DELPHI, Ind. -- Indiana State Police are investigating a possible connection between a man accused of threatening several hikers on a trail in Colorado and the murders of two Delphi teens earlier this year.
Daniel Nations was arrested Monday after police in Colorado Springs say he threatened several hikers with a hatchet near the same trail where a man was murdered two weeks ago.
Nations has not been charged with the man's murder, but the crimes involving the trails, his Indiana connections and his sex offender status have investigators looking into any possible connection he may have to the February murders of Liberty German and Abigail Williams.
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Nations and his wife were both arrested on Monday with two young children in their car, which also had expired Indiana plates.
Both Nations and his wife are wanted in other states. Police found a hatchet and a .22-caliber rifle in their vehicle, according to the police report.
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Since his arrest, Nation's mugshot has been circulating on numerous Delphi murder groups comparing his image to the composite sketch state police released of the Delphi suspect back in July.
"We are aware of the arrest of the person in Colorado and are investigating to see if he could be a suspect in the Delphi double murder investigation," Indiana State Police said in a statement released on Wednesday. "Please keep in mind the Indiana State Police has received more than a thousand photos of persons alleged to be similar in appearance to the composite sketch of the Delphi person of interest. Each and every one of these tips is investigated for any potential connection to our case."
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Libby and Abby went missing while hiking near the Monon High Bridge on February 13. Their bodies were found the next morning in a wooded area, less than a mile from where they were last seen alive.
State and local police along with the FBI have been searching for their killer ever since.
Investigators released two photos and an audio clip taken from Libby's cell phone on the day that she died of the person they are calling the main suspect in the girls' deaths.
The reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for Libby and Abby's death is now over $230,000.
Police have received over 24,000 tips in the case and interviewed over 500 people, but so far no arrests have been made.
"We will give the same attention to the person arrested in Colorado, but right now there is nothing that definitively connects this person to our investigation," said Indiana State Police. "If that should change - with this tip, or any other tip - rest assured we would be sharing such news with all media sources."
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