A clerical error may have been the reason that Indiana man Richard Allen, accused of killing two girls on the Monon High Bridge in Delphi, didn’t get arrested until years later.
According to charging documents unsealed this week, investigators interviewed Allen in 2017, when he admitted he had been on the Monon High Bridge on February 13, 2017, between 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Authorities said the timing matched the window of time when the two victims died.
The hosts of The Murder Sheet Podcast said Allen’s 2017 interview had been overlooked because of a “clerical error.” A “civilian FBI employee mislabeled or misfiled tip information in the system,” Fox 59 reports.
Police reportedly discovered the error after they went back to the beginning of the case to review for subsequent interviews, landing Allen back on the radar.
Read the unsealed documents below.
Unsealed Probable Cause Aff… by Leigh Egan
As CrimeOnline previously reported, the Delphi Double Homicide Task Force took Allen into custody on October 28. He’s been charged with two counts of murder.
Abigail Williams, 13, and Libby German, 14, were found murdered near the Monon High Bridge in Delphi on February 14, 2017, after taking an outing to the bridge the day prior. The outing was only meant for a few hours and when the girls failed to return, family members contacted police.
One of the girls, likely sensing danger, recorded the man’s voice on her cellphone prior to the murders. She also managed to take a photo and record a small clip of the suspect. Although his face isn’t clear in the picture, it was enough to give authorities a general description. Since then, they’ve been poring through thousands of tips, leading to Allen’s arrest.
Meanwhile, detectives continue to ask anyone who may have additional information to email abbyandlibbytip@cacoshrf.com or call 765-822-3535.
“This investigation is still very ongoing. We are keeping the tip line open, not only about Richard Allen but any other person,” Carroll County Prosecutor Nick McLeland previously said. “We cannot talk about the evidence in the probable cause or the charging information … today’s about Abby and Libby, focusing on them.”
WATCH HERE: VIDEO of the suspect
LISTEN HERE: AUDIO of the suspect
Check back for updates.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast. Here is a previous episode on the case.
[Featured image: Richard Allen/ISP; Abby (r) and Libby (l)/Handout]
