DELPHI, Ind. -- It wasn’t birthday balloons but a lantern release that marked June 23 in Delphi.
It would have been Abigail Williams’ 14th birthday.
Instead, friends and family gathered at the Delphi United Methodist Church on Friday to honor the teen’s memory.
It’s been 130 days since the Delphi teen and her good friend Liberty German first went missing.
Libby and Abby went hiking near the Monon High Bridge on February 13. Their plan was to enjoy the unseasonably warm day off from school and take some photographs. It was the last day the two girls would ever be seen alive.
It’s been 130 days of searching for answers, but one day closer to finding the person responsible for their death.
The FBI issued a renewed call for information on what would have been Abby’s birthday asking anyone with info on her death to come forward.
Abby Williams would've turned 14 today. If you have info on who killed her & Libby German call 844.459.5786 or abbyandlibbytip@cacoshrf.com pic.twitter.com/aobsiSAIS4
— FBI Indianapolis (@FBIIndianapolis) June 23, 2017
DELPHI MURDERS | 4 months later, investigators say they're 'close' to finding Libby & Abby's killer
“She smiled all the time.” Abby’s mother, Anna, treasures every memory she has of her daughter.
The teen, who loved making crafts and taking photos, should be practicing with her new softball teammates.
Libby had convinced her to join the team just weeks before they were killed, and her mother had said it was one of the things she was most looking forward to this summer.
“She and Libby were dead set on taking over the world by softball,” said Anna.
But that new softball equipment – the matching bat and glove that Grandpa Cliff purchased her the week before her death – will never be used.
On Friday, friends and family gathered to remember that young girl who loved everything about life and release lanterns in her memory along with the hope that one day soon, the person responsible for her death will be found.
Abby's mother also shared the following video on Youtube in honor of what would have been her daughter's 14th birthday.
"Tomorrow, June 23rd, 2017 Abigail Joyce Williams would be turning 14. It is still unbelievable to me that I won't be making a cake and planning her party.... not this year, not next year....," Anna wrote.
"Please remember her tomorrow, and every day!"
Delphi Daughters | The Untold Stories of Who Abby & Libby Were | Delphi investigation: The latest on finding the killer | TIMELINE: The disappearance and murders of Abby & Libby | 360 VIDEO: A tour of the Monon High Bridge Trail | Delphi Daughters: Families tell their story for the first time | Delphi girls murdered: What is the evidence? | Take 1 minute for justice for Abby & Libby
