Richard Allen charged with killing two teenage girls who died on a hike in Indiana | US News

A man has been charged with murdering two teenage girls in Indiana five years ago, US police said.

Richard Allen, 50, was arrested last Wednesday in connection with the murders of Liberty German, 14, and Abigail Williams, 13, who died during a school day hike.

On February 13, 2017, a relative of one of the girls dropped them off on a trail near the Monon High Bridge, near their hometown of Delphi, about 60 miles (97 km) northwest of Indianapolis.

They were reported missing in the evening after failing to show up at a predetermined meeting point.

The next day, the bodies of the young men were found in a mountainous area near the trail.

Their deaths have been ruled a double homicide, but more than five years after the murders, police have not revealed how the girls died or described what evidence they have in the case.

On Friday, Allen of Delphi was formally charged with two counts of murder.

He is being held without bond in the White County Jail.

Carroll County District Attorney Nicholas McClelland said of Allen, “The concern is that he’s a local guy.”

Allen pleaded not guilty at his initial hearing on Friday.

“We have not closed the investigation,” Mr. McClelland said when asked if authorities were investigating other people.

“At this point, we’re not assuming anything.”

Days after the murder, investigators released two grainy photos of the suspect walking across an abandoned railroad bridge the girls visited and an audio recording of a man believed to be the suspect saying “down the slope.”

Authorities later released two sketches of the suspected killer, including one in April 2019 based on Liberty’s cellphone video, which is believed to be more accurate than the sketch released in July 2017.

In April 2019, police also released video footage showing a man suspected of killing the teenagers walking across an abandoned railway bridge the girls visited.