See a resemblance?
By Liza Walter — Written on Oct 13, 2017
The Delphi murders have remained unsolved for 8 months now, but after a person of interest — Daniel Nations — was arrested in Colorado for crimes authorities say share striking similarities to some of the unreleased details of the case, there has been a renewed interest from the media and among armchair sleuths who have been following the case from day one.
The families of Liberty 'Libby" German (age 14) and Abigail 'Abby' Williams (age 13) have lived out every parents worst fear: Finding out your child has been killed in a horrific murder that — while limited details have been released to protect the integrity of the case — detectives have called "the stuff of nightmares."
On an unseasonably warm winter day, February 13, 2017, the two best friends took a last minute trip to the Monon High Trail in Delphi, Indiana to walk, talk, take pictures for their social media accounts and do what young teenagers do ... hang out.
Tragically, that would be the last anyone saw of them. On February 14, 2017, both bodies were found a half of a mile from the bridge they were last seen on. A cause of death has not been released, but there has been an ongoing investigation into their murders that even involves the FBI.
Initially called the "Snapchat Murders," Libby had posted a picture of Abby walking the bridge at around 2:07 PM that day on her Snapchat account. It is the last time anyone heard from the girls.
The last known photo of Abigail Williams taken by Liberty German
According to authorities, soon after the photo was taken, the murderer (or murderers) approached the girls and told them to go "down the hill." We know this because Liberty German was brave and had the clear state of mind to turn on the video camera on her cell phone (though, as far as we know, most of what was recorded is audio).
Detectives were able to crop a picture out of the video of the suspect who is now known as "Bridge Guy."
Image Credit: WTHR - Still image of the suspected killer taken from Liberty German's phone.
Police released a snippet of the audio of the suspect's voice in hopes that the public may recognize him. You can hear him direct the girls with those 3 haunting words: "Down the hill."
Since the murders, there's been much speculation as to who this man on the bridge is. Many have been falsely accused, causing the Indiana State Police to request that "armchair" detectives do NOT post pictures online of who they suspect.
As the case started to feel cold, a new person of interest was announced.
A man by the name of Daniel Nations was arrested in Colorado for having a hatchet and a .22 caliber gun in his vehicle after being stopped in for having expired Indiana plates. But more so, his vehicle matched the description of "Hatchet Man," someone who has been terrorizing bikers on a Colorado trail with a hatchet.
Tim Watkins, a beloved bicyclist in the Colorado area was brutally murdered in the same area Hatchet Man had been seen; he was shot several times and left under a pile a twigs.
The gun found in Daniel Nations' car was the same caliber used in the murder of Watkins.
Colorado authorities have also said that there are 'many similarities' between either Watkins' death or the Hatchet incidents and the Delphi case, so much so that the investigators in Delphi were contacted and he's now officially a person of interest. The Indiana State Detectives flew to Colorado to question Nations about the Delphi case.
Here are the latest rumors, facts, and clues that lead many to believe that Daniel Nations might be involved (or responsible) for the murder of Liberty German and Abigail Williams:
1. The composite sketch and his mug shut are eerily similar.
Two mugshots of Daniel Nations side-by-side with the sketch of the suspect in the Delphi murders.
The sketch released in July, was partially was drawn based on eye witnesses who allegedly saw him that day along with " and the mug shot of Daniel Nations shows very similar features, including the eyes, nose, and goatee.
The suspect was described by authorities as a white man between 5-foot-6 and 5-foot-10, weighing between 180 and 220 pounds, with reddish brown hair, and unknown eye color (although they said later he did not have blue eyes). They mentioned that the hat the man is wearing in the sketch may not be accurate.
According to Colorado records, Daniel Nations is 5-foot-9 and weighs 169 pounds. But a Florida Sex Registry listing for Nations indicates he weighed 190 pounds then.
Here is a video comparing some facial features of the two:
2. Daniel Nations has a long list of prior crimes.
Daniel Nations mugshot
In 2007, Daniel Nations was arrested for pleasuring himself in a Walmart parking lot in South Carolina. The witness told police that he asked her, "You want to get on this? It'll be fun." That earned him a spot on the sex offender registry.
He's also been tied to domestic violence, other sex crimes, and habitually missing court hearings.
Nations, currently homeless, has been linked to several states, including Florida, Indiana, Colorado, and possibly even New Jersey.
3. Daniel Nations' social media accounts are creepy.
A now deleted Facebook account shows that Daniel posted the following message in May of 2016:
"It's (sic) says in your God word that life and death is in the power of the tongue... It says to forgive those who trespass against us as we forgive them.... And to always love one another as you have loved me... Why is there so much hate In this world for one another.... We are all human we always fall short but you are the only one who can judge me... You know my heart you know I'm doing my best and I just pray you will judge me by my heart and not my actions... Thank you God .. Amen."
In what is believed to be Daniel Nations Instagram account, the 67 people he follows are most, if not all, porn accounts.
4. Daniel Nations was in Indiana at the time of the Delphi murders.
In an affidavit obtained by The Indy Channel, Daniel Nations made his required check-in on February 14, 2017 to the Morgan County Jail, which is roughly only about 90 minutes away from Delphi, where the girls bodies were found the same day.
Libby German and Abby Williams were found around Noon on February 14th, but there's been no definite time frame as to how long they were there before being found. It's not impossible to believe that Nations had time to drive to Morgan County to check in after the murders.
Nations wife, Katelyn, posted on Facebook (which has since been deleted) on February 13th about her pregnancy at 2:42 PM. It is thought that the girls had already been kidnapped by that point. Her posts seem to indicate that Daniel Nations was not home that night.
Katelyn has said on social media (in private conversations) that she had no idea what Daniel was doing or possible had done.
A witness early on mentioned a couple on the bridge around the time of the murders.
Cheyenne Mekisha Engles posted on social media: "I only (saw) a guy when I first got there and another couple once I got on the bridge."
5. Daniel Nations went missing shortly after the composite sketch of the Delphi killer was released.
An Indiana sheriff went to talk to Nations at his last known address the day after the sketch was released and he was not there. He later left the state completely.
You can listen to Shannon Brinias from News Channel 13 KRDO discuss this on the Hammer and Nigel Show here:
6. Could the hatchet be the missing piece of the puzzle?
It's been said, but unconfirmed, that the girls received many wounds with a sharp object and may have been nearly decapitated. Because the detectives never revealed the cause of death to save the integrity of the investigation, it's hard to know if a hatchet was used.
But the weapon is a unique one and could be the reason why it was held so close to the vest and also the clue Colorado authorities mentioned, but could not provide further details on, that tied the cases together and led them to believe there was a connection.
7. Daniel Nations was known for his temper.
A former landlord of Nations told media outlets that he was a scary man.
Randy Hamilton rented a house to Nations and his wife until his behavior was too much.
"He's a damn nut, I'll tell you that. He's the weirdest person I've met in my life." Hamilton recalls Nations chopping trees and a chair during a fit of rage.
A woman and her husband who have requested to remain anonymous say that they employed Nations at one point but became scared of his violent tendencies.
Her and her husband hired him to in the Spring of 2015 when he took their vehicle to another town where he was found masturbating in a women's restroom.
But that wasn't the last of Nations. He would often cause disturbances and they called police on him several times. He quit after the numerous police interactions but came back to their home in a fit of rage and came after her husband with a hatchet.
Right now, it is important to remember that Daniel and Katelyn Nations are innocent until proven guilty of the murder of Tim Watkins, Liberty German, and Abigail Williams.
The information provided above is taken from witness accounts and confirmed sources. Indiana State Police say they should have more information soon regarding whether or not Daniel Nations is linked to the Delphi Murders. As of now, they have not released any information that confirms that he is or is not an official 'suspect' in the murders. He remains a person of interest as they continue to investigate.