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Zone 7 with Sheryl McCollum

The Delphi Murders: The Quest for Justice with Barbara MacDonald

Zone 7 with Sheryl McCollum

iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline

True Crime

4.4696 Ratings

🗓️ 23 August 2023

⏱️ 38 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On February 14, 2017, Abigail Williams and Liberty German are discovered near the Monon High Bridge Trail, part of the Delphi Historic Trails in Delphi, Indiana.

In this episode of Zone 7, Crime Scene Investigator, Sheryl McCollum, talks with guest Barbara MacDonald and dives into the chilling case of Liberty German and Abigail Williams, two young girls found murdered in Delphi, Indiana.

The episode explores the hidden trails, the significance of the bridge, and the mysterious parked car that may hold the key to the case. MacDonald's extensive experience and empathy for the victims add depth to the discussion, while McCollum's insights into the investigation process provide a unique perspective.

Show Notes:

  • [0:00] Welcome back to Zone 7 with Crime Scene Investigator, Sheryl McCollum.  
  • [1:05] Sheryl gives a timeline of events in the case of Liberty German and Abigail Williams 
  • [2:52] Sheryl introduces guest, Barbara MacDonald to the listeners 
  • [2:55] Check out Down the Hill Podcast HERE 
  • [7:00] The emphasis on a fair trial for Richard Allen underscores the importance of due process
  • [8:36] Barbara points out inconsistencies in the case, building anticipation for the 2024 trial
  • [10:30] Question: Barbara, you got to spend six weeks, boots on the ground.  Could you tell us about that?
  • [12:34] Barbara gives a description of the trail area and paints a vivid picture of the community's loss
  • [15:30] Reflection on the global impact of the crime, highlighting the Snapchat evidence calling this case “the Snapchat killing” 
  • [17:30] The hidden location of the bridge suggests the perpetrator's familiarity with the area
  • [19:30] Discussion of the secluded area where the girls were found
  • [24:57] Question: When you found out that on the video when one of the girls mentioned the word gun, what was your reaction? 
  • [26:18] Speculation about the unspent ejected shell casing found at the crime scene raises questions
  • [33:30] Question: Any last thoughts, Barbara? 
  • [34:37] Down the Hill Podcast: A personal anecdote about a team member illustrates the close-knit nature of podcasters
  • [37:19] “From now on, it is our task to suspect each and every one among us.” -A.C 
  • Thanks for listening to another episode! If you’re loving the show and want to help grow the show, please head over to Itunes and leave a rating and review! How to Leave an Apple Podcast Review: First, Open the podcast app on your iPhone, Mac, or iPad. Then, hit the “Search” tab at the bottom right-hand corner of the page and search for Zone 7. Select the podcast, scroll down to find the subheading “Ratings & Reviews”. and select “Write a Review.” Next, select the number of stars you’d like to leave. Please choose 5 stars! Using the text box which says “Title,” write a title for your review. Then in the text box, write the review itself. The review can be up to 300 words long, but doesn’t need to be much more than: “Love the show! Thanks!” or Once you’re done select “Send” in the upper right-hand corner.

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Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an Emmy Award winning CSI, a writer for CrimeOnLine, Forensic and Crime Scene Expert for Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, and a CSI for a metro Atlanta Police Department. She is the co-author of the textbook., Cold Case: Pathways to Justice. Sheryl is also the founder and director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, a collaboration between universities and colleges that brings researchers, practitioners, students and the criminal justice community together to advance techniques in solving cold cases and assist families and law enforcement with solvability factors for unsolved homicides, missing persons, and kidnapping cases.  

You can connect and learn more about Sheryl’s work by visiting the CCIRI website https://coldcasecrimes.org

Social Links:

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

One of my best childhood friends was Tim and his backyard backed up to my backyard.

0:18.0

So all we had to do to get together was climb over the fence Tim was

0:23.2

was always planning some types of adventure for us making rafts like hunt

0:28.7

fenn so we could try to cross Massingale Lake building ramp to jump our bikes

0:34.0

starting fires with magnifying glasses once he even showed me just how far we

0:41.3

could be away from home by cutting through the woods, crossing the creek, and coming out on the

0:47.8

other side. We were literally on the other side of town. Tim was always ready to jump off something, build something, or take off on one of our escapades.

1:00.0

I think about my time with him when I think about Delphi.

1:05.0

In this case, two young kids heading out on an adventure, and it occurs to me what could have been, what should have been.

1:16.2

Monday, February 13, 2017, Liberty Germans and Abigail Williams went missing.

1:25.0

They went missing in Delphi, Indiana. Off the high bridge, law enforcement and

1:30.3

families searched through the 9th. February 14th, the next day, law enforcement and volunteers

1:37.3

continued their search, and during that search, their bodies were found. February 15th, law enforcement revealed that Libby's phone

1:47.6

contained images of the suspected killer. The girls were found half a mile from the bridge on the

1:55.2

property of a man by the name of Ronald Logan. February 22, 2017,

2:03.5

law enforcement released the infamous audio that we've all heard

2:08.6

where we believe the killer says,

2:12.2

down the hill.

2:13.7

July 17th, 2017, law enforcement releases the first sketch of the suspect.

2:19.9

April 22, 2019, the Indiana State Police released a second sketch.

2:26.6

The second sketch is of a younger man.

2:29.0

October 26th, 2022.

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