Indiana police REFUSE to say if cold case suspect accused of killing April Tinsely 30 years ago is linked to the murders of two girls butchered along derelict railway tracks after admitting he left notes saying, 'I will kill again'

  • John Miller was arrested for the 30 year cold case murder of April Tinsley, eight
  • April's body was found raped and strangled to death in 1988, and an arrest was finally made on Sunday after DNA evidence led police to Miller's door
  • Investigators wouldn't say on Monday if Miller is suspected of killing two other young girls from a nearby county last year
  • Libby German, 14, and Abby Williams, 13, were found dead in nearby Delphi County 
  • In 1990, Miller left a note on a barn in Fort Wayne saying: 'I will kill again'
  • In 2004, he left used condoms, graphic photos and a threatening note on bikes belonging to three young girls

By Hannah Moore For Dailymail.com

Published: | Updated:

A 59-year-old Indiana man who allegedly murdered an eight-year-old girl 30 years ago, and left taunting notes for investigators threatening to kill again was finally arrested on Sunday. 

April Tinsley was raped and strangled to death in 1988, and her body was found in DeKalb County three days after she went missing. Police allege she was killed by John Miller.

While Miller's arrest may bring comfort at last to the family April left behind, there are two other families in a nearby county who still have questions, and wonder if this could be the moment they also find peace.

Libby German, 14, and Abby Williams, 13, were killed on February 13, 2017.  Their bodies were found half a mile upstream from the abandoned Monon High Bridge on the Delphi Historic Trail in Indiana.

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John Miller, pictured, has been arrested for the 1988 rape and murder of eight-year-old April Tinsley in Fort Wayne, Indiana
April went missing in 1988 and her case went unsolved for more than three decades

John Miller, left, has been accused of the 1988 rape and murder of eight-year-old April Tinsley, right. The 59-year-old was arrested on Sunday at the trailer in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he allegedly committed the gruesome crime more than three decades ago

Abby Williams
Libby German

Abby Williams (left) and Libby German (right) were killed in Delphi in February last year, not far from the town April was killed in. Police have refused to say if Miller is a suspect in their murders, which have not been solved

Two years after April's murder in 1988, police found a message scrawled on the side of a barn that read: 'I kill eight-year-old April Marie Tisley. I will kill again' 

Two years after April's murder in 1988, police found a message scrawled on the side of a barn that read: 'I kill eight-year-old April Marie Tisley. I will kill again' 

Within hours, an FBI investigation into their deaths had been launched, with a tip line and tip email set up. 

Libby's grandfather, Mike Patty, said in February he speaks with investigators every few weeks, and has traveled all over the state to meet with people who think they might know something. 

But still, Patty and his wife, who raised Libby, and the parents of Abby, have no answers.  

On Monday, as police addressed reporters about John Miller's arrest, Sergeant Kim Riley refused to comment on whether he could be a suspect in Libby and Abby's killing, The Journal and Courier reported.

'We have 1,000 names out there, and we're still looking at all of them,' he said.  

Carroll County Sheriff Tobe Leazenby said Miller's arrest was 'new information' and it was too early to announce if he was considered a suspect in the Delphi murders. 

Leazenby said the department hadn't yet discussed if they would ask for the evidence compiled by Fort Wayne Police to compare with what they had on Libby and Abby's killer.

After Libby and Abby were killed, police found a photograph of a man believed to be involved in their deaths on Libby's phone
Using the picture and eyewitness accounts of people who had encountered him on the day, police then released a sketch of what he is believed to look like

After Libby and Abby were killed, police found a photograph of a man believed to be involved in their deaths on Libby's phone. Using the picture and eyewitness accounts of people who had encountered him on the day, police then released a sketch of what he is believed to look like

The map above shows the locations of incidents around Fort Wayne that were linked to April's murder, including the abduction site, body recovery site, and where notes were left. Miller is believed to have been active until at least 2004, but so far is only accused of April's murder

The map above shows the locations of incidents around Fort Wayne that were linked to April's murder, including the abduction site, body recovery site, and where notes were left. Miller is believed to have been active until at least 2004, but so far is only accused of April's murder

A memorial has been set up at the site of the Delphi Trail bridge where Libby and Abby were last seen. Their families are desperate for answers

A memorial has been set up at the site of the Delphi Trail bridge where Libby and Abby were last seen. Their families are desperate for answers

Libby and Abby were dropped off at the Historic Trail about 1pm on February 13. When the girls failed to show up to meet a family member for a ride home, they were reported missing. 

Police have released a photo Libby took of a man believed to have killed the teenage girl and her friend, as well as an audio recording of him saying: 'down the hill'.

Officers also released a sketch of what the man is believed to look like based on the photograph and people who had interacted with him on the day.

There is a tip line and an email address set up for people who believe they may have information. In July 2017, The Sun reported police had already had nearly 9,000 calls and emails regarding the case.

Libby and Abby had been dropped off at the Delphi Trail for a hike on February 13, 2017, a day before their bodies were found
Libby posted a series of photos from the abandoned Monon High Bridge on her SnapChat

Libby and Abby had been dropped off at the Delphi Trail for a hike on February 13, 2017, a day before their bodies were found. Libby posted a series of photos from the abandoned Monon High Bridge on her SnapChat

For April Tinsley's family, the arrest brings them closer to the end of decades spent wondering what had happened, and why.

April's body was found in a ditch, about 20 miles from her Fort Wayne neighborhood, three days after she disappeared in April 1988.

Police said Tinsley had been raped. The killer reportedly left behind DNA but investigators were unsuccessful in linking it to a suspect.

The case picked up steam again two years later, when someone wrote on the front of a Fort Wayne barn: 'I kill eight-year-old April Marie Tinsley. I will kill again.'

In 2004, a threatening note, nude photos, and used condoms were discovered on the bicycles of three young girls.  

'Hi honey. I been watching you I am the same person that kinapped [sic] an [sic] rape an [sic] kill Aproil [sic] Tinsely you are my next vitem [sic],' the note read. 

 

April's killer allegedly resurfaced in 2004, leaving threatening notes for young girls around Fort Wayne along with used condoms and pornographic Polaroids. One note left on a bicycle read: 'Hi honey. I been watching you I am the same person that kinapped an rape an kill Aproil Tinsely you are my next vitem. If you don't report this to police or I don't see this in the paper tomorrow or the local news I well blow up you house killing everyone but you. You will be mine' 

April's killer resurfaced in 2004, leaving threatening notes for young girls around Fort Wayne along with used condoms and pornographic Polaroids. One note left on a bicycle read: 'Hi honey. I been watching you I am the same person that kinapped an rape an kill Aproil Tinsely you are my next vitem. If you don't report this to police or I don't see this in the paper tomorrow or the local news I well blow up you house killing everyone but you. You will be mine' 

On Monday, April's aunt went to the Allen Superior Court to see the man accused of killing her niece.

'I just wanted to get up and go over and slap him one,' Teresa Tinsley told the News Sentinel. 

Tinsley was joined by her daughter, her niece, and her niece's husband, with two of the group dressed in bright blue shirts that read: 'Never forgotten, always remembered' on the front and: 'April Tinsley, 1980 - 1988'.

She told the paper April's mother was too upset to attend court on Monday, but would likely be at future hearings, while April's father wasn't ready to believe police had finally caught his daughter's killer. 

Anyone with information about the man suspected of killing Abby Williams and Libby German, please call the Delphi Homicide Investigation tip line at 844-459-5786. Information can also be reported by calling the Indiana State Police at (800) 382-7537, or the Carroll County Sheriff's Department at (765) 564-2413 or emailed to abbyandlibbytip@cacoshrf.com

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Indiana police REFUSE to say if suspect accused of killing April Tinsely is linked to other deaths

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