Delphi murders: Police seek information on fake social media profile that may be linked to killings
Libby German, 14, and Abby Williams, 13 were found dead after the teen girls were reported missing after hike in 2017
DELPHI, Ind. (WLS) -- Indiana police may have a break in the Delphi murder case of two teenage girls.
Libby German, 14, and Abby Williams, 13, were reported missing on Feb. 13, 2017, after they went hiking at Delphi Historic Trails in Indiana.
When they didn't show up at a designated meetup time, an extensive search ensued. Their bodies were found the next day in a wooded area near the trails, about a half-mile upstream from where they had been dropped off.
RELATED: Police, FBI continue search for suspect 4 years after killing of teen girls
Detectives with the Carroll County Sheriff's Office and Indiana State Police announced Monday that they have uncovered a fictitious online profile and are asking for help identifying the person who created it.
Police said the profile "anthony_shots" appears to have been used from 2016 to 2017 on social media apps, including but not limited to, Snapchat and Instagram. The profile allegedly used pictures of a known male model, who is not a person of interest in the investigation.
State police said the use of the photos is "crucial" to their investigation, which is why they released the images to the public. They need to locate others who may have interacted with the anthony_shots profile during 2016 and 2017.
The unknown creator of the fictitious profile allegedly used it to communicate with juvenile girls to solicit nude images, obtain addresses and attempt to meet them, police said.
Professor Jeremy Hajek, who teaches at the Illinois Institute of Technology's College of Computing, said what this profile did is called catfishing.
"The nature of social media, there isn't verification. The digital profile says 'I am somebody,' but you have very little information to prove that the person is who they said they are," he explained.
Since it's not possible to track a social media profile's location, collecting other communications with anthony_shots could help investigators to find his real identity.
"There could be a term," Hajek said. "Every generation has its own slang or words that are used that could identify an age range, or maybe a technical term that could identify a background in a certain industry."
German, who has been praised as a hero for having the presence of mind, turned on her cell phone's video camera which gave police a grainy photo of a suspect. The man was seen in the video wearing blue jeans, a blue coat and a hoodie.
Police were also able to obtain audio from the video where he can be heard saying the words, "down the hill." For years, police have hoped someone might be able to identify the voice.
WATCH: Ind. State Police superintendent addresses Delphi killer
Anyone who communicated with, met or attempted to meet the "anthony_shots" profile is asked to contact law enforcement by utilizing the tip email/phone number: abbyandlibbytip@cacoshrf.com or 765-822-3535.
