An imprisoned sex offender has been indicted on murder charges in the disappearance of two young sisters who vanished from a suburban Washington, D.C., shopping center 40 years ago.
"I am honored to report that my Commonwealth Attorney, Randy Krantz, obtained indictments charging Lloyd Lee 'Michael' Welch Jr. with [two counts of] first-degree felony murder for his involvement in the deaths of Sheila and Katherine Lyon," Bedford County, Virginia Sheriff Mike Brown said during a Wednesday press conference.
According to Brown, the charges levied against Welch were brought by a Bedford County grand jury that examined "the totality of the evidence … and sworn witness testimony."
Welch, 58, was named as a person of interest in the case last year, after he allegedly admitted he was with the Lyon sisters on the day of their disappearance.
The Lyon Sisters
Sheila Lyon, 12, and her 10-year-old sister, Katherine, were last seen inside Wheaton Plaza, a popular shopping center in the Maryland suburbs, on March 25, 1975. The girls were on spring break from school and went to look at Easter exhibits. They had about $4 between them and were told by their parents, prominent radio disc jockey John Lyon and his wife Mary, to return home by 4 p.m., according to a March 25, 1980, article in The Washington Post.
Around 2 p.m. that day, the girls were spotted by witnesses at a pizza shop. They were later sighted walking toward their home, but failed to arrive in time for their 4 p.m. curfew. Their disappearance remained a painful mystery until 2013.
A drifter and carnival worker, Welch was 18 in 1975 and spent time in the Maryland suburbs. He was known to investigators working the Lyon sisters' case, and a fresh look at the cold case file in 2013 renewed interest in him.
During police interviews last year, Welch told investigators he was with the girls the day they disappeared, along with his uncle, Richard Welch Sr., now 69, and a cousin, Thomas Welch Jr., who was 10 in 1975. Lloyd Welch Jr. told investigators he was dropped off near his home and that his cousin and uncle, who investigators believe worked as a security guard at the time, drove off with the girls, according to court documents.
"Lloyd Welch stated that the following day he went to the home of Richard Welch and observed Richard Welch having sexual intercourse with one of the Lyon sisters," court documents allege. "Lloyd Welch claims that he left the residence and never saw the Lyon sisters again."
Lloyd Welch told police he had nothing to do with "killing those girls." Richard Welch's daughter told The Washington Post in February that the allegations are a lie and "my dad would never do something like that."
Richard and Thomas Welch have not been charged in connection with the case, but police earlier this year named Richard Welch a "person of interest" in the girls' disappearance. Police have also charged Richard Welch's wife, Patricia, 65, with perjury for allegedly lying to the grand jury.
According to court documents, Lloyd Welch has told police he does not know where the sisters are buried, but allegedly told a fellow inmate in Delaware, where Welch is serving time for sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl, that he had kidnapped Lyon sisters and buried them on family property.
Authorities have since conducted several searches in Bedford County, Virginia, where the Welch family owns property -- about 200 miles from Wheaton Plaza.
A newly released search warrant affidavit obtained by The Associated Press indicates police interviewed at least two witnesses in recent months who claim Welch showed up at property owned by his family after the girls disappeared. The witnesses said he had two large duffle bags with him.
"He stated the bags weighed about 60 or 70 pounds and smelled like 'death,'" an investigator wrote in the affidavit regarding information provided by one of the witnesses.
The bags, which the witness allegedly said were covered in red stains, were both burned on the property.
A second witness told police Welch had asked her to wash clothes, which were also stained red and smelled like "rotten meat," according to the affidavit.
During a January search of the family property, authorities found several burned items and possible bone fragments, which are still undergoing forensic examination, police said.
According to the indictment, authorities believe the Lyon sisters were killed in Virginia sometime between the date of their abduction and April 15, 1975, though the girls' bodies have not yet been found.
Authorities on Wednesday declined to comment on what, if any, physical evidence they have linking Lloyd Welch to the crimes, but did say they are prepared to prosecute a "no-body case."
"Typically in a homicide you have an autopsy and you have a body and you can prove what the cause and mechanism of death is," said Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy. "In a no-body murder case you have to prove that they are in fact dead and you have to prove the agent by which they died."
Authorities also indicated additional arrests might be forthcoming.
"We're focused on uncovering every fact of this case," said Montgomery County Police Chief Tom Manger. "[My agency] and all of our partners will work to hold every individual responsible who was involved with the abduction and murder of the Lyon sisters as well as the ongoing conspiracy to conceal these crimes."
Nbcwashington.com reported three generations of the Lyon family were present at the press conference Wednesday but did not comment on the latest developments.
The family, McCarty told reporters, "did not choose to be victims" and "beg you for their privacy."
Welch, who is expected to be extradited from Delaware within the next 30 days, could face the possibility of the death penalty.
"I wish I could say more," Brown said at the close of the press conference. "The investigation continues and I say that with a smile."