'Lost surveillance' that could crack Delphi murder mystery leaves victim's mom 'disgusted' over FBI 'failures'

A MOTHER of one of the girls killed in the still-unsolved Delphi murders says she is "disgusted" with the FBI following reports the bureau bungled potentially crucial evidence in the case.

Carrie German told The U.S. Sun that she is shocked and frustrated - but not all that surprised - by the claims, having been "repeatedly let down" by law enforcement in the five years since her daughter Libby was killed.

"I'm slightly surprised because I'd expect the local police department to fumble the ball like that, but I wouldn't have thought the FBI would," said an anguished Carrie.

"It's extremely frustrating ... these people are meant to be protecting and serving yet apparently they can't even retrieve evidence properly.

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"These are the people who are saying ‘oh, we’ll catch him. Don’t worry.’ But how?

"Honestly, it just disgusts me."

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Carrie's remarks stem from new information shared by The Murder Sheet podcast, which claimed the FBI failed to obtain surveillance footage from a gas station in Delphi during the early stages of the investigation into the February 2017 killings.

According to podcasters Áine Cain and Kevin Greenlee, the footage may have helped to place a potential suspect at the scene.

Kegan Kline, an accused pedophile who was communicating with Libby through a catfish social media account, reportedly Googled the Marathon gas station in Delphi on Feb. 13, 2017 - the same day Libby, 14, and Abigail Williams, 13, were murdered near a bridge.

Kline, of Peru, Indiana, has repeatedly denied any involvement in the case and has not been publicly named as a suspect. He also denied being in Delphi on the day the murders were committed.

Sources close to the investigation told Murder Sheet that FBI agents were instructed by the Indiana State Police to go to the Marathon gas station to obtain surveillance footage and see if Kline ever went there.

A gas station worker told police he remembered agents coming in to collect the footage and that they cooperated fully.

The FBI, as per the podcast's sources, reportedly tried to download the video to a thumb drive but suffered a technical issue.

When the issue persisted, the gas station worker handed over a hard drive containing the footage which agents then took away with them.

However, there were either additional technical issues or "some kind of task management mishap" and the FBI later returned the hard drive without having viewed or downloaded the footage.

If you can't trust the police to do their jobs and you can't trust the FBI, then what hope do we have?

Carrie GermanLibby's mom

When contacted for comment about the claims by The U.S. Sun, the Indianapolis division of the FBI declined to discuss any aspect of the case, citing an ongoing investigation.

Carrie German, meanwhile, believes the FBI may have missed a crucial opportunity to make headway in the case in the immediate aftermath of Libby's death.

But now, five and a half years on, with only questions and very few answers, Carrie says has lost all faith in law enforcement to bring her daughter's killer to justice.

"Who can we even turn to at this point?" she asked.

"If you can't trust the police to do their jobs and you can't trust the FBI, then what hope do we have?

"It's just crazy to me."

CATFISH LINK

Despite little movement over the last few years, a potential breakthrough may have unfolded in the case in the last few weeks.

Members of the Indiana State Police (ISP) have spent over two weeks searching through a section of the Wabash River in Peru, combing through the shallow waters with metal detectors and scuba gear.

The river is roughly 40 miles away from where Libby and Abby were killed, and around two miles from Kegan Kline's family home, which was raided by police 12 days after the murders.

Police have not confirmed what it is they're searching for.

In a statement to The U.S. Sun, a spokesperson for ISP said: "The Indiana State Police does have a dive team in the area, but I cannot confirm that they are conducting a search or if it is related to the Delphi Investigation."

Sources have indicated to Murder Sheet that the search is connected to the Delphi murders, Cain told ABC7 on Thursday.

Much of that belief stems from a court document unsealed earlier this month that revealed Kline had been temporarily moved from the custody of his local authorities and into the hands of ISP, the lead investigators in the murders of Abby and Libby.

The brief exchange happened around the same time the search in the Wabash River began.

Kline was arrested two years ago on unrelated child pornography charges. His trial for that case has been repeatedly pushed back by officials for reasons unknown.

The 28-year-old has not been charged in connection to the deaths of Libby and Abby and has never been publicly named as a suspect.

Kline's name first emerged in the case late last year when investigators announced they were looking into a social media user called Anthony_Shots who had been in communication with Libby prior to her death.

The account, it would later emerge, was being run by Kline who allegedly used images of a male model to solicit nude images and videos from underage girls.

In a transcript of an interview with police from August 2020, Kline admitted to interacting with Libby on the account but denied any wrongdoing.

"I literally have no clue how that girl died,” Kline told investigators.

“I don't know anything, anything to do with it. Yeah, that is a weird a** coincidence that I happened to talk to her, like, I get that," he added.

He also claimed - without naming names - that he wasn't the only person with access to the bogus social media account.

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS

As investigators continue to mysteriously search the Wabash River, Carrie German insists she isn't getting her hopes up that a breakthrough could be near or already unfolding.

She said she hasn't been contacted by police about the search as she has been for other significant developments and everything she knows about it she learned on Facebook.

"It certainly seems like it could be significant but as to what it pertains to I don’t have a clue," said Carrie.

"It could potentially have nothing to do with the girls at all and that’s the sickening thing about it all, that it gets all this talk, but it may have nothing to do with them, and then I get myself all upset over nothing.

"I don't want to put too much stock into it until I hear something from law enforcement," she added.

"I don't know what they're looking for ... it could be a weapon, it could be a laptop, it could be something as small as a trophy from the murders - it could be anything.

"It’s obviously significant in some way, I can only just hope that it’s for the girls but we don’t know.

"If it is related, whatever they're looking for I hope it comes sooner rather than later.

"It would be great to finally get some justice for the girls."

THE SNAPCHAT MURDERS

The bodies of 14-year-old Libby German, and her best-friend Abby Williams, 13, were discovered by police on Valentine's Day 2017.

The two girls were reported missing a day earlier after vanishing while hiking along the Delphi Historic Trails during a day off from school.

Police have never publicly revealed how Libby and Abby were killed.

Few updates other updates have been issued by investigators over the last five years

One crucial item of evidence at the center of the investigation is a short video captured by Libby on her phone, showing a white male, dressed in jeans, a hoodie, and a blue jacket, with his hands in his pockets, walking towards the eighth graders on a bridge.

The man, who police believe killed the girls, chillingly tells them: "Hey guys ... down the hill."

The identity of the man depicted remains a mystery.

Anyone with information about the murders of Libby and Abby is asked to email  or call 844-459-5786.