While Investigating Murders Of Abigail Williams And Liberty German, Police Seek Information On Social Media Profile With Stolen Images Of Male Model
DELPHI, Ind. (CBS/AP) -- While investigating the 2017 murders of Abigail Williams and Liberty German, Indiana State Police and detectives with the Carroll County, Indiana Sheriff's office uncovered an online profile that was used to try to lure teenage girls.
The profile handle name was "anthony_shots." The profile was used in 2016 and 2017 on social media applications such as Snapchat and Instagram, police said.
The fictitious "anthony_shots" profile used images of a known male model who is not really connected to the profile and is not a person of interest, state police said.
The user of the accounts portrayed himself as being very wealthy and owning numerous sports cars, and he contacted underage girls to solicit nude images, obtain their addresses, and tried to meet them.
Police released photos of the male model whose image was stolen for the "anthony_shots" profile. State police said the model has already been identified and reiterated that he is not a person of interest.
Detectives are trying to figure out who created the "anthony_shots" profile.
Anyone who communicated with, met, or attempted to meet the "anthony_shots" profile is asked to contact the Carroll County Sheriff's office using tip email abbyandlibbytip@cacoshrf.com, or phone number (765) 822-3535.
Those who have had contact are asked to provide as much information as possible – including when and how they communicated with "anthony_shots," what social media applications were involved, and if "anthony_shots" ever tried to meet them or obtain their address. Anyone with saved images or conversations with "anthony_shots" is asked to attach them to their email.
The bodies of Liberty German, 14, and Abigail Williams, 13, were found in a rugged area near a hiking trail on Feb. 14, 2017, one day after they vanished while walking on that trail near the Monon High Bridge, just outside their hometown of Delphi, Indiana, about 60 miles northwest of Indianapolis.
Within days of the killings, investigators released two grainy photos of a suspect walking on the abandoned railroad bridge the girls had visited, and an audio recording of a man believed to be the suspect saying "down the hill."
Authorities have since released two sketches of the suspected killer, including one in April 2019 based on video from German's cellphone that's believed to be more accurate than a sketch released in July 2017.
Police also released video in April 2019 which shows the man suspected of killing the teens walking on the abandoned railroad bridge the girls had visited.
(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)