didn’t return to a pick-up point to be picked up by a parent, the alarm was raised. The fact that they disappeared in such a short time became a source of conversation. The unusual piece of evidence they left behind made headlines. Investigators released this evidence piecemeal after Abby and Libby’s bodies were found. First, they released a recording of the prime suspect’s voice. then a photo; and, finally, a clip from a video. The fact that these materials came from Libby’s cell phone only added to the interest of the case: there wasn’t much information about who caused the girls’ deaths, but it seemed that Libby, almost certainly sensing the danger, had somehow way the presence of mind to register the potential perpetrator. This image was captured on Libby’s phone the day the girls were murdered (Indiana State Police) Then on Monday (Oct. 31), the Indiana State Police held a press conference five years in the making. They confirmed that a suspect was arrested. Richard Matthew Allen, 50, was arrested last Tuesday and has now been charged with two counts of murder. Not much is known about the circumstances of Allen’s arrest or the evidence against him. At Monday’s press conference, the most repeated line had to do with precisely this opacity. The investigation is still active and information lines remain open for information about Allen “or anyone else.” As such, investigators are keeping almost everything they know about the case under wraps so far. “While I know you all expect final details today regarding this arrest, today is not that day,” Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter told reporters Monday. Richard Allen is pictured after his arrest for the Delphi murders (Indiana State Police) The charging documents and probable cause affidavit have been sealed — a move that Nicholas McLeland, the county attorney, described as “unusual” in the county, where they were usually made public. Pressed on the matter by one of the reporters present, McLeland reiterated that “the investigation is still open and while all cases are important, the nature of this case has additional scrutiny.” A public hearing will be held to decide whether these records will remain sealed. The secrecy surrounding these documents and the strange nature of the press conference – in which police gathered the media only to be repeatedly told they could not share details – has fueled speculation. The still open line of information and the mention of “anyone else” suggest police may suspect others may be involved in the murders. It’s also reasonable to assume that law enforcement is treading extra carefully with a case known to have attracted global attention. I don’t think the desire to know the details behind Allen’s arrest boils down to just morbid curiosity. The public thirst for information is not inherently vicious, even in the context of true crime stories. Law enforcement relied on the public to help solve this case. After the killings, police released the first photo of a man they said was the prime suspect, walking across a bridge, head down, hands apparently in his pockets. They later released the aforementioned audio clip, in which someone – possibly the same person as the photo – can be heard saying the words “Down the hill.” And there was the short video of the suspect walking, the apparent purpose of which was to help the public identify him by his gait. Photos of the girls during their hike that day were uploaded to Snapchat before they disappeared, leading some to refer to the Delphi killings as the “Snapchat murders”. All of this content spread far beyond the local community of Delphi – and far beyond Indiana and the US. We knew enough to be fascinated. Huge communities of people started looking over the video, frame by frame. On Reddit, there are two communities related to investigating what happened: the main subreddit, DelphiMurders, has just under 73,000 members. and a separate group, DelphiMurdersTimeline — with over 5,000 members — is dedicated solely to creating a tight timeline of everything that happened that day. I don’t blame anyone who has googled everything they need to know about the case. I certainly have. But Monday’s low-key press conference provided an opportunity to focus on the victims and their families for a moment before our attention shifts – as it inevitably will – to the logistics of the case. Allen’s arrest comes at a time when conversations about true crime are rife, particularly about how victims and their families fit into the genre. Ryan Murphy’s dramatization of the Jeffrey Dahmer case, released in September, has sparked renewed debate about what, if anything, true crime can bring to the table. Is it just morbid voyeurism? Is it a great way to gather a community of people who can help solve colds? Is it a bit of both? During and after Monday’s press conference, attention was also paid to the local community, which is sure to be shaken by the Allen-area resident’s arrest. The prosecutor himself spoke of “mixed emotions”, describing the arrest as a “bittersweet” step “in the right direction”. Of Allen, he added: “It’s troubling that he’s a local guy.” According to NBC News, Libby’s grandparents told reporters that Allen was an employee at a local CVS store where he edited photos for the girl’s family. (CVS told the platform in a statement: “We are shocked and saddened to learn that one of our store employees has been arrested on suspicion of these crimes. We stand ready to cooperate with the police investigation in any way we can.) More details will no doubt be revealed in the near future. Allen has pleaded not guilty and a trial is set for March 20, 2023. But Monday was about Abby, Libby and the people who knew them. That’s the way it should be.
