Making sure kids are safe and protected is a challenging full-time job for parents. But as kids get older, parents have the even more difficult task of letting go.
When two Indiana teenagers told their families they wanted to go on a hike on a trail they had been countless times before, they assumed it would be alright if they went unsupervised. They had no idea, however, that when the girls were dropped off, they would never be seen alive again…
Inseparable Friends
Like most best friends, Abigail Williams and Liberty German spent as much time together as possible. When together, they would do arts and crafts, practice softball with their matching bat and gloves, and both loved photographing their adventures.
Softball Practice
“She and Libby were dead set on taking over the world by softball,” Abigai’s mom, Anna, said about the inseparable girls. On a mid-February Sunday afternoon in 2017, Abigail and Liberty spent all day hitting softballs in the yard so they would be ready for the upcoming softball season that spring…
A Sleepover
Later that Sunday night, the girls found out that school had been cancelled the following day so their parents agreed to let them have a sleepover. Abigail brought over her crafts supplies and they spent the whole night painting nature scenes on canvas.
The Last Day
When they woke up the next morning, it was unusually warm outside for a February morning, so the girls decided it would be a perfect day to go exploring outside. They had no idea at the time, but it was a decision that would cost them both their lives…
The Plan
After having breakfast on the morning of Monday, February 13, 13-year-old Abigail and 14-year-old Liberty decided to spend the day exploring and taking photographs at The Monon High Bridge, an abandoned railroad bridge over Deer Creek in Delphi, Indiana.
The Hike
At around 1 pm, a family member dropped the girls off at the hiking trail that led to the bridge. Before the girls went off to explore, they agreed to meet back at the same location to be picked up a few hours later. Tragically, that would never happen…
The Meeting Spot
Over the next few hours, the girl’s families assumed Abigail and Liberty were having fun taking photos and spending time outdoors. But when the girls never showed up at the meeting point like they had agreed, their families instantly knew something was wrong.
Nowhere To Be Found
By 5:30 pm, there was still no sign of the girls and they couldn’t get in touch with them. Fearing something terrible had happened, the Williams family and the German family contacted the police to report them both missing. While the families worried that the girls had been kidnapped or harmed, the police didn’t believe Abigail and Liberty were in any immediate danger…
Exposed To The Elements
The police assumed Abigail and Liberty might have just gotten lost. At that time, the biggest concern was that the temperature was dropping and the girls didn’t have any heavy clothing since the temperature that day had been unseasonably high.
A Search Party
That evening, volunteers and multiple law enforcement agencies came together to form a large search party and worked tirelessly to find Abigail and Liberty. But as the sun set, it became too dark to continue the search and it was called off until the next morning…
The Search Continues
On the morning of Tuesday, Febrarary 14, the search for the missing girls started again. This time, however, the police K-9 units and dive teams came along to help the search party. By noon, searchers discovered two bodies about a half-mile from the bridge.
Tragic News
The bodies were immediately sent to a lab for autopsies, but it wasn’t until the following day that the police confirmed that the bodies belonged to Abigail and Liberty. The Williams and the German family were understandably devastated and couldn’t understand who would want to hurt the sweet girls..
Total Shock
“There weren’t many people she wasn’t the joy of. She smiled all the time,” Abigail’s mom said. “Libby was a person who made it a point to make people feel good,” Liberty’s grandparents added. But they finally got an idea of what happened when police searched the girls’ phones.
A Major Clue
While the police are not entirely sure what happened that February afternoon, investigators discovered pictures of a man in jeans with a blue coat on Liberty’s phone. And when they found a 3-second audio clip, they got an idea of what happened…
The Prime Suspect
In the short clip, the man in the photos, who became the prime suspect of the murders, can be heard ordering Abigail and Liberty to go “down the hill.” After discovering the first major clues, police have hailed Liberty a hero for bravely taking her camera out and capturing as much of the terrifying moment as possible.
Final Moments
Despite the pain Abigail and Liberty’s death has had on their families, they have found some comfort in the fact that the girls were together in their final moments. “They did not leave each other’s side. I don’t know what happened out there that day – there’s a chance, an opportunity for one to break off or split or make a break for it, or whatever,” said Liberty’s grandfather, Mike. “[They were] two young soldiers that stuck together, covered each other’s back, two best friends, you know. I wouldn’t leave my best friend’s side. Neither did they.”
The Investigation Begins
In the months that followed Abigail and Liberty’s murders, police received thousands of tips and have even offered a $230,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest in the case. And with the footage bravely captured by Liberty, police were able to release a composite sketch of the murderer.
A Suspect Is Apprehended
In mid-October 2017, authorities in Colorado arrested Daniel Nations, an Indiana native and a convicted sex offender, for threatening people on hiking trail with a hatchet. Investigators noticed similarities in the cases and similarities between Nations and the sketch, but have not found any definitive evidence linking him to the murders…
An Unsolved Case
Almost a year after Abigail and Liberty were killed, police still have not made any arrests in connection to the case but are still working tirelessly to find the person responsible for the murders. “We are confident someone knows who was responsible for these murders and we encourage them to come forward,” the state police said.
The Future
While the Williams and German families are desperate to get justice for the girls, they started raising money to build a sports complex and dedicate a park in memory of Abigail and Liberty so that they are never forgotten. “They’ll remember them. Their legacy will be there,” said Liberty’s Grandmother, Becky. “The rest of the girls in this community, growing up, can always go there and read on a plaque ‘this field was built in remembrance of (Libby and Abby),’ added Mike. “A kid 25 years from now can look at it and go: ‘That’s why I get to play here today.’”
Indiana Girls Found Dead One Day After Going Missing is an article from: LifeDaily