Delphi 4 Year Update: Mike & Becky Patty pen touching CNN piece ∙ Superintendent Doug Carter interview transcript ∙ Abby and Libby Memorial Park set to open this spring ∙ HLN to air 2-part Delphi series
Today, February 13, 2021 marks the four year anniversary of the murders of 14 year old Liberty (‘Libby’) German and 13 year old Abigail (‘Abby’) Williams in Delphi, Indiana. Known as ‘The Delphi Murders’, the case received significant notoriety due to the heroic actions Libby, who used her phone to capture video and audio of her killer. Despite this incredible piece evidence, the case remains unsolved.
In 2020 I interviewed Superintendent Doug Carter of The Indiana State Police about the case. Superintendent Carter is a familiar face to those who follow the investigation. He has acted as a spokesperson at several press conferences, including in April of 2019 when police announced a “new direction” in the inquiry. It was during this presser that an updated sketch of the suspect was released, showing a man who appeared considerably younger than the original drawing, as well as a 1.5 second video of the man walking on the Monon High Bridge.
Speaking with him was an absolute pleasure. You can tell he cares deeply about the investigation and bringing closure to the families. I’m reposting the March 2020 interview transcription, in which Superintendent Carter talks about his background in law enforcement, the dangers sharing ‘side-by-sides’ can pose, the current status of the case, and an interesting bit of insight into specific profiling that has been conducted. Carter believes this case will be solved, and he’s not the only one. Today CNN posted an open letter from Becky and Mike Patty, grandparents of Libby German, asking the public to “give them a minute”. When asked to do something, Libby would always reply “give me a minute!”. Now they’re asking you for that minute, a moment of time to share the flyer on social media. To strike up a conversation with friends, family, or the person next to you in line at the grocery store. Ask if they’ve heard of the case. Show them the video of the suspect and the sketch. Ask if they recognize the man behind the words “Guys, down the hill”.
“Realizing life goes on, life is busy, people forget. Please understand, at one time that was us also” remark the Pattys. “But not now, we are stuck in time looking for a monster that murdered two young girls. We are only asking for one minute out of your day. If it was your child or loved one, would you think that is too much to ask? The investigative team stated they only need one piece of the puzzle, maybe you or someone you meet unknowingly has that piece.”
If you have information about the case, please contact the FBI at 844-459-5786 or email abbyandlibbytip@cacoshrf.com. You can remain anonymous.
Superintendent Doug Carter Interview Transcript
CRIMELIGHTS.COM: May I ask you a little bit about yourself first? Did you grow up in Indiana, and how did you begin your career in law enforcement?
DOUG CARTER: I did. My dad was an Indiana Trooper. I grew up in North Western Indiana in La Porte. I was there until I went to college and went back for a little while, and then started on the State Police.
CL: How many years have you been with Indiana State Police now?
DOUG CARTER: Well, I started there in 1984, so it’s been a long time. I left for a short period of time. I was the elected Sheriff in Hamilton County, Indiana which is the first county north of Indianapolis. I never thought that would happen! And then, this guy named Mike Pence changed my life forever in 2013 and brought me back as the Superintendent. He was the Governor-Elect of Indiana, so I got to serve with him for four years and it was an amazing experience. Then Governor Holcomb, who is terrific in his own right, kept me here when Governor Pence moved on, so now I have the pleasure of serving under Eric Holcomb who is just terrific.
CL: There are many people actively following the Delphi case, hoping for a resolution. During the April 2019 two year anniversary press conference, you said you believed the suspect was either in the room or living close by. Do you believe that he actively follows the case?
DOUG CARTER: Yes.
CL: Investigators have repeatedly asked the public not to do side-by-side comparisons [comparing the suspect’s sketch with a likely innocent person’s photograph, pointing out perceived physical similarities] on social media. Can you briefly explain why this is so important and how doing so negatively impacts a case like this?
DOUG CARTER: You bet. It’s easy to speculate — we can’t do that. We live under a very strong Constitution as we should, and we have to operate under the presumption of probable cause, not reasonable suspicion. I also believe very strongly that the sketches we have, obviously, are not photographs. They are what a person remembers. And I believe that when an arrest is made — and I still think that will happen, that we’ll be able to lay those two sketches over one another and remove them and find the face of the killer. So when this happens, we likely will have to defend all the speculation that’s been done comparing people that weren’t involved. So when we have to do that, imagine how complex that is going to be. There will be people that have been ‘accused’ by side-by-side comparisons that have nothing to do with this case, and are very likely damaged in a way that it will be very difficult for them to recover. So we’re cognizant of the fact that you’re going to put another human being just because of similar characteristics up next to the person that we believe killed Abby and Libby, and they might have had nothing to do with it, or been nowhere near the area. I would much rather that we get those same photographs without the comparison [sent in privately as a tip], and let us do that work. Now the other side of this is, we can’t let people know what we found or didn’t find about what it is that they’ve reported.
CL: I understand. Across different cases I’ve heard concerns from people who say they submitted a tip, but are worried it wasn’t pursued since they never received follow up after their initial contact with investigators. I would assume with most investigations, while every tip is investigated, law enforcement isn’t going to be able to tell you if–or how–a tip was pursued or the outcome.
DOUG CARTER: No, and I hope one day [when the case is solved] that everyone knows what we know, and I think you’ll be surprised. But right now, that’s not going to happen. And there is nothing that will make me happier than being able to do that, but I’m not. And that criticism has come my way from literally around the world, and I’m okay with it, because it is still the right thing for us to do, and it’s the right thing for our citizens to do to report to us. What we have to understand is that there will not be a response. I put my email out there on The State Police Road Show and I probably get no less than ten tips a day, sometimes way more than that—personally.
CL: Wow, still to this day, ten tips a day? To this very day?
DOUG CARTER: To this day! And that’s just me. So I forward those on, every single one of them I forward on, and you know, I can’t respond back, nor should I respond back.
CL: It’s great to hear that Abby and Libby are still on so many people’s minds and a substantial amount of tips still come through. Sometimes through social media you will see people worry that this case may be going cold. Are we in ‘cold case’ territory?
DOUG CARTER: Oh no. No, no, no, no! This is a long ways away from [being a cold case]. That’s easy to say when you can speculate and talk about what you think, but it’s very difficult to say when you can’t speculate and talk about what you know. Clearly, clearly different. But I’m not going to go as far as to say that what everyone is trying to do is wrong, because what they’re trying to do is right, but it’s just different from what law enforcement can do.
CL: In a May 2019 interview with Scott from News8, you said in reference to the video clip of the suspect on the bridge “Somebody knows whose body that is. If you could take the head off of a person you know, you’ll recognize that body.” Is it possible his appearance on film could be deceptive? Whether it’s from pixilation of the video, or intentionally [presenting or dressing differently than he does in his day-to-day life]? Is there anything in particular folks should put focus on?
DOUG CARTER: I think we need to focus on both. What we can’t have is a singular focus. We can’t have a singular focus on the voice, a singular focus on the way he moves, a singular focus on the way he sounds, or a singular focus on the sketches. It’s the totality…it’s the totality. I mean, if any reasonable person closes their eyes and they think of their dad, their brother, their neighbor or their coworker — and you have a photograph and you black out the face, you’re still gonna know who that person is. So that’s what I mean by that.
CL: Something that always stood out to me is that this horrific crime happened on a Monday, when the school had a pre-scheduled day off for an unused snow day. This wasn’t a holiday. It was the afternoon during a time when the majority of adults would be at work. Is there a belief that the suspect may have had specific knowledge that Delphi schools were off that day?
DOUG CARTER: Well, I could only speculate if I answered that question…so I can’t.
CL: Have any experts conducted an analysis of the suspect’s voice from the “Guys, down the hill” audio recording who would be able to pinpoint an accent to do a geographical profile?
DOUG CARTER: We’ve done profiles on the voice, on the video, on the still photographs…yes. We’ve reached out and we’ve done a tremendous amount of work there.
CL: What law enforcement agencies are currently working on the case? Is it still the FBI, Indiana State Police, Carroll County Sheriff and Delphi Police all working together?
DOUG CARTER: We are. That is correct.
Thank you again to Superintendent Carter for taking the time to speak with us.
Delphi Park Update: Abby and Libby Memorial Park Tentatively Set to Open in Spring
It’s a ray of sunlight among the clouds. Instead of living in fear, the Delphi community and families of Abby and Libby joined hands to put together a remarkable and lasting tribute to the girls. What was originally imagined as a softball park has snowballed into several sports fields, two playgrounds, walking trails and even an amphitheater! The Abby and Libby Memorial Park hopes to open in spring 2021, right around what should have been their high school graduation.
Anna Williams, mother of Abby Williams, recently did a fantastic interview with Youtube creator and missing-person advocate Jason Hebert. Anna is an extraordinary woman and true champion for her daughter. During the interview she shared that almost one million dollars was raised for the park, which allowed them to reimagine and upgrade it with additional features. Currently, memorial bricks are being sold which will line the walkways, created and engraved by A & K Custom Monuments in Lebanon, Indiana. Anyone in the world is able to order a brick with a custom message, name, or tribute of your choosing.
A memorial ride and concert is also in the works.
For more information about the park or to donate, visit AbbyandLibbyMemorialPark.org.
Delphi Murders Two-Part Series to Air on HLN Network
HLN network will be airing a two-part series on the Delphi Murders beginning Sunday, February 14th at 10pm. The show will “highlight new developments in the case” and interview Indiana authorities including Carroll County Sheriff Tobe Leazenby and lead prosecutor Nick McLeland. We will be watching and summarizing the series here. HLN is included with most major cable packages, and can also be streamed live on Hulu.
