Colo. Springs 'Hatchet Man' May Be Linked To Delphi, Indiana Double Murder, Police Say

DIVIDE CO - An Indiana sex offender held in Teller Co. jail for menacing hikers with a hatchet near Colorado Springs is among the leads being investigated by the Indiana State Police in the unsolved February murders of two teen girls on a nature trail near New Delphi, Indiana. Daniel Nations, 31, was arrested in Sept. 25 near Monument, Colorado after hikers complained about a man threatening them with a hatchet. A Palmer Lake bicyclist, Tim Watkins, 60, was found shot and killed Sept. 17 nearby on a Mount Herman bike trail. El Paso Co. Sheriff's Police have not said whether Nations is a suspect in Watkins's death.

Resemblances of Nations's booking photos to a witness sketch in the New Delphi-area double murders of Abby Williams, 13, Liberty German, 14 have led to tips to the Indiana State Police, who are in charge of investigating the Delphi murders.

The two girls were killed after being dropped off for a nature hike near New Delphi. One of the girls captured an image on her cellphone, and a recording of a man's voice.

Nations and his wife were stopped in Monument, after Woodland Park police were tipped about a red Chevrolet Prizm with a broken tail light and expired Indiana license plates. Two children were also in the car, according to a police report.

Nations was found to be in possession of a hatchet and a .22 caliber rifle. He was taken into custody and charged with unlawful possession of a weapon with bond set at $10,000. His wife, Katelyn Nations was not arrested. Daniel Nations was previously convicted of domestic violence in Indiana. He was also charged with sex offenses in South Carolina. According to the Carroll, Co., Indiana sex offender registry, Daniel Nations "exposed himself and masturbated in front of a 24 year old woman while seated in his vehicle in a Wal Mart parking lot in Spartanburg County, South Carolina." Daniel Nations was listed as "noncompliant" by the sex offender registry for failing to register.

According to reports, the wife, Katelyn filed for divorce in Indiana in April, but then posted on Facebook that the couple moved to Colorado from Indiana in May to "get a fresh start."

Indiana State Police Spokesman Sgt. Kim Ryan issued a statement regarding Nations' arrest in Colorado:

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. 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 everyone of these tips are investigated for any potential connection to our case. 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. If that should change - with this tip, or any other tip - rest assured we would be sharing such news with all media sources.

A reward fund of more than $230,000 has been established for information leading to the conviction of person(s) involved with the Delphi double homicide.

Images: L-R Sketch of suspect in Delphi, Indiana murders (Courtesy: Indiana State Police); Image of Daniel Nations from Carroll Co. Indiana Sex Offender Registry; Image of Daniel Nations released by Teller Co. Sheriff's Office.