'HE'S A MONSTER'
THE brother of an alleged kidnapper suspected in the unsolved murders of two teenage girls in Indiana said it was "absolutely capable" his brother could have murdered the two girls on a hike.
"He’s a monster, exactly. He’s an absolute evil person," said Ashley Chadwell, brother of James Chadwell II, who police believe may have been involved in the deaths of 13-year-old Abigail 'Abby' Williams and 14-year-old Liberty 'Libby' German in 2017.
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"Do I think that he's capable of that kind of crime? Absolutely, absolutely. He's shown numerous times not only to his friends, but his family as well that he has that kind of evil streak to him," Ashley told
His brother says James tried to drown him when he was four. “He is absolutely capable of killing someone,” Ashley said.
James' stepfather, who did not want to be named, also shared similar sentiments.
“Is he capable? Probably. And you know, should they let him back out on the street? Not ever. Throw away the key this time,” James’ stepfather said.
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Last week, police in Delphi, Indiana, said they were looking into James Chadwell as being somehow related to the disappearance and ultimate death of the two teen girls in February 2017.
The teens went on a hike along the Monon High Bridge Trail on February 13, and their bodies were found in the woods the following the day.
Detectives have been looking for clues for the last four years, but have just announced last week they were looking into James after he was arrested for a different crime in the state last month.
James was arrested on April 19 when he was accused of luring a 9-year-old girl into his Lafayette home to pet his dogs before he allegedly attacked, strangled and sexually assaulted the girl before she was rescued by police.
Officers canvassed the neighborhood where the 10-year-old girl went missing and when they descended on Chadwell’s home, where they learned the child had some kind of interaction.
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Police asked Chadwell for his permission to search his home, and he allowed the officers inside.
Once they reached the basement - which was reportedly secured with a chain lock - officers found the missing girl, who was "visibly distraught and crying, with her clothing on the floor beside her," according to the papers.
The girl allegedly told authorities, "Chadwell tried to kill her," according to the affidavit, reported by ABC News.
When the girl was asked about what happened she allegedly told them Chadwell used his dogs as petting props, before striking her on the head several times and then she said he “tried to kill her” by putting her head in a chokehold.
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The child told authorities she blacked out and was bitten, bruised and sexually assaulted, the papers say, according to the network.
James has frequented jail since he was a teen, with his body sprinkled with tattoos he received both in and out of jail.
One across his chest reads "rebellious," while another on his upper arm is the face of someone people say resembles the slain Libby German.
Ashley commented on the body art: "I really don't think he had that tattoo when he got out of prison."
“He should be locked up and never let loose again, because he’s a monster,” Ashley added.
Police have charged James with attempted murder, child molestation and kidnapping charges, and have pointed to "several factors" that helped them come to their suspicion of his involvement in the murders of best friends, Abby Williams and Libby German.
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According to an interview on Wednesday with Carroll County Sheriff Tobe Leazenby, one of those factors include a Snapchat photo posted on the day of the teen girls' deaths.
Chadwell’s capture has prompted the investigators to compare hallmarks in the - some 20 miles away - with the alleged savagery committed on the child just weeks ago.
His public defender entered a not guilty plea and is due back in court on June 10, ABC News reported.
Sheriff Leazenby told the news network there “might be” a connection, but so far no definite link.
Indeed, nobody has been charged for the murders of Delphi eighth-graders that occurred on Feb. 13, 2017, while they were hiking along a remote trail.
When they occurred, the horror left an indelible mystery, especially because one of the two photos posted on Snapchat by Libby showed Abby alive and crossing an abandoned railroad bridge.
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Abby and Libby, 13 and 14, as they were known by pals and kin, were found dead near a river by a search party about 18 hours after they had been reported missing on their remote hike.
As the pursuit of their killer or killers was underway shortly afterward, authorities released a grainy photo of a potential person of interest.
In 2019, authorities updated their suspicion that the man in the photo was navigating the same trail on the day the girls went missing.
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They subsequently released a short video clip pulled from Libby's phone depicting a grainy image of the suspect walking on the bridge nearby where the two girls were last seen alive.
"We're a very tight-knit family with love pouring throughout our lives,” Mike Patty, Libby's grandfather, said back in 2017. “Our minds at this stage are stirred in the deepest sorrow you can imagine.
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"It is my sincere hope that no one experiences what my family is going through at this time.
"Liberty was taken from us and this will forever be a void in our souls. Yet we find faith in our God.
Indiana police release new video and sketch of man they believe murdered teenage girls, Liberty German, 14, and Abigail Williams, 13, on hiking trail in 2017
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