DELPHI, Ind. – The murders of Abby Williams and Libby German have remained unsolved since that fateful day in February 2017, when the girls went for a walk on the historic trails of Delphi and never came back.
The girls were dropped off on Feb. 13, 2017. A frantic search ensued after they failed to return. Indiana State Police said their bodies were found the next day. Since then, the crime has haunted their family, the community and central Indiana.
Investigators released sketches and audio clips. They’ve appealed to the public for tips. Yet the case remains unsolved.
In recent months, however, the case has seen some new developments. Here’s what we know.
What do we know about Kegan Kline?
Kegan Kline is charged in Miami County with 30 counts, including possession of child pornography, child exploitation, child solicitation and synthetic identity deception. He was arrested in August 2020.
Indiana State Police have linked him with a social media profile called “anthony_shots.” Last year, ISP appealed for information from anyone who may have interacted with the account.
According to court documents, Kline has admitted to interacting with multiple teen girls. Police said the account solicited photos and attempted to arrange meetings.
Investigators with ISP and the FBI executed a search warrant on Kline’s residence on Feb. 25, 2017—more than a week after the murders—in connection with the anthony_shots account. When the court documents came to light in December 2021, there was no explicit link between anthony_shots and the Delphi murders.
Kline, it’s important to emphasize, has not been criminally charged in connection with the murders and ISP hasn’t said he’s a suspect.
What about the anthony_shots case?
Information initially released to the public about the murders centered around a pair of composite sketches as well as a photo and audio taken from Libby German’s phone. But in December 2021, Indiana State Police released images from the anthony_shots profile, which had been used from 2016 to 2017 on social media apps, including Snapchat and Instagram.
The profile used a known male model, attempted to solicit images from girls and tried to meet with them. The creator of the profile portrayed himself as wealthy. ISP asked anyone who had interacted with the account to contact them, although they didn’t make a direct tie between the social media profile and the Delphi case.
The model seen on the profile had nothing to do with the account.
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Image from anthony_shots profile -
Booking phot of Kegan Kline
Was Kegan Kline the only person to use the account?
According to interview transcripts, Kline told investigators multiple people had access to the anthony_shots account. New information shows investigators believed at least two people used it.
Investigators based that information on forensic investigation into the syntax, or wording, used in interactions. In a later interview, Kline told investigators his father had access to the account.
What are these new transcripts that have come to light?
The Murder Street podcast obtained transcripts of interviews with Kline that were briefly posted on a Miami County court website earlier this month. They include an interview involving Kline, a state trooper and a sheriff’s deputy from August 2020.
The transcripts show the anthony_shots account had interacted with Libby German, the first time we’ve explicitly learned of an interaction between anthony_shots and either of the girls. When investigators confronted Kline about a supposed meeting with Libby on the Delphi High Bridge, Kline said he didn’t recall such a plan.
Another set of transcripts involved an interview between Kline and HLN producer Barbara McDonald. The jailhouse interview was conducted on Dec. 9, 2021. In the interview, Kline said he doesn’t think he’ll be charged in connection with the Delphi case.
He also told McDonald he believed investigators were trying to pin the murders on his father.
According to the transcripts, investigators knew Libby German was interacting with anthony_shots at a sleepover the night before the murders. Police believe she was “completely enthralled” with the online persona.
Kline told investigators he didn’t exchange photos with Libby. He did, however, say he received photos from one of her friends who was at the same sleepover.
What do the transcripts say about Kline’s actions after the murders?
Police told Kline he failed a polygraph test when questioned about the Delphi murders. He also deleted the search history on his phone between Feb. 10 and Feb. 15, 2017. He admitted his father was “freaking out” when Kline told him he was being questioned about the Delphi murders.
Court documents previously released in the case showed Kline had deleted data from multiple electronic devices in the days and weeks after the murders. Those court documents, heavily redacted, did not include chat transcripts or internet search history linking the investigation to the Delphi case.
What do we know about Kline’s father?
The transcripts show Kline was asked about the possible involvement of his father. He told investigators his dad had access to the anthony_shots profile.
In the McDonald interview, Kline said his father was abusive and once held guns on him and his mother. Kline also said his father had past domestic violence cases filed against him and a history of violence toward women.
Kline said his father liked “younger women” and claimed he once slept with a 17-year-old when Kline was 20.
What are Indiana State Police saying about the transcripts?
While the transcripts include information about the Delphi investigation, Indiana State Police had no role in their release. Investigators haven’t publicly linked anthony_shots, Kegan Kline or his father to the Delphi case. Kline, it’s again important to emphasize, has not been criminally charged in connection with the murders and ISP hasn’t said he’s a suspect.
Indiana State Police released a statement about the transcripts to make it clear the agency had no role in their release. ISP said the investigation into the Delphi murders remains ongoing, and “out of respect for that, the ISP decline to comment at this time.”
