Mystery man pictured on railway bridge where two teenage girls were last seen IS the 'main suspect' in their double murder - but police still don't know who he is

  • Officers with the Indiana State Police, Carroll County Sheriff's deputies and FBI agents executed search warrant at a home near Delphi, Indiana, Thursday
  • The search was part of an investigation into the murders of Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14, whose bodies were found on Tuesday 
  • Police have issued a picture of a man they believe is the main suspect who was on the bridge 'around the same time' as the teens 
  • Picture is only known lead in the investigation which has been made public by law enforcement -  who have yet to say how teenagers were killed
  • Police have also not said if girls' phones have been recovered or who took the picture of the mystery man 

By Hannah Parry and Snejana Farberov For Dailymail.com

Published: 12:51 EST, 19 February 2017 | Updated: 16:14 EST, 19 February 2017

The man who was pictured walking along a hiking trail where two teenage girls were later found dead has been confirmed by police as the 'main suspect' in their murders.

The bodies of Libby German, 14, and Abby Williams, 13, were discovered on Tuesday a quarter-mile from an abandoned railroad bridge on the Monon High Bridge Trail.

Police had initially just wanted to speak to the mysterious man who was snapped on that same bridge, the same day the girls were killed. They released two grainy photos of the individual, dressed in jeans, a blue jacket and hat, and asked anyone who knew him to come forward. 

'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. 

But that position appears to have changed over the weekend and on Sunday, Sgt. Tony Slocum confirmed that 'the totality of the evidence' so far led authorities to the conclusion that he's a suspect. 

Interest: Police in Delphi, Indiana have indicated that they would like to speak to this man - who was pictured near to the Monon Bridge where Abigail Williams and Liberty German started their ill-fated walk
Interest: Police in Delphi, Indiana have indicated that they would like to speak to this man - who was pictured near to the Monon Bridge where Abigail Williams and Liberty German started their ill-fated walk

Interest: Police 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

Abigail Williams, 13, was last known to be alive on Monday at the bridge
Liberty German was last known to be alive on Monday at the bridge

A search was conducted for Liberty German (right) and Abigail Williams (left) in the Deer Creek area after being missing for almost 24 hours

Slocum is urging the public to call police with tips about the man. 

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.

A person living on the property was interviewed but no arrests were made and no solid evidence was found during the search, it was revealed on Friday.

As more tips trickle in, police plan to search other properties in the hope of finding clues in the case, reported the station WLFI. 

As part of the multi-agency murder investigation, a mobile command center was established for teams of agents at the municipal building on East Main Street in Delphi.

On Thursday, a satellite link was set up to provide a secure, direct link with FBI headquarters in DC and also with the Department of Homeland Security, local police said.

The move emphasizes law enforcement's concern over the double murder.

A new telephone tip line has been established in the case. The number is 844-459-5786. Callers can remain anonymous if they wish.  

Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14, went missing on Monday after going for a hike at 1pm near the Monon High Bridge along the Delphi Historic Trails. 

Liberty German posted these Snapchats of Abigail around 2pm Monday
The two girls were found dead in the Deer Creek area - three-quarters of a mile from where they posted the snap

German posted these Snapchats of Abigail at Monon High Bridge Trail close to when they started hiking around 2.07pm Monday. They are the last photos of Williams

An old, mud-spattered sedan sits on the property near Delphi were police served the search warrant Thursday 

An old, mud-spattered sedan sits on the property near Delphi were police served the search warrant Thursday 

Tipped off: Police were led to the property by tips that have been coming in since Libby German, 14, and Abby Williams, 13, were found dead on Tuesday

Tipped off: Police were led to the property by tips that have been coming in since Libby German, 14, and Abby Williams, 13, were found dead on Tuesday

Last sighting: This is the bridge where Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14 are last known to have been alive on Monday, thanks to a Snapchat post

Last sighting: This is the bridge where Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14 are last known to have been alive on Monday, thanks to a Snapchat post

Final steps: This is the Delphi Historic Trail near Monon High bridge where the murdered teenagers went hiking

Final steps: This is the Delphi Historic Trail near Monon High bridge where the murdered teenagers went hiking

Riley would not provide a specific time stamp for the picture or say how the image had been captured due to the ongoing investigation.

St Riley said that investigators had cleared a number of people who were in the Delphi Historic Trails area at the same time as the girls on Monday.

'At the moment we've talked to everybody that we feel that has been through there and none of them are coming up as suspect,' Riley said.

He added: 'Everybody is still a suspect but they went from high on the list to low on the list.' 

Police were no longer posted at access points to the trail on Thursday after FBI specialists spent Tuesday and Wednesday gathering evidence at the scene.

German and Williams were dropped off on Monday near Monon High Bridge by German's sister to go for a hike on what was a winter holiday from school. The girls were reported missing by their families several hours later when they did not return.

Federal link: Law enforcement have installed a link to FBI and Department of Homeland Security facilities elsewhere in the country as the hunt is stepped up 

Federal link: Law enforcement have installed a link to FBI and Department of Homeland Security facilities elsewhere in the country as the hunt is stepped up 

In mourning: The town of Delphi is praying for the families of the murdered girls

In mourning: The town of Delphi is praying for the families of the murdered girls

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 exposed, rickety wooden bridge in the photographs bears an eerie resemblance to the train tracks featured in movie Stand By Me, adapted from Stephen King novel, The Body. In the movie a group of young people find a body by the tracks.

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 were not released.    

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