DELPHI — Paul Etter killed himself June 27 during a standoff and while surrounded by police officers on a county road north of Lebanon. Now his life is under a law enforcement microscope.

"His name has come up through the process," Carroll County Sheriff Tobe Leazenby said when asked Friday if detectives awee investigating to determine whether Etter is the killer of teenagers Libby German and Abby Williams.

The two teenage girls were abducted Feb. 13, 2017, from the historic trails east of the city and killed along the north bank of the Deer Creek, about a quarter of a mile east of the Monon High Bridge.

Their killer has not been caught or identified.

Leazenby qualified his comment by noting that detectives have investigated every possible suspect, which is no different than their probe into Etter.

Police suspect Etter abducted a 26-year-old woman early June 22 in eastern Tippecanoe County and sexually assaulted her on his family's farm before releasing her. He evaded police and a massive search between Tippecanoe County Roads 750 East and 900 East.

The woman's car got a flat tire on Tippecanoe County 900 East, and she pulled into Etter's driveway about 4:30 a.m. Etter asked if she needed help, but she didn't feel safe and declined his offer and continued driving on the county road.

Etter followed her, and when she pulled into a friend's driveway, he pulled in, too. He then handcuffed her and put her in his car, driving her to his family's farmstead on County Road 750 East, where he held her for about five hours before driving her back to her car.

During her confinement, Etter sexually assaulted the woman.

More:Police searching for sexual assault suspect near Lafayette

On June 27, a Lebanon police officer noticed a truck that had been reported stolen that morning from Tippecanoe County. Etter was driving it.

Police stopped the truck, beginning a five-hour standoff that ended when Etter killed himself.

More:Lafayette rape, kidnapping suspect kills himself during Boone County standoff

After LIbby and Abby's bodies were found Feb. 14, 2017, law enforcement from across the state, as well as from several federal agencies, helped Delphi and Carroll County investigators search for the killer.

Police released a composite drawing of the suspect, but in April 2019, police released a completely different sketch, saying this sketch is more likely to resemble Libby and Abby's killer.

Early in the investigation, police released an audio recording Libby made on her phone of the girls' killer ordering them "down the hill." Police also released a grainy photo of the killer taken from a video on Libby's phone.

In April, police released the actual video of the killer walking, asking people to watch the killer's gait and listen to his voice. If it looked or sounded familiar, police ask them to report it.

After Etter killed himself, Tippecanoe County Sheriff Bob Goldsmith said the case would remain open in order to complete the investigation and resolve unanswered questions.

Etter's case has not been closed yet, Tippecanoe County sheriff's Sgt. Thad Miller said, adding that they passed on information about Etter to Carroll County investigators as part of the routine police work. But he doubted that Etter is at the top of the list of possible suspects.

"We have shared information about Etter with them, but we've done that with other suspects, too," Miller said.

► Anyone with information about the killings of Libby and Abby should call the Delphi Homicide Investigation Tip Line at 844-459-5786; the Indiana State Police at 800-382-7537; the Carroll County Sheriff’s Department at 765-564-2413; or email Abbyandlibbytip@cacoshrf.com.

Reach Ron Wilkins at 765-420-5231 or at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.

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