Justin L. Mack

justin.mack@Indystar.com

The slayings of 14-year-old Liberty German and 13-year-old Abigail Williams rocked their small hometown of Delphi and drew the attention of the nation.

In the weeks that followed the discovery of their bodies on Feb. 14 about a half mile from Monon High Bridge, the spot where they were dropped off the day before, thousands of tips have been provided to police with the hope of finding those responsible, and hundreds of thousands of dollars have been raised to support those efforts.

A six-figure reward is on the table. Family members have made heartfelt pleas for help. Commercials and billboards have made sure that the teens have not been forgotten.

But two months after they were first reported missing, a suspect has not been identified, and police are still asking the public to help bring the person or persons to justice, as well as answer some of the questions that still surround the case.

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Who is the man in the picture and how did he come in contact with the girls?

The only glimpse of the suspect we have is a grainy photograph of a man walking near High Bridge.

The man appears to be walking with his head lowered and his hands in his pockets. Police say the image is grainy because it was cropped out of a larger image taken Feb. 13. The rest of the image has not been released to the public.

The man was first considered a person of interest in the case, but police later confirmed that he at least participated in the killing of German and Williams.

Motive remains a mystery. We don't know if this was a random act, or if the girls were targeted.

Who was he directing in the voice clip? Where was he sending them?

Along with the image, police released a brief clip of the man's voice, captured by German's cellphone about the time of her death.

In the clip, the man can be heard saying, "down the hill." It remains unclear which hill he was referring to, or who he was directing. Was it the girls or someone else who may have been present at the time?

Police said that investigators possess more footage from German's phone, but it will not be released due to the ongoing investigation. However, they have praised German for her heroic actions of turning on her phone camera in time to record the suspect.

Did he act alone?

When referencing the man in the picture, state police officials mention his believed participation in the murders, leaving the possibility open that he may have had help from someone else.

But as of Thursday, police have not publicly identified a second possible suspect. No additional photos or new voice clips have been released.

How were the girls killed?

Despite autopsies being completed, investigators have not released the cause of death for German and Williams.

There have been no mentions of observed wounds or trauma on the girls when their bodies were discovered. Police have also not said whether they are looking for a murder weapon of any kind.

While the cause of death remains foggy, the manner of death is clear: The case is being investigated as a double homicide, the first for the city in more than 20 years.

What's next?

Since German and Williams were found, more than 25 state, local and federal agencies have investigated more than 13,000 tips. More than $230,000 have been raised for information leading to an arrest.

But last month, police said that the large number of law enforcement agencies is no longer needed and the tips are now at a manageable level.

But police have made it clear that the case has not gone cold. They remain committed to finding the killer and are confident that they will.

ISP officials said some investigators will continue working at the current command center, located in the former Carroll County REMC building at 119 W. Franklin St. in Delphi, while others from out of town or out of state will return to their "home base" and will still be within reach.

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Call IndyStar reporter Justin L. Mack at (317) 444-6138. Follow him on Twitter: @justinlmack.