Investigators In Delphi Murders Seek New Info On Catfish Suspect Posing As Male Model
Investigators in Indiana are releasing new information about a catfish that may be tied to the unsolved Delphi murders.
Abigail “Abby” Williams, 13, and Liberty “Libby” German, 14, disappeared from the Delphi Historic Trails on Feb. 13, 2017, after they went to enjoy an afternoon walk on their day off from school, as previously reported. The next day, the friends’ bodies were found about half a mile away.
Now, investigators with the Indiana State Police–Lafayette District have announced they uncovered a fictitious social media profile during the course of their investigation. In Monday’s press conference, authorities turned to the public in hopes of gleaning more information about the phony profile’s creator, known as a catfish, who went by the name “anthony_shots” on social media between 2016 and 2017.
Police released photos of a male model used by the suspect, emphasizing that they were in contact with the model, who is not a person of interest in their investigation.
“The fictitious anthony_shots profile used images of a known male model and portrayed himself as being extremely wealthy and owning numerous sports cars,” said Public Information Officer Sgt. Jeremy Piers. “The creator of the fictitious profile used this information while communicating with juvenile females to solicit nude images, obtain their addresses, and attempt to meet them.”
Photo: Indiana State Police
Police say the catfish used social media sites, including Snapchat, Instagram, and possibly others, to lure in underage girls. They did not explicitly say whether or not Williams or German were in communication with this suspect.
Kelsi German, the older sister of Libby German, told Oxygen.com that the new information came after a lull in the case, bringing a lot of emotions to the surface.
“I feel like I’m going through different stages of grief that I hadn’t felt in a long time. It brings up a lot of old wounds,” said Kelsi. “Law enforcement releasing information after over two years of silence brings our families, and I believe the public, too, a lot of hope that the detectives aren’t giving up and they are working diligently to get this solved.”
She hopes anyone with information will come forward.
“At this point, the focus is looking for individuals, especially girls, who at some point had contact with a person using the pictures shared under the name ‘anthony_shots,’” Kelsi told Oxygen.com. “Whether they met this person, attempted to meet this person, or simply had communication with this person. It’s important that those individuals contact police and let them know.”
The case gained nationwide attention after Libby German used her cell phone to capture a grainy image of the suspect. Audio evidence collected from German’s phone included the man saying, “down the hill.” Despite numerous appeals to identify the man, the case remains unsolved. According to Fort Wayne’s NBC affiliate, police have accumulated more than 40,000 tips and 1,000 suspects since 2017.
The bodies of Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14, were discovered Feb. 14, 2017 after the pair vanished while hiking on an Indiana trail. Photo: Indiana State Police
In 2019, police released a sketch of the suspect they believed is “the person responsible of the murders of these two little girls.”
“We believe you are hiding in plain sight,” Indiana State Police Superintendent Douglas G. Carter said at the time.
Kelsi German stated it was her hope to see closure in her sister's case.
“My hope is that this will be the one tip we need to get an arrest and close this chapter,” Kelsi told Oxygen.com. “I hope that this release will lead to justice being served."
Anyone with information is urged to contact law enforcement at (765) 822-3535 or through the tip line email abbyandlibbytip@cacoshrf.com. Police ask that tipsters provide as much detailed information as possible.
