INDIANA -- TEEN GIRLS KILLED WHILE HIKING; Liberty German and Abigail Williams

[FAHQTOO]

I read that some Facebook users had developed sketches, but they weren't endorsed by LE.

I didn't find the sketches on Facebook when I just searched though.

If you remember where you saw them, let me know and I'll post them up FAHQTOO.

That was it. I guess I wasn't paying any attention to the page it came from. And now that you mentioned it, I never saw it again so they must have taken it down pretty fast. They were the most detailed sketches I've ever seen.

[HairOfTheDog]

That was it. I guess I wasn't paying any attention to the page it came from. And now that you mentioned it, I never saw it again so they must have taken it down pretty fast. They were the most detailed sketches I've ever seen.

I wish I'd had a chance to see them before they got pulled, FAHQTOO.

But, I imagine LE didn't want them floating around because if the sketches don't line up well with the actual appearance of the suspect, it could do more harm than good.

Hoping hard that this fucker gets caught very soon.

[sally]

Could this guy be someone that hops trains and moves from town to town?

I've never shared this before, but my Uncle did just that nearly 40 years ago and committed a very severe random act of violence.

Just a possibility.

Since you're the one who brought it up, what did your uncle do?

I think this is a person who knew kids hung out there and waited for the perfect opportunity.

[Cheyne]

The photo of the suspect was actually taken by Libby German along with a voice recording stating, "Down the hill" on her cell phone.

Link

[HairOfTheDog]

It's really good to see you, Cheyne.

We covered that a little bit upthread, but I hadn't read your link -- thank you. If Liberty intentionally captured evidence on her phone, she was a smart cookie alright.

Do you have any speculation about the suspect? I lean towards him having some contact, probably under a guise, with the girls on social media. But, I won't be surprised if he was a predator looking for victims on the trail and committed a crime of opportunity like sally mentioned, or a drifter as MS suggested.

[Cheyne]

It's really good to see you, Cheyne.

We covered that a little bit upthread, but I hadn't read your link -- thank you. If Liberty intentionally captured evidence on her phone, she was a smart cookie alright.

Do you have any speculation about the suspect? I lean towards him having some contact, probably under a guise, with the girls on social media. But, I won't be surprised if he was an predator looking for victims on the trail and committed a crime of opportunity like sally mentioned, or a drifter as MS suggested.

Thank you for your kind words, I have missed the forum and am glad to be back.

As to the suspect? I have been studying the pictures and think he is wearing a brown sweatshirt with the hood up under a dark blue windbreaker. His jeans seem to be relaxed or "dad jeans" which many men in the trades wear. His posture/demeanor seem to be a man in his 40's. If he turns out to be a young man I will be shocked.

The weather on 13 Feb was in the low 40's with a west wind 5-12 mph so he was dressed appropriately for the weather. However, most men I know don't put their hoods up, they wear a ball cap or stocking hat (depending on temperature).

The fact that he has the hood up (IMO) means he doesn't know the girls and doesn't want anyone else getting a good look at him. If he was known to either Libby or Abby, he could have used that as an advantage to get close to them before pouncing. I could be wrong though, the girls may have known him as a "weirdo" or someone to be avoided, so he wanted to hide his identity until he was closer *shrug*.

I don't believe he planned this over the internet or lured the girls to the park. I think this man is familiar with the area, he may have family living there, and took an unexpected (but always looked for) opportunity when it arose. I could be completely off-base but I don't believe this is his first time either, especially killing two teenagers at the same time.

[HairOfTheDog]

Your theory makes good sense, Cheyne.

I keep thinking that if he was familiar with the area, he must be a local and someone would have recognized and reported him by now.

But, that's not necessarily true. He may not look like he normally does in that photo. Or, he could know the area well without currently living there.

I hope he's busted soon and we find out more; can't imagine what the girls' family and friends are going through.

[HairOfTheDog]

Police say they've now collected a DNA sample from the crime scene.

They're not giving any specifics, but are hoping they can develop a suspect profile from the sample and that it matches to someone in the criminal database.

I don't want to get my hopes up because if it was collected from garbage or cigarette butts or something like that, it might not be the killer's DNA. But, it could be the killer's DNA.

This could be a big break, especially if the DNA was collected from the girls' bodies or belongings. Hoping it's a big break.

Story: http://fox59.com/2017/02/23/dna-evidence...stigation/

[HairOfTheDog]

Could this guy be someone that hops trains and moves from town to town?

I think LE might be considering similar possibilities.

The FBI has launched a billboard campaign to help identify and locate the suspect.

But, the billboards aren't all in Indiana. There are 6,000 of them across 46 states.



http://fox59.com/2017/02/23/fbi-launches...phi-teens/

[Midwest Spy]

My dad told me how he and his buddy, back when they were in high school, would jump on to trains and ride them for a number of miles.

This was the mid-60's.

In the mid 2000's one night, my wife and I were watching a local newscast and they were doing a piece on people that jump trains.

Lo and behold, the focus of the story is my dads buddy from 40 years before. He was still hopping trains.

I called him to tell him and he wasn't surprised at all,

Wouldn't it be something if this evil creep used a train to drop into town and then hopped one again to get out?

Also, the perp who committted the murders in IA a few years back, does that town have tracks running through it?

If so, I can see why authorities may be looking at a connection.

[BigMark]

I don't understand why you guys do this to yourselves.

[HairOfTheDog]

Curiosity, concern, and a passion for justice.

[aussiefriend]

If they have collected DNA they know who it is already. They need to arrest him and get on it. Very slow.

[Duchess]

If he's not in the database, it won't be that easy.

[HairOfTheDog]

If they have collected DNA they know who it is already. They need to arrest him and get on it. Very slow.

That's not true, aussie. As Duchess said, it's not that easy.

If the suspect in the photo is the perpetrator and he is not in the criminal DNA database, DNA collected from the girls' bodies / crime scene won't help LE identify the unidentified suspect.

If that's the case, once the suspect is identified and/or captured, LE can get a DNA sample from him and test it against the sample from the girls' bodies / crime scene. If it's a match, the DNA evidence can be used against him.

LE is fielding thousands of tips and has erected 6,000 billboards across the country in attempt to identify the suspect. They want him caught quick.

[aussiefriend]

You dont just randomly kill two kids. Gotta be something there.

[HairOfTheDog]

Are you drunk or trolling, aussie? You've followed crime cases long enough to know that, sadly, people sometimes do randomly kill kids and adults in crimes of opportunity.

[aussiefriend]

No i am not fucking drunk. I have a child this age. This hits home i want the bugger fucking caught.

[HairOfTheDog]

I understand, aussie. Just about everyone wants this guy caught immediately.

Let's hope LE really got perpetrator DNA from the girls' bodies / crime scene and the perpetrator's DNA matches a criminal in the DNA database. That would be hitting the jackpot.

Otherwise, unless someone recognizes the suspect in the photo and reports it soon, it could take some time for LE to identify and track him down.

If LE has perpetrator DNA but no match to it and can't identify the suspect quickly, the fucker could be caught somewhere down the line if he's arrested for committing another crime because his DNA is now in the criminal database for this case.

[Cheyne]

Aye, that's the rub with DNA. There could be numerous cases with the same perpetrator DNA, but unless they can match the DNA to a name they have bupkis.

There is mandatory DNA testing in every state when convicted of sexual assault or homicide, and 26 states (and the feds) allow DNA evidence to be collected after a felony arrest and without a warrant. Sounds good, but unless this perpetrator has actually been arrested or convicted of a felony, his name will not be in the database even if his DNA profile is.