‘Grandma, I’ll be okay’: Libby German’s grandmother recalls day girls disappeared on Delphi trail

DELPHI, Ind. – Becky Patty took the stand for emotional testimony in the Delphi murders trial.

The grandmother of Libby German was the first person called to testify in the proceedings.

She described Libby as “active, very smart, involved in sports” and said she had “tons of friends.”

Her best friend, however, was Abby Williams. They were inseparable, went on vacations together and frequently slept at each other’s houses. They played volleyball and were in band together.

Libby had just turned 14 in December, Patty said, and Abby had spent the night before the girls headed off for a fateful walk.

She asked if she and Abby could go the trails, with her older sister Kelsi driving them. Another family member was supposed to pick them up later on Feb. 13.

“She came to the office saying goodbye,” Patty recalled, often fighting tears during her testimony. “I told her to grab a jacket. The last thing she said was, ‘Grandma, I’ll be okay.’”

From Patty’s recollection, Libby was wearing tie dye shirt and gray sweatpants the last time she saw her. Patty was convinced the trail was safe, although she knew the Monon High Bridge’s reputation.

It extends high into the air with no guardrails. Still, Libby was adventurous and wanted to go over the bridge, something Prosecutor Nick McLeland called a “rite of passage” in opening statements.

“She liked adventure. She wanted to try anything once,” Patty said of her granddaughter. “She was intelligent. She had more reasoning power than I. She was calm, that was her nature.”

Libby was a true crime fan, her grandmother said.

“She was logical. She loved crime shows. She said I’m going to help you solve crimes. She wanted to make a difference,” Patty said.

When a family member went to pick the girls up from the trail around 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 13, 2017, they weren’t there. Libby wasn’t answering her phone. Other family members tried to call her without success.

Abby didn’t have a phone, so the family called her mom but couldn’t immediately reach her.

For hours, the family tried to call Libby. They couldn’t get her to answer. They went on the trail to look for the girls but didn’t find them as the night wore on.

The next day, searchers found the girls dead.

“A friend comes running up to me, ‘We found them, we found them,’” she said. “I remember turning around to my sister who was sitting there crying. And all she could say was, ‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry.’”

Initially, Patty didn’t understand why no one would take her to see Libby and Abby.

“Then I saw the coroner’s van driving by,” Patty recalled. “That’s when I realized they weren’t alive.”

During cross examination, Patty said she learned months later that Libby wasn’t wearing pants when searchers found her. She also told the court she provided a sample of her own hair two days ago for DNA analysis. Patty claimed she had done this a few times over the years.

The defense revealed in court this week that a hair found with Abby didn’t match their client.

As questioning wrapped up, the state asked if Libby had been exposed to guns. Patty said the family had shotguns for hunting but that no one in the house owned a handgun.

A gun plays a central role in the Delphi murders investigation. Prosecutors allege the suspect, Richard Allen, was armed when he encountered the girls on the trail.

The state says an unspent bullet found at the scene was ejected from a gun owned by Allen.

More German family take the stand

More members of the German family followed the matriarch by taking the witness stand on Friday.

Kelsi German Siebert, the sister of Libby, was second to speak before the jury. Kelsi said she was very close to her younger sister and was the one who dropped Libby and Abby off at the trail on the fateful day.

The jury saw a glimpse into the happy family as Kelsi shared a selfie taken inside her car as the girls headed to the Monon High Bridge. Libby’s sister then was asked to map out the route she drove from their home to the trail.

Kelsi said she didn’t learn her sister was missing until 4 p.m. She had dropped the girls off at 1:40 p.m.

When asked if she initially thought something awful had happened to her sister, Kelsi said, “No.”

Kelsi helped search for her sister and didn’t learn the girls were found until two women came running up to her, not knowing she was the sister of one of the missing girls, and informed her the two girls had been found.

Like her grandmother, Kelsi told jurors she had provided her DNA to investigators within the last few days.

Following Kelsi on the witness stand was Derrick German, Libby’s father.

Derrick said it was him who was supposed to pick up the girls. But Libby never picked up her phone. Derrick said he called and he called as he pulled up to the trail, but Libby never answered.

According to Derrick’s testimony, he ran into another man while searching for his daughter and her best friend. The man said he didn’t see the girls. He also reportedly didn’t hear any screaming or yelling.

Derrick did his own yelling, though, calling out for Abby and Libby. But there was no response.

Derrick and other family members looked for the girls, but after coming up empty handed he drove to the sheriff’s office. He went back to continue his search and walk the trails.

“By the time I got back to the entrance, I could tell something was up. I just heard mom screaming,” Derrick German said.

Derrick was close to tears, voice breaking, as he recited his recollection of the fateful day he lost his daughter. He recalled seeing the coroner’s van pull up to the scene along with a dozen cop cars.

Shortly before 3:30 p.m. Derrick ended his testimony and the court broke for a recess.

Abby’s mother takes the stand

The final family member to take the stand on Friday was Anna Williams, the mother of Abby Williams.

Anna had to take a moment to collect herself when asked to describe her only child. She smiled, remembering the girl. She cried, too.

Abby was active at her church and ran with a small group of friends. She liked to play volleyball and softball. Abby didn’t have a phone yet, Anna said. She was waiting until Abby started high school before gifting her with one.

The mother had no concerns about Abby spending the night with Libby. She planned on picking her daughter up at 8 p.m. the next day after she got off of work.

Anna was at work when her phone rang. Once, twice, a third time. Back-to-back-to-back calls from Becky. Anna was told to go to the sheriff’s office. Even then, she didn’t think what she was about to walk into was too big of a deal.

She didn’t know her only daughter was gone. For good.

The defense team cross-examined Anna Williams shortly before 4:20 p.m. They asked the grief-stricken mother about her daughter’s voice. They asked her if it was soft, loud, or high-pitched?

“Depends who she was speaking to,” Anna said.

The first deputy on scene

The last person to be called up to the witness stand on Friday was Deputy Mitchell Catron of the Carroll County Sheriff’s Department.

Catron was on duty when the worried German family called 911 to report the girls were missing. Dispatch received the call at 5:15 p.m., Catron heading to the trails to help search for the girls.

According to Catron, he walked the trails searching for the girls and was “always listening.” He also searched the nearby private property of Brad Weber. The girls might have been walking on this private property that butted up next to the trails. Kelsi German was also asked about the private property during her testimony stating she was unaware it was private property.

Catron said Weber permitted him to search the property for the girls. He searched the property for roughly five to seven minutes. Catron said Weber was neither bloody, sweaty nor disheveled.

The girls weren’t found during Catron’s search of the trails or the private property.

Catron ended up being relieved by the night shift at 6:30 p.m. and went home. He wasn’t aware of the magnitude of the search he first began until he had already left for the day.

The trial in the long-developing case started with jury selection on Monday in Allen County. The state and defense presented their opening statements on Friday morning before moving on to calling witnesses. Catron was the last to take the stand on Friday.

Matt Christy and Russ McQuaid contributed to this report.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 59.