By Nancy Price
A best-selling Hoosier book author has just released a book that includes forensic science efforts about the unsolved murders of two girls from Delphi, Ind.
The Clue at the Haunted Bridge of the Monon Trail is written by Carol Sissom, the author of 15 published crime novels, including The LaSalle Street Murders (books one, two and three), Hand over Heart: Love Letter from a World War II Soldier, Banking with Dillinger, Who Murdered Chynna? (books one and two) and Miracles Really Do Happen (books one and two).
The Clue at the Haunted Bridge of the Monon Trail uncovers evidence about who may have killed 13-year-old Abigail “Abby” Williams and 14-year-old Liberty “Libby” German. On Feb. 13, 2017, the two friends walked along Monon High Bridge, an abandoned railway bridge in Delphi. The next day their bodies were discovered near the trail. Thousands of tips were apparently sent to police after a still image of a man seen walking on the Monon High Bridge was released; in addition, a male’s voice can distinctly be heard on an audio recording from one of the girl’s cell phones that said, “down the hill.” The case, however, remains unsolved.
“He’s loose. He’s free. He’s not in prison right now,” Sissom said. “I think the man on the bridge was wearing a disguise. Read the book, because it was worded very carefully – every single word – so as not to harm the case but yet let the killer know I know who he is. I turned my tip into Delphi police very early in 2020. I felt so very strongly about my tip I wrote a book about my tip.”
“I do think he’s a serial killer and I do think he will act out again on or near Halloween,” she continued. “Keep your eyes on your kids around Halloween and know exactly where they are on or around Halloween. I don’t mean to sound like Sammy Terry (a TV horror host based in Indianapolis) but I do think more than one person was involved in Libby and Abby’s murder so it’s not someone acting alone.”
Sissom, a former Eastside resident, began her writing career as a stringer for The Indianapolis News in 1990. After devouring episodes of Unsolved Mysteries, a mystery documentary TV show, she learned that the show’s host, Robert Stack, was traveling to Anderson, Ind. for the most notorious unsolved crime in the state about three men found dead inside 1318 N. LaSalle St. in Indianapolis. “I wrote about Robert Stack coming to town and the mystery, and well, wound up solving it,” Sissom said. “My first book, The LaSalle Street Murders, is the true story of how I did it.”
In Banking with Dillinger, Sissom interviewed the family of the infamous Indianapolis native John Dillinger, who was accused of robbing 24 banks and four police stations and charged but not convicted of the murder of an East Chicago, Ind. police officer during the Great Depression. It’s rumored that Dillinger’s grave in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis may not contain his body, but that of someone else. “The Dillinger family has some very hard, strong evidence to prove that’s not John in the grave,” Sissom said. “I believe they will have victory eventually in proving what they are trying to prove. It’s definitely not over.”
Sissom’s books may be checked out free of charge at local Marion County Public Library branches. For those who would like to purchase a book, Sissom can be reached at facebook.com/carol.sissom or by email at carolsissom@yahoo.com. The book, along with a personal letter, will be shipped immediately. Sissom will also sign an autograph if requested. She said she loves to hear from readers and enjoys talking to them.
