DELPHI MURDERS: Internet calls out 'fake' death certificates of Liberty German and Abigail Williams
DELPHI, INDIANA: Teenagers Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14, were murdered in February 2017 and it took many years for cops to nab the culprit, 50-year-old married man Richard Allen, and take him into custody on October 28. However, there are many details that are still a mystery, including their death certificates. Now, a Reddit user claimed to have found the certificates but many pointed out the inaccurate details and tagged it as fake.
Shared on December 18 by a page named LibbyandAbby, the certificates were supposedly downloaded from Ancestry.com, a site that keeps historical records. However, the certificates stated the cause of death as "suicide" and marital status as "married but separated." To this, many people were quick to react with one saying, "I’m almost reluctant to believe these are real documents. It looks more like someone got hold of an Indiana death certificate and faked it, forgetting to redo blanks for things like marital status and manner of death."
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One questioned, "Why does it say “suicide” on both certificates in the #33 box????" One more said, "How sure are we that these are legit? Because a couple of things are a bit wonky and aren't passing the smell test for me at first blush. The most glaring one of those things is: Why, under "Marital status at time of death" are both girls listed as "Married but separated"? And to a much lesser extent, why is Abby's father's name listed as "Unknown, Unknown"? "I think these are either fake or grossly inaccurate if real," wrote a person, while another individual said, "Isn’t there supposed to be a seal stamp? All death certificates I’ve seen have a seal stamp. I don’t think this is valid."
However, a section of people tried to justify it being original. One shared an article by The New York Times, that stated that major errors, like incorrect cause or manner of death, occur in 33 to 40% of death certificates. The article further mentioned that "there are many reasons for the high rate of inaccurate or incomplete death certificates, starting with the meager attention paid to the subject in medical school and the hectic pace in many medical settings. Speed is sometimes dictated by the need to release a body to a funeral home for burial or cremation. The CDC has estimated that 20 to 30 percent of death certificates, though not necessarily inaccurate, 'have issues with completeness.'"
Details of Delphi murders
On February 13, 2017, German and Williams were killed while visiting the Monon High Bridge in Delphi. The girls' bodies were reportedly found near a hiking trail the next day. Police gathered information by analyzing photos, videos, and audio recordings found on German’s phone. Officials arrested Allen on Friday, October 28, as previously reported by MEAWW, and was formally charged with two counts of murder and taken to the White County Jail, where he is currently being held without bond.
This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.