Fascinating story of how volunteer receptionist ‘cracked’ cold case Delphi murders
The suspect in Delphi’s murder might never have been prosecuted if a volunteer receptionist hadn’t made a major break in the cold case.
The trial of murder accused Richard Allen began this month and brought new evidence to light, along with the backstories of the people involved in his October 2022 arrest.
On Thursday, Kathy Shank, a volunteer charged with organizing the filing system for tens of thousands of tips and leads, explained her crucial role in the case.
She described finding the document relating to ‘Rick Allen Whitehead’ among the treasure, after his tip ‘fell through the cracks’ and left him ‘hidden in plain sight’ for years.
Allen, now 52, was interviewed by police as a potential witness after he contacted them to say he had been on the Indiana trail where victims Abigail “Abby” Williams, 13, and Liberty “Libby” German, 14, went missing on February 13. , 2017.
The Delphi murder suspect might never have been prosecuted without a volunteer receptionist who made a major break in the cold case, leading to the arrest of prime suspect Richard Allen (pictured), now on trial in Indiana.
Libby and Abby who were kidnapped and murdered while taking a walk on the Monon High Bridge trail outside Delphi, Indiana, February 13, 2017
In September 2022, Shank posted Allen’s tip to an online database — and realized that the time he said he was on the Monon High Bridge Trail matched the time the girls were believed to have disappeared.
She checked the files and found that Allen’s interview was mislabeled with Whitehead’s name and marked “deleted,” meaning no follow-up investigation was ever conducted.
It was her investigation into the apparent correlations in timing that prompted police to renew the case with a focus on Allen, leading to his ongoing trial in Indiana. He has denied being guilty of the charges.
The court also heard from Department of Natural Resources official Danial Dulin, who conducted the first brief interview with Allen in a supermarket parking lot on February 18, 2017.
He recalled finding it “strange” that Allen wouldn’t come to the office or let officers go to his house and that Allen told him he was out between 1:30 and 3:30 p.m.
Dulin didn’t remember anything special about his meeting with Allen at the time. But years later, when he was brought in for an official interview by then-Police Chief Steve Mullins and colleague Tony Liggett, now sheriff, both his story and his attitude had changed.
Mullins took the stand to recall how Allen willingly joined him and Liggett for a more formal interview on October 13, 2022.
The trial of murder accused Richard Allen began this month, bringing to light new evidence along with the backstories of the people involved in his October 2022 arrest
The so-called “bridge guy” who was filmed during the girls’ final moments is Richard Allen, according to prosecutors
By then, officers had pulled the surveillance camera off the road to the trailhead and identified a vehicle they believed to be Allen’s, which arrived around 1:27 p.m. on Feb. 13, 2017.
But when questioned in 2022, Allen, who told officers he came forward at the suggestion of his wife Kathy, said he went to the trail around noon.
He claims he did this after visiting his mother that morning and going home to pick up a coat.
Allen insisted he only stay for an hour.
He said he walked to the bridge and saw three girls leaving the path as he entered.
The alleged killer then walked up the bridge to the first platform where he stood and searched for fish before returning home, he claimed.
By then, officers had pulled the surveillance camera off the road to the trailhead and identified a vehicle they believed to be Allen’s, which arrived around 1:27 p.m. on Feb. 13, 2017.
But when questioned in 2022, Allen, who told officers he had come forward at the suggestion of his wife Kathy, said he had gone to the trail around noon after visiting his mother that morning and returning home went to pick up a jacket. He said he was only staying an hour.
He said he walked to the bridge and saw three girls leaving the path as he entered, and walked up the bridge to the first platform where he stood and looked for fish before returning home.
When asked what he was wearing that day, Allen said: a blue or black Carhartt jacket, blue jeans, a skullcap and military boots or tennis shoes.
Allen initially said officers were able to examine his phone before he changed his mind.
Then Mullins told the court: ‘We showed Mr Allen a picture of Bridge Guy and the way we phrased the question was that we had to find out if he was the person and his answer was strange.
Allen, now 52, was interviewed by police as a potential witness after he contacted them to say he had been on the Indiana trail where victims Abigail “Abby” Williams, 13, and Liberty “Libby” German, 14, went missing on February 13. , 2017
‘He said, ‘If the photo had been taken with the girls’ camera, it couldn’t possibly have been him.’
The interview ended with Allen becoming irritated and walking out.
Allen was arrested in October 2022 and charged with the murders of German and Williams.
His lawyers have claimed he is innocent and that the girls were killed as part of a ‘ritual sacrifice’ by a group of Odinists – although they have been banned from naming the sect in court.