Delphi double murder: Victim Libby German's sister Kelsi does not believe suspect James Chadwell is the killer
Kelsi German, the sister of Delphi murder victim Liberty German aka Libby, believes the pedophile that the police are investigating as a possible suspect might not be the killer. James Chadwell III was linked to the unsolved double homicide after he was accused of raping a 10-year-old girl in the basement of his home. The incident happened just 20 miles from where Abigail Williams, 13, and her friend Liberty, 14, were found dead after going for a walk along the deserted Delphi Historic Trails in February 2017.
Carroll County Sheriff Tobe Leazenby told ABC News there were "several factors" linking Chadwell to the murders of the teenagers in 2017, but Kelsi believes he is not the one who killed Liberty and Abby. A search party found the duo dead near a river, about 18 hours after they were reported missing on their remote hike.
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Yes,I’ve seen his name all over. No new updates. No press release. There is no suspect in custody in this case. LE is looking into a tip that was sent in that is now being made way bigger than it is. Until LE says hes a suspect,he is no more than another name they are looking at.
— Kelsi German (@libertyg_sister) May 6, 2021
Investigators are yet to determine if Chadwell is connected to the murders and they are reportedly still "looking into" the possibility. He has not been arrested and his lawyers have declined to comment on the claims. Speaking about the case, Kelsi tweeted on May 6, "Yes, I’ve seen his name all over. No new updates. No press release. There is no suspect in custody in this case. LE (law enforcement) is looking into a tip that was sent in that is now being made way bigger than it is. Until LE says he's a suspect, he is no more than another name they are looking at."
"They won't tell me how, they won't tell me why. They won't tell me what they are looking at. I think he is hiding in plain sight. It could be someone I know or it could be someone who is only in town sometimes," she told Washington Times Herald in an interview.
Kelsi receives an update on the investigation every month in her meeting with the police, who constantly reassure her that they are making progress in the case. Kelsi is hoping for her sister's killer to be captured and when it happens, she does not want him to be sentenced to death but wants to see the murderer serve jail time for life. "I do not want him to receive the death penalty. When they catch him, I want to see him rot in prison," she said. "I have learned that you can't go on without forgiveness, so I have forgiven him for what he did."
Kelsi says the stress from the continuing investigation still haunts her and she meets with her therapist once a week to overcome all of it. The case, which remains unsolved after four years, has been the subject of multiple news reports, true crime stories and podcasts. A video recording of a man following them was released on Snapchat from Libby's phone possibly moments before their death. Later, an audio was released which is believed to be the suspect telling the girls "down the hill". Police say she recorded it because she sensed danger and the audio and video footage turned the case into one of the most disturbing unsolved mysteries in the US.
"Abby and Libby could be any one of us," said Kelsi. "I think we can all see a little bit of ourselves in those girls. I think that is why it blew up so fast. It's such a small town. You feel safe. You can hang out with your friends and it would be OK, but it turns out it's not. Bad things are happening, even in small towns, that felt very safe." She continued, "Most of us want the world to be safe and we want to be able to go out on the trails and enjoy time with our friends. Unfortunately, we are learning we cannot do that anymore. The world is just not as safe as it used to be. Delphi is a safe place. That was our mindset, and now that has changed forever."