James Brian Chadwell Wiki – James Brian Chadwell Biography
James Brian Chadwell II is a Lafayette, Indiana, man who is accused of attempted murder after police found an injured, missing 9-year-old girl in his basement on April 19, 2021.
Authorities in nearby Delphi — only 15 miles away — are investigating him as a possible suspect in the notorious unsolved 2017 murders of Delphi teens Abigail Williams and Liberty German. “The information has obviously been shared with us, and our investigators are looking into him,” Carroll County Sheriff Tobe Leazenby told the Lafayette Journal & Courier.
Abby and Libby were murdered after going for a hike near an old bridge in February 2017. They were discovered near the Monon High Bridge Trail, Fox59 reported, which is part of the Delphi Historic Trails. Authorities have released two crime scene sketches of a possible suspect, one in which he looks far younger than the other. They also released Snapchat video from Libby’s phone of a man walking on a bridge toward the girls before they were killed. Libby also captured audio of his voice saying, “Down the hill,” according to WRTV. How exactly they died has not been released by authorities. In the intervening years, other people have been investigated as suspects with nothing coming of it.
James Brian Chadwell Age
James Brian Chadwell is 42 years old.
Charges – Arrested
The probable cause affidavit says that a missing child was “subsequently located in the residence of James Chadwell on Park Avenue in Lafayette, Indiana.”
According to the affidavit, officers were dispatched regarding a missing child report near Park Avenue in Lafayette on April 19. “Upon arrival Officers took a report stating … a female child approximately ten years old had left her residence at approximately 6:30 p.m. and could not be found. While officers were searching the neighborhood, they made contact with James Chadwell, who told officers the girl had been at his residence earlier but had left,” the affidavit states.
Officers continued their search but later returned to Chadwell’s home and “asked him for permission to check his residence.” He allowed them in and the officers checked the basement, which they said was secured with a chain lock, according to the affidavit.
There they “found a young girl who was visibly distraught and crying, with her clothing on the floor beside her.” She was identified as the missing girl and said Chadwell tried to kill her. She was injured and taken to the hospital for treatment.
The girl described going into Chadwell’s residence and petting his dogs. While inside the home, Chadwell attacked her, she said.
The girl said Chadwell “hit her in the head multiple times because she was fighting back. Victim 1 said Chadwell was also choking her with his hands on her neck and also using his arm in a headlock, to the point where she passed out. Victim 1 said most of her clothes were off when she regained consciousness and Chadwell took her into the basement,” according to the affidavit.
He attempted to have se**xual intercourse with her and then made her perform oral se**x on him, the affidavit alleges. At one point, Chadwell got dressed to go answer the door and then the police found her, it says. Across her neck were lateral strangulation marks, and she had broken blood vessels with black eyes, bruising to her head, arms, and legs, and bite marks, according to the court document.
Court records show that Chadwell faces the following charges: Attempted Murder Attempted intentional killing of another; Child Molesting where def. is at least 21 years of age; Kidnapping where the victim is less than 14 years of age; Criminal Confinement resulting in serious bodily injury; Battery Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury; and Strangulation.