(NewsNation) — The CVS where 50-year-old Richard Allen worked is a quarter-mile from the sheriff’s office in Delphi, Indiana, meaning the man they arrested in connection with the deaths of two teenage girls in 2017 was right under their noses the whole time.
The mystery of what happened to Libby German and Abby Williams has rocked the small town of Delphi for nearly six years. On Friday, Allen was arrested in connection with the murders of German and Williams.
German’s sister Kelsi tweeted, “Today is the day” after Allen’s arrest.
People across Delphi hope Allen’s arrest will lead to closure.
“It’s a relief now that there is someone responsible for these precious babies who are gone,” said Delphi resident Stacy Skinner. “They had so much life to live.”
German and Williams were dropped off at a gate before they went for a walk on the Monon High Bridge on Feb. 13, 2017. They never returned. They were found slain near a community hiking trail the very next day.
German had video and images of the suspect on her phone, police said. For the first time, authorities shared audio of a man saying, “down the hill.”
Despite the photos and videos, no arrests were made until Friday.
“Yesterday was a shock. How could we not know this guy? How did nobody place him when he was there at the bridge all the time, with his family, with his kids,” said true crime podcaster Jenny Marvin.
The community is now left grappling with the idea that Allen spent those years living among them.