Investigators think the bodies of slain Delphi girls, Abby Williams and Libby German, were staged and moved at the crime scene, court documents obtained by The Murder Sheet podcast revealed; the show’s founders joined Nancy Grace and her expert guests on Wednesday’s “Crime Stories” to discuss the case.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, 13-year-old Abby and 14-year-old Libby were murdered in 2017, but the killer remains elusive. Investigators have been mostly mum on many case details but a redacted warrant provides a glimpse into information surrounding the murder scene, suspect, and victims.
“A large amount of blood was lost by the victims at the crime scene,” an agent wrote in the warrant. “Because of the nature of the victim’s wounds, it is nearly certain the perpetrator of the crime would have gotten blood on his person/clothing.”
Although the exact murder weapon is redacted in the warrant, “Body Bags” host and forensics expert Joseph Scott Morgan told Grace that the killer likely used an edged weapon, given the amount of blood found at the crime scene.
“My money is on an edged weapon. You’re not necessarily going to get that so much with a blunt type of weapon,” Morgan said. “Multiple, multiple deep stab wounds.”
The victims, according to the warrant, didn’t have any defense wounds, but some articles of clothing were taken from them and removed from the scene, while the killer placed the victims’ bodies in what investigators called a staged manner.
Director of Atlanta’s Cold Case Research Institute and Atlanta metro-area CSI, Sheryl McCollum, said she believes the killer likely “posed” the victims’ bodies, instead of staging, for a form of gratification.
“There is a difference between a scene that is staged and a scene that is posed,” McCollum said.
“If a perpetrator staged the scene, they did that for their benefit. So you try to make it look like there’s an accident. Posed, which I believe is what this scene is, that is for the offender’s gratification.”
Kegan Kline
Meanwhile, Kegan Kline, an Indiana man accused of child exploitation and child pornography, says police told him he was the last person to communicate with one of the girls.
According to Business Insider senior reporter and co-founder of The Murder Sheet podcast, Áine Cain, Libby had an interaction with Kline on Instagram but thought she was interacting with the person in a photo Kline posted as himself, in an attempt to “catfish” young girls into sending nude photos.
“Libby was apparently enthralled by this profile,” Cain said. “She wanted to meet up with him. She was being potentially catfished by this person, who, of course, looked nothing like and was nothing like what he portrayed online.”
Heavily redacted court documents say that state police and the FBI encountered Kline in 2017 while conducting a search warrant in Peru, Indiana. That is when they discovered the fake “anthony_shots” profile, soliciting minor girls online.
A subpoena for an IP address led to another address in Peru, Indiana, and a second search warrant found Kline and his father there.
Investigators seized several devices, but Kline contacted them a few days later about a device they hadn’t seized. When investigators got that device, they found that many files had been deleted and social media apps uninstalled.
The investigation continued, and Kline was arrested in 2020 on charges unrelated to the Delphi murders. He has not been charged in the Delphi case.
The Murders of Abby and Libby & Ronald Logan
On February 13, 2017, Libby and Abby took a hiking trip at the abandoned Monon High Bridge, in an outing that was only meant to be for a few hours. The girls took photos while strolling across the bridge, but as time passed and their family didn’t hear from them, police were called for assistance.
Police found the girls’ lifeless bodies a short distance from the bridge the following day, near a trail close to the bridge. The bodies were found on property belonging to Ronald Logan.
Investigators tracked Logan’s activities on the day of the murders and determined he was not forthcoming.
According to the warrant, Logan said he was in Lafayette on the day of the murders, visiting an aquarium. He also allegedly asked his cousin to back up his story before the girls’ bodies had been found.
“Based on investigators’ experience it is reasonable to believe that the creation of an alibi prior to the discovery of a crime indicates culpability or knowledge of the crime,” the agent wrote.
“I believe there is probable cause to believe that RONALD LOGAN has committed the crime of murder and evidence of that can be found on RONALD LOGAN’S property.”
Ronald Logan was never named a suspect, despite the warrant. He passed away in 2020.
The killings were later nicknamed the “Snapchat Murders” after Abby took a photo of Libby at around 2:17 p.m. and put it on social media. Detectives said that after the photo was taken, a man approached the girls and apparently told them to “go down the hill.”
Only a few seconds of the 43-seconds long recording have not been made public.
The warrant indicated that an FBI agent said Logan’s voice “is not inconsistent with that of the person in the video.”
Kline’s voice, however, has not been ruled out.
Detectives continue to ask anyone who may have had contact with the screen name “anthony_shots” to contact law enforcement at abbyandlibbytip@cacoshrf.com or 765-822-3535.
WATCH HERE: VIDEO of the suspect
LISTEN HERE: AUDIO of the suspect
Check back for updates.
[Featured image: Abby (l) and Libby (r)/Handout]
