DELPHI, Indiana — Homicide suspect Richard Matthew Allen has lived in the Delphi, Indiana, community for at least 16 years, records show, and his home is about 2.5 miles from where two teenagers were found dead in 2017.
Authorities on Monday announced an arrest in the unsolved murders of the two teenage girls. Allen was arrested the previous Friday. He is a drugstore worker who has been living in the same small northern Indiana community where their bodies were found after they went on a hike nearly six years ago.
The 50-year-old lives in a residential neighborhood on Whiteman Drive in Delphi. Property records show he and Kathy Allen have owned the home, currently valued at $171,800, since 2006. The home is a half-mile from Delphi Community Middle School, which the two teens, Abby Williams, 13, and Libby German, 14, attended.
The investigation is “far from complete,” State Police Superintendent Doug Carter said at a news conference on Monday. He encouraged the community to come forward with more information, and said if any other people “had any involvement in these murders in any way, that person or persons will be held accountable."
The evidence against Allen, a licensed pharmacy technician who worked at a local CVS store, has been temporarily sealed to avoid jeopardizing the “integrity” of their investigation, authorities said.
“While I know you were all expecting final details today concerning this arrest, today is not that day,” Carter said.
Allen has no criminal history. WRTV found two speeding tickets: one in Jasper County in 2011, and another in Fulton County in 2005.
In the 2005 case, records show Allen was going 74 in a 55 mph zone, but the case was dismissed because Allen reached a pretrial diversion agreement with prosecutors. Allen also had a seat belt violation in Miami County in 2003.
Richard Allen is a licensed pharmacy technician in the state of Indiana, state records show. His pharmacy license does not expire until June 30, 2024.
WRTV has confirmed that Allen was employed at the Delphi CVS location. A spokesperson for the store released the following statement to WRTV on Monday:
"As members of the Carroll County community, we remain devastated by these murders and our hearts go out to the German and Williams families. We are shocked and saddened to learn that one of our store employees was arrested as a suspect in these crimes. We stand ready to cooperate with the police investigation in any way we can."
Pharmacy technicians help pharmacists dispense prescription medication to customers or health professionals, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Allen is a 1991 graduate of North Miami Sr. High School in Miami County, as confirmed by the district superintendent Kenneth Hanson.
WRTV called phone numbers listed for Allen and his family members, but they either didn’t answer or hung up when WRTV Investigates Kara Kenney identified herself.
The deaths of Libby and Abby were ruled a double homicide, but police have never disclosed how they died or described what evidence they gathered. A relative had dropped them off at a hiking trail near the Monon High Bridge just outside their hometown of Delphi, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) northwest of Indianapolis. Their bodies were found the next day, Feb. 14, 2017, in a rugged, heavily wooded area near the trail.
Libby’s grandmother, Becky Patty, told reporters that Allen once processed photos for the family at the CVS store in Delphi where Allen worked. He didn’t charge them for the photos, she added.
The families always knew that the suspect could have been “living right amongst us, hiding in plain sight,” said Libby's grandfather, Mike Patty. “That's why we never stopped searching anywhere, because we didn't know where he was.”
The Pattys wore gray shirts that read “Today is the Day ... Justice will be served for Abby and Libby," to Monday’s news conference.
A judge found probable cause to arrest Allen, who entered a not-guilty plea at his initial hearing on Friday, authorities said. “All persons arrested are presumed innocent,” Carter said.
Sheriff Bill Brooks in adjacent White County, where Allen is being held without bond, said he did not know whether Allen has an attorney. No murder case was listed Monday afternoon under his name in Indiana’s online court system.
“We haven’t closed the door on the investigation,” McLeland said when asked if authorities were investigating others. “We’re not presuming anything at this point.”
