THE grandfather of a girl slain in the unsolved Delphi 'Snapchat murders' has welcomed an update in the investigation as the creator of a fake account that groomed underage girls and is linked to the case has been unmasked.

Eric Erksin told The Sun that he was "thankful" for the potential breakthrough in the probe, which may finally provide answers as to what happened to his granddaughter, Abby Williams, 13, and her best friend Libby German, 14.

The two young teens were found dead in February 2017 in Delphi, Indiana near theMonon High Bridge Trail.

Their killer has never been found and police have never disclosed how the girls died.

Updates in the case have been few and far between in the years since. However, on Tuesday, Indiana State Police announced that they were looking for the person behind a bogus social media account, called anthony_shots, that they believed may be tied to the case.

The profile was active between 2016 and 2017 across a number of social media platforms, including Instagram and Snapchat, police said.

The bogus account used images of a known male model and portrayed himself as being extremely wealthy and owning multiple sports cars.

In a news release, the Indiana State Police said the creator of the profile used their contrived opulence while communicating with underage girls to "solicit nude images, obtain their addresses, and attempt to meet them."

The identity of the male model used by the account in its profile pictures is known by investigators and they are not considered a person of interest in the case.

The model's images were reportedly used without their knowledge or consent.

CATFISH IDENTIFIED

On Tuesday afternoon, Kegan Anthony Kline, 27, was identified as the man behind the account, a report from Fox 59 revealed.

Klein was charged in August 2020 with 30 felonies, including child exploitation, possession of child pornography, obstruction of justice, and synthetic identity deception.

Police documents from the time, which are heavily redacted, do not make any mention of the Delphi case but do link him to the anthony_shots social media account.

The charges stem from a search of his Peru, Indiana home on February 25, 2017 – just 11 days after the bodies of Liberty and Abby were found.

Kline reportedly admitted to police that he'd use the bogus accounts to talk to underage girls, contacting both people he knew and didn’t know.

He told police he would find girls on Instagram and then ask them to talk to him on Snapchat. 

According to Kline, he exchanged messages with more than a dozen underage girls and received pictures from them. Kline said he had about 100 pictures from underage girls that were sexual in nature, in addition to about 20 sexually explicit videos. 

Investigators seized six devices from Kline, including smartphones, a tablet and an iPod touch as part of the 2017 raid. Many of them contained images of "child sex abuse material", records show.

“There were CSAM (child sex abuse material) filed that depicted female children approximately 12 to 17 years of age, posing nude and/or partially nude; and/or performing a sex act on themselves.

"There were files located which depicted children between the approximate ages of 3 and 11 engaged in a sex act with an adult,” on his iPhone 4, according to court documents.

Investigators also found a discussion of sharing links with child porn files on Dropbox with another party who is not identified in court documents.

According to online court records, Kline is back in court for a pretrial conference on December 16. Online jail records list him as currently being in custody in Miami County.

'THANKFUL'

Reacting to the update by phone on Tuesday, Erksin told The Sun that while he hasn't heard from detectives directly, he's grateful that authorities are continuing to seek answers in Abby's death.

"I'm thankful for that [news release] because it proves that law enforcement are still working," he said.

"That's all we can ask. And as difficult as it all is, we just have to leave them to it and let them do their jobs."

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Anyone who tried to meet with or communicated with the anthony_shots profile has been told to contact state police immediately.

"Please provide as much information as you possibly can," the department said in a press release. "For example, when you communicated with anthony_shots, how you communicated with the profile, what social media applications the account used, and if anthony_shots attempted to meet you or obtain your address.

"If you have saved images or conversations with the anthony_shots profile, please attach them to your email."

Police did not elaborate as to specifically why police believe the account may be tied to the murders of 13-year-old Abigail Williams and 14-year-old Liberty German back in February 2017.

It's currently unclear whether police believe the two girls met with the creator of the account.

UNSOLVED KILLINGS

Abigail and Liberty vanished while walking along the Monon High Bridge Trail in Delphi on Feb. 13, 2017.

Their bodies were found the following day near a river. Police have never disclosed how the girls were killed.

Within days of the killings, investigators released two grainy photos of a suspect walking on the abandoned railroad bridge the girls had visited.

They also released an audio recording of a man believed to be the suspect saying “down the hill.”

Then, in April 2019, a video was released which shows the man suspected of killing the teens walking on the abandoned railroad bridge the girls had visited.

Relatively few updates have been shared by investigators in the years since.

Police announced at the end of September that they were moving to a new center to investigate the case.

Erksin previously his frustration over the unsolved case to The Sun back in October.

He said not knowing what happened to his granddaughter and her best friend "can consume you."

"The police share very little information regarding the case and its details and as family members, we do find that frustrating.

"But we also understand that it has to be that way to maintain the integrity of the case.

"It's been a while since they released any information."

FAMILY REMAIN 'HOPEFUL'

Despite the length of time that has passed since Abby and Liberty's deaths, Eric said he remains hopeful their murders will be solved.

"After the girls' tragedy, the phrase 'gods' got this' was used.

"I absolutely believe it will be solved. I'm a believer.

"I might not see the judgment in my lifetime and the penalty completed.

"But there is a judgment at the end. And the person responsible will meet their maker.

"There is always that sunken feeling. The unknown will eat you up, the anger, frustration. It can consume you.

"I get that and I think every family member gets that.

"Trust me, not every day is rosy and cheerful. February 13 is very very difficult."

Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to send tips to this email address: [email protected]

Information sent by email is kept confidential and is only shared with investigators. The telephone Tip Line is (844) 459-5786. Tips are also accepted by the Indiana State Police at (800) 382-7537, or by the Carroll County Sheriff’s Department at (765) 564-2413.

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