Derrick German lived every parent’s worst nightmare on a Tuesday in February 2017. One minute he was planning to pick up his daughter from a hike, and the next, he was the first person on the ground searching for two girls who would never come home.
You’ve probably seen the grainy video. You know the voice saying "down the hill." But for a long time, the man behind the search—Libby German’s father—was caught in the crosshairs of a town's grief and the internet’s relentless speculation.
Honestly, the story of Derrick German is a lot more complicated than just a grieving dad. It’s a story about a small town, a tragic mistake in a tip file, and a family that had to keep living while the world watched them under a microscope.
The Pickup That Never Happened
It was unseasonably warm that day in Delphi, Indiana. February 13, 2017, hit the mid-40s, which is practically a heatwave for a Midwest winter. Derrick made Libby and Abby pancakes for breakfast before they headed out to the Monon High Bridge.
He was supposed to be the ride home.
At 3:11 PM, Derrick called Libby’s phone. No answer. He pulled into the parking area near the trails three minutes later and called again. Still nothing. If you’ve ever had a kid ignore a text, you know that initial flash of annoyance. But for Derrick, it turned into a pit in his stomach pretty fast. Libby wasn't the type to just go dark.
He started walking the trails. He actually bumped into a man near the bridge and asked if he'd seen two girls. The guy said he’d seen a "couple" by the bridge, but that was it. Derrick kept going, eventually reaching the edge of the creek, calling out for them.
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By 5:30 PM, the "missing" status became official.
Dealing With the "Small Town" Rumor Mill
In a town of 3,000 people, secrets don't exist, but rumors grow like weeds.
Because Derrick was the one who arrived to pick them up—and because he was the one who started the initial search—he was hit with the same "it's always the family" suspicion that plagues almost every high-profile case. It didn't help that Derrick had a past.
Let's be real about it: Derrick German wasn't a perfect man. He had previous run-ins with the law involving drugs. In 2008, he’d been involved in a case regarding the theft of anhydrous ammonia. Years later, in 2023, he faced methamphetamine charges.
Internet "sleuths" jumped on this. They tried to link his past struggles to the tragedy, suggesting the murders were some kind of "drug debt" retaliation.
It was a reach. A massive, painful reach.
Law enforcement never named him a suspect. They knew he was where he said he was. But that didn't stop the whispers in grocery store aisles or the toxic threads on Reddit. Derrick had to mourn his daughter while half the internet was trying to pin her death on him.
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The Trial and the Truth About Richard Allen
Everything changed when Richard Allen was arrested in October 2022.
The most frustrating part? The evidence was sitting in a box for years. A volunteer clerk named Kathy Shank found a "lead sheet" in 2022 that had been misplaced since 2017. Richard Allen had actually come forward just days after the murders, admitting he was on the trail that day. He told a conservation officer he saw three girls.
For five years, while the German family waited, the killer was living right there in Delphi. He was working at the CVS. He even processed the photos for Libby’s funeral for the family—and didn’t charge them.
Can you imagine that? Derrick German likely walked past the man who killed his daughter while picking up a prescription or buying milk.
During the trial in late 2024, Derrick finally had to face the reality of what happened. He testified about that afternoon at the trail. He had to hear the gruesome details—that both Libby and Abby had their throats cut, and that Libby’s phone was found right under Abby’s body.
He sat in that courtroom and watched the 43-second version of the video his daughter took. The video that eventually sent Richard Allen to prison for 130 years.
Why the Context of Derrick’s Life Matters
People often want victims and their families to be "perfect" so they can feel bad for them. It’s a weird quirk of human nature.
But Derrick German is a real person. He’s a guy who struggled with addiction and made mistakes. He’s also the guy who made his daughter pancakes on the last morning of her life.
The fact that he had a criminal record didn't make him a murderer, and it didn't make his grief any less valid. If anything, his story shows how easy it is for an investigation to get distracted by "obvious" characters while the real threat is hiding in plain sight at the local drug store.
The Delphi case wasn't some grand conspiracy involving drug cartels or "Odinist" rituals, despite what the defense tried to argue. It was a local man who "laid in wait," as he later confessed to a prison psychologist.
Moving Forward in Delphi
So, where does that leave things now?
Richard Allen is serving two 65-year sentences, back-to-back. The legal battle is mostly over, though appeals are a thing. For Derrick and the rest of the German and Patty families, the "what happened" has been answered, but the "why" is still a void.
If you're following this case, the best thing you can do is look at the actual evidence from the 2024 trial rather than the old speculation from 2018. The trial transcripts paint a much clearer (and darker) picture than the rumors ever did.
Actionable Insights for Following Cold Cases:
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- Check the Lead Sheets: If you're looking into old cases, remember the Delphi "clerical error." Sometimes the answer isn't a new DNA test; it's a piece of paper that fell behind a filing cabinet.
- Ignore the "Drug Debt" Trope: In true crime, "drug debt" is often a lazy explanation for violence. In this case, it was a complete distraction from a predator with no prior record.
- Respect the Family's Privacy: Derrick German has been through the wringer. His past is his past, but his daughter is the hero of this story for having the presence of mind to hit "record."
The Monon High Bridge is still there. The town of Delphi is still there. And for Derrick German, the memory of that 3:14 PM phone call is probably something he’ll carry forever. No amount of "justice" or jail time really fixes that part.