Possible suspect in Delphi murders on police radar since the killings
Ron Wilkins
Lafayette Journal & Courier
Just days after police released the photo of "bridge man" in the investigations of the killings of teenagers Libby German and Abby Williams, at least 15 tipsters said the man was Ron Logan, according to an affidavit for a search warrant.
The man pictured in the video killed Libby and Abby on Logan's property along Deer Creek and east of the Monon High Bridge.
Affidavit gives new updates on Dephi murders
The March 17, 2017, affidavit sheds lights on the crime scene.
The bodies had been staged and the killing would likely have caused the killer to get blood on himself. The killer also took a piece of clothing from the girls, according to the affidavit, which described this as a souvenir of the killings. The killer also might have photos of the crimes.
Libby and Abby did not appear to struggle or fight with their killer, according to the affidavit.
The investigation into Ron Logan
Two of Logan's former girlfriends told police that Logan was violent and threatened to kill them, according to the affidavit.
Logan, who was 77 when the girls were killed, did not have any trouble walking or getting up and down the hills along Deer Creek, according to the affidavit, which also noted that Logan has a similar build as the man in the picture.
The Murder Sheet podcast published the affidavit filed by a FBI agent asking for a warrant to search. The Journal & Courier confirmed with law enforcement that the affidavit is authentic.
The affidavit indicates that Logan, who died in January 2020, lied to investigators.
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It also indicated that Logan asked his cousin the morning of Feb. 14, 2017, to tell police — if asked — that he picked up Logan at his house between 2 and 2:30 p.m. Feb. 13, 2017, and drove to an aquarium store in Lafayette.
"Based on investigators experience it is reasonable to believe that the creation of an alibi prior to the discovery of a crime indicates culpability or knowledge of the crime," the affidavit states.
The affidavit also noted that Logan's voice could be the man on the audio recording released by police in which the killer orders the girls to "go down the hill."
Cellphone records indicate that Logan's phone on the afternoon of Feb. 13, 2017, was in the area of the Moon High Bridge and near the banks of the creek where the girls' bodies were found. But the girls were killed about 1,400 feet from Logan's home, and the bridge is about 1/3 of a mile from the crime scene.
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What Ron Logan said in 2017
The Journal & Courier interviewed Logan on Feb. 15, 2017 — two days after the killings.
"To have anyone murdered on your property … I don't know what my feelings are right now. It caught me by surprise," Logan said, recalling how the two days after the killings were filled with people — first the police, then the reporters — asking him questions upon questions.
"I haven't really had a chance to let it soak in," Logan said after a brief pause to think about the day's events. "I know the families."
Initial interview of suspect: 'This is a double homicide investigation'
"My kids grew up in this area," Logan said in 2017. "He went back there with his schoolmates. They went back there fishing and playing in the creek. Grace of God, it didn't happen to them."
He paused for a second, then said, "It is a different time."
Carroll County Sheriff Tobe Leazenby responds
The Journal & Courier spoke with Carroll County Sheriff Tobe Leazenby asking about whether the affidavit and search warrants were sealed.
Leazenby said he believed they were, but Logan received copies of the warrant, and Logan was known to share those documents with others, including the media.
Investigators have been tightlipped about the details of the crime, the crime scene and suspects, so Leazenby didn't want to see this information in the media.
"This is part of what needed to be reserved for the courtroom," Leazenby said of protecting the information from the case.
"Time will be the judge," he said when asked if the investigation might be hindered. "It might not be detrimental to the investigation."
As for Logan, police did search his house, property, digital devices and out buildings on March 17, 2017. It was the second search.
There is no indication of what police found during the searches.
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Police arrested Logan on March 16, 2017, on allegations he violated his probation from a 2014 drunk driving case. They also charged him with being a habitual traffic violator for driving his truck to the landfill the morning of Feb. 13, 2017.
Logan pleaded guilty to both the charges and the violation of his probation, and he was ordered to serve two years in prison, according to online court records.
He was released in January 2018 after his prison sentence was modified to in-home detention, according to court records.
Police have not charged Logan — or any other person — with killing Libby or Abby, and the case remains under investigation.
Tips may be emailed to abbyandlibbytip@cacoshrf.com or by phone at (765) 822-3535.
Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.