DELPHI, Ind. – Despite an appeal last week for information about a social media profile and the later revelation that someone tied to that profile has been arrested, Indiana State Police aren’t tipping their hand in the Delphi murders case.
Last week, ISP released images from a social media profile for “anthony_shots” on Instagram and Snapchat. The account had been used to solicit nude photos from underage girls, police said.
State police appealed to the public for information from anyone who knew something about the account or had interacted with it.
Carroll County Sheriff Tobe Leazenby said investigators have fielded “approximately 500 calls since the onset of the latest released information.”
We later learned that ISP already had someone linked to the “anthony_shots” profile in custody—a man named Kegan Kline who faces more than two dozen charges in connection with a child exploitation investigation.
Kline, who’s currently being held in Miami County, is charged with 30 counts, including possession of child pornography, child exploitation, child solicitation and synthetic identity deception.
Kline admitted to contacting underage girls on social media and soliciting nude photos, according to court documents. He told police he had about 100 photos and 20 videos of a sexually explicit nature.
According to court documents that have been heavily redacted, police executed a search warrant related to Kline’s case on Feb. 25, 2017—more than a week after the murders of Abby Williams and Libby German.
However, court documents don’t provide any clear link between Kline and the Delphi case.
On Monday, Indiana State Police released a statement about their investigation into the Delphi murders and Kline. In it, ISP describes the investigation as “long, complex and extremely complicated.” Police also said information about Kline has “ebbed and flowed” over the years.
“Like so many other pieces of this investigation, we will always review, learn from, and make any necessary adjustments,” state police said of its investigation. “We do not believe that any person has done anything intentionally wrong, but we will continue to critically evaluate our efforts.”
Here’s the statement:
The Indiana State Police has received many media inquiries since our December 6th press release concerning “anthony_shots” and eventually the identification of Kegan Kline. Your questions are certainly relevant as they relate to a long, complex, and extremely complicated murder investigation.
During the last nearly five years, we have conducted dozens of secondary investigations based on information we received. One of those investigations included a Possession of Child Pornography case resulting in the arrest of Kegan Kline. The information we had, have, and continue to receive concerning Kline has ebbed and flowed over these last few years. We understand there was a period of time that passed between 2017 and 2020 when Kline was not arrested and incarcerated for Possession of Child Pornography. Once the Indiana State Police presented the criminal case to the Miami County Prosecutor in June of 2020, immediate action was taken by both the Indiana State Police and the Miami County Prosecutor’s Office, which ultimately resulted in Kline’s arrest.
Like so many other pieces of this investigation, we will always review, learn from, and make any necessary adjustments. We do not believe that any person has done anything intentionally wrong, but we will continue to critically evaluate our efforts.
We know there is enormous interest in the “WHY” of everything we do, but we cannot and will not speculate. One day you will have the opportunity to see and know what we do, and we look forward to that day.
