Too Early To Link Delphi And St. Louis Murders, Suspects: Police

The Saint Louis Police Department said a person of interest is in custody in the Monday, Nov. 19 Catholic Supply Store assault and homicide, which comes as comparisons are being made between the suspect in this case and the suspect in the February 2017 killings of two Delphi, Indiana teenagers.

However, according to WRTV, police said linking the two cases in this way is premature.

According to St. Louis police, the person of interest in custody is a 53-year-old male. Police said more details will be released as they become available.

Patch reported a man walked into a Catholic Supply Store in west St. Louis County Monday afternoon and sexually assaulted several women at gunpoint before fatally shooting 53-year-old Jamie Schmidt, of House Springs, Missouri, The Post-Dispatch reports. Another woman called 911 after the man fled.

The shooting happened shortly before 3:19 p.m. at a shopping center on Manchester Road that also contains a home goods store, restaurant and several other businesses. Witnesses told the paper the man ordered several women to strip before he assaulted them.

Police described the attacker as between 5-feet-7 and 5-feet-9 with a heavy build. He is said to be between 40 and 50 years old. He wore a navy blue Carhartt-style work jacket with a red, white and black plaid shirt, blue jeans and a large brown belt with a red and blue square on the buckle. Police also said the man wore a black and gray "paperboy style" hat and glasses, sharing examples of the man's clothing in a post Tuesday morning, shown below.

The description of that person has similarities to the one given for the Delphi suspect - the person believed to have killed 14-year-old Liberty Rose Lynn "Libby" German and 13-year-old Abigail J. "Abby" Williams - seen in sketch and in a photo that have made national headlines.

More from Patch:

• Gunman Still On Loose After Catholic Supply Sex Assault, Killing
• Police Release Audio Of Suspect In Murder Of Indiana Girls
• Delphi Murders: Sketch Of Suspect Released By Indiana State Police
• Tip in Delphi Homicides Investigation Leads to Arrest In 2007 Cold Case

The Delphi teens were reported missing Feb. 13 and their bodies were found near Delphi's Historic Trails on Feb. 14.

The composite drawing was created from the information authorities received during this ongoing investigation. The other photo released by Indiana State Police shows the initial photo of the person walking near the murder site area on Feb. 13, which was taken by Liberty on her phone. (For more news updates and events, subscribe to the free daily Indianapolis Patch newsletter).

Anyone with information regarding the person in the sketch or information about the Delphi murders to call the case's tip line, 844-459, 5786 and can stay anonymous, or 1-800-225-5324 (800-Call FBI). Tips may also be emailed to abbyandlibbytip@cacoshrf.com.

J. Ryne Danielson also contributed.

Photo credit: Shutterstock