Hundreds pay respects as murdered Indiana girls are buried
Hundreds gathered to pay their last respects to two teenage girls found dead near a hiking trail in Indiana, as a prosecutor warned the public to stay away from the investigation.
Liberty 'Libby' German, 14, and Abby Williams, 13, were buried by friends and family in separate private funerals on Sunday, as the amassed residents of the town of Delphi lined the streets to say goodbye as Libby's hearse drove past.
That followed a day of mourning by the community Saturday, including a visitation attended by thousands at Delphi Community Schools and a mass releasing of lanterns to pay respect to the slain girls.
Also on Sunday, Carroll County Indiana prosecuting attorney Robert T Ives posted a message on Facebook telling residents to not 'harass, bother, or accuse anyone' - including the residents of a home investigated by police.
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Hundreds lined the streets of Delphi on Sunday as Liberty 'Libby' German, 14, was taken to be buried. She and Abby Williams, 13, were murdered last week while they were hiking
They watched Libby's hearse drive by from the church where her funeral service was held to the graveyard where she was laid to rest. Abby was buried in a private ceremony
The bodies of Abby (left) and Libby (right) were found dead a quarter-mile from an abandoned railroad bridge on the Monon High Bridge Trail on Tuesday last week
Libby's ceremony was held at Delphi United Methodist Church, WFLI said. She was then buried in IOOF Memorial Gardens in Pittsburg, Indiana, around three miles away.
Hundreds lined the roads from the church to the burial site as her hearse passed slowly to her final resting place.
Libby's obituary painted an image of an active, fun-loving sports star who played volleyball, softball, soccer and swimming, but also showed her creative side with painting and crafts.
Abigail's funeral was a private family service. A saxophone player and fellow volleyball fan, she also enjoyed reading and family camping trips, her obituary said.
Both girls were found dead on Tuesday, a quarter-mile from an abandoned railroad bridge on the Monon High Bridge Trail, where Abigail was last seen in Libby's Snapchat images.
As the community struggled to come to terms with the girls' passing, the county prosecutor came forward to warn locals to stay out of the investigation.
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SharePolice in Delphi say this man - who was pictured near to the Monon Bridge where Abigail Williams and Liberty German started their walk - is the main suspect in their murder
Also on Sunday Carroll County prosecutor Robert T Ives warned the public to stay out of the police investigation, and not to harass anyone at a home searched by the police last week
Police searched this car and outhouses on a property last week; now Ives is warning locals not to accuse those on the property, none of whom are suspected of committing any crimes
'Carroll County: Please do not harass, bother, or accuse anyone,' Robert T Ives wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday. 'There are no charges pending against anyone as a result of the pending investigation.
'No one at the home searched [by police last week] is suspected of committing any crime. Please, please leave these people alone and let the police work. As always, if you have any information, call: 844-459-5786.'
Resident Mark Alan Smith commented: 'We locals know the vigilante spirit which can captivate the area from time to time and your caveats will go a long ways to prevent this from happening I think.'
The day before the funeral, thousands in Delphi took part in a visitation for the girls, held at Delphi Community Schools.
It was originally scheduled from 4pm to 8pm, but that was extended to 10:30pm because of the huge number of people who showed up, Fox 59 reported.
Earlier that day, a motorbike ride was held to raise money for the families of the two girls. Hundreds of bikers showed up, paying $20 per bike and $5 per passenger to participate. All proceeds will go to the families, a flyer for the gathering said.
Later, on Saturday evening, the community released lanterns into the sky in memory of the girls.
On Saturday hundreds of motorbike enthusiasts (some seen here) gathered for a fundraising ride through Delphi's downtown area
The bikers gathered in downtown Delphi as thousands of locals attended a visitation at a nearby school. A flyer promised all money raised by the bikers would go to the girls' families
Bikers - some wearing 'Guardians for Children' vests (pictured) - paid $20 per bike and $5 per person to ride on Saturday
Also on Sunday, police announced that a man who had been pictured walking along the same railroad track as the girls on the day they were killed was their 'main suspect'.
On Thursday they had initially just wanted to speak to the man, who was seen in two grainy images wearing jeans and blue jacket and hat.
'We're not saying he's a suspect, we just want to talk to him to find out what he might have seen,' Sgt. Kim Riley of Indiana State Police told DailyMail.com on Thursday.
And on Saturday an officer told WISH they were 'basically back to square one'.
But on Sunday, Sgt. Tony Slocum confirmed that 'the totality of the evidence' so far led authorities to the conclusion that the man seen in the photos is a suspect.
Slocum is urging the public to call police on 844-459-5786 with tips about the man. Callers can remain anonymous if they wish.
Police had obtained a warrant to search a home in the 11000 block of Bicycle Bridge Road outside Delphi, 60 miles northwest of Indianapolis, linked to the case, it was revealed on Friday. This was the house referenced by Ives in his Facebook post.
A person living on the property was interviewed but no arrests were made and no solid evidence was found during the search.
As more tips trickle in, police plan to search other properties in the hope of finding clues in the case, reported WLFI.
A search was conducted for Libby (right) and Abby (left) in the Deer Creek area on Tuesday after they had been missing for almost 24 hours
Libby posted these Snapchat photos of Abigail at Monon High Bridge Trail close to when they started hiking around 2.07pm Monday. They are the last photos of the girl
This is the bridge where Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14 were last seen alive on Monday, thanks to the Snapchat posts
Abby and Libby went missing on Monday after going for a hike at 1pm near the Monon High Bridge along the Delphi Historic Trails.
They were dropped off on Monday near Monon High Bridge by Libby's sister on what was a winter holiday from school. The girls were reported missing by their families several hours later when they did not return.
The two friends were active on social media on their phones before they disappeared, with German posting final Snapchat images of Williams walking on the bridge, which is 60 feet above the creek, at 2:07pm.
The victims were found at 12:15pm on Tuesday about three-quarters of a mile upstream from the bridge, police said.
A volunteer searching for the girls found their bodies on private property about 50-60 feet from the water.
Their cause of death and nature of injuries have not been released.
Anyone with information in the case is asked to call 844-459-5786. Callers can remain anonymous if they wish.
This is the Delphi Historic Trail near Monon High bridge where the murdered teenagers went hiking
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