Delphi murders suspect Richard Matthew Allen, who was arrested last week for the 2017 double slaying of teens Liberty "Libby" German and Abigail "Abby" Williams, lived and worked in the community.
Allen, 50, has been charged with two counts of murder for killing German, 14, and her best friend, Williams, 13 – a major break in the mysterious homicides that have baffled investigators for nearly six years.
The suspect, who has no criminal record, worked as a pharmacy technician at the local CVS in Delphi – a town that numbers about 3,000 people.
"It's concerning that it's a local guy," Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland said Monday at a press conference.
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The girls disappeared Feb. 13, 2017, after going for a hike on the Monon High Bridge Trail.
They were reported missing that night, and their lifeless bodies were found the next day in a wooded area about half a mile from the railroad bridge.
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German's grandmother, Becky Patty, told FOX 59 that Allen was the CVS worker who processed her granddaughter's photos for her funeral. He did not charge her, she said.
Her grandfather, Mike Patty, said he did not personally know Allen but that he had "probably seen him."
CVS customer Betty Cummings told the Indy Star, "He just blended right in."
Investigators searched Allen's home two weeks ago, with a focus on the property's fire pit, FOX 59 reported. The search yielded evidence that led to his arrest.
Allen appeared before Carroll County Circuit Court Judge Benjamin Diener Oct. 28 and entered a not-guilty plea.
The judge ordered Allen held without bond and sealed the probable cause affidavit and charging documents.
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Allen, who is married, came forward as a witness in the earlier stages of the investigation, a source told FOX 59.
The suspect, who appears to have no prior criminal record, moved to Delphi from Mexico, Indiana in 2006, and purchased the home he still lives in, which isn't far from where the girls' bodies were found.
He was a regular at JC's Bar and Grill, which has since been shuttered, where he liked to play pool, according to the Indy Star.
The owner, Bob Matlock, told the paper the accused killer would come in with his wife three to four times a week.
"They were a good family couple," Matlock said. "That’s what I guess was the biggest shock."
The slain girls' families were also regulars at the restaurant, Matlock said.
Officials offered few new details at the press conference Monday and did not disclose how the teens were killed or the evidence against Allen.
"We haven’t closed the door on the investigation," McLeland said. "We’re not presuming anything at this point."
A CVS spokesperson released a statement to Fox News Digital saying the company is "devastated by these murders" and "shocked and saddened to learn that one our store employees was arrested as a suspect in these crimes."
