Found Deceased PA - Linda Stoltzfoos, 18, Bird-in-Hand, Lancaster County, 21 June 2020 *arrest*

[GordianKnot]

Seems to have been a lot of searching for Linda. I wonder how much effort has been made in locating her cell phone. If someone were to abduct her, knowing how phones can be traced, they may have given the phone a good hard toss into a field or drainage ditch.

BBM:

Unfortunately, I don't think it's been confirmed that she had a cell phone and/or that if she one, it was with her at the time she went missing.

I'd be very surprised to learn that she did have a cell phone on her.

I don't know how common it is for Amish to have cell phones, but I would think it would be rare for them to take their phone to church services with them, even if they did own one.

The one hope I have with r/t technology is that some non-Amish residents in the area may have security cameras on their properties that LE can review for sightings of her on the road that day, vehicles traveling in the area at the time she went missing, etc.

LE is at a marked disadvantage due to the dearth of technology used in the Amish community.

Absent any digital footprints, they're going to search for physical ones.
And it sounds like they've come up entirely empty on that front.

LE's going to be going old school as far as their investigative methods in this case.

JMO.

 

[silver sage]

I fear she did not plan to disappear

 

[Hereshecomes75]

For those that know about Amish culture, I have a question.

I'm not talking about rumspringa here but I would like to know if it is common for a young Amish person to decide they do not want to stay in the community and choose to disappear?

For some reason, I believe that if Linda had chosen to walk away, it wouldn't be a secret.

My mind and my heart are telling me that Linda is in terrible trouble and that she did not choose to leave.

The disappearing part seems both unnecessary and almost impossible to me. For an Amish teen to disappear, presumably to start a new life, that would mean leaving behind their entire support system and setting out alone to do things for which they have no experience. If it were a rash decision, with no planning, I don’t think they’d be successful in not being found for this long.

If they’d planned to disappear, they’d have had to make preparations that likely would have involved another person’s assistance and/or a series of activities that would have been suspicious at the time or in retrospect, like arranging transportation, stockpiling money, maybe stashing some important possessions elsewhere over time.

I guess it’s possible that an Amish teen could decide to run off and disappear with someone who promised to meet all their needs, but I still think the family and community could come up with an idea of who that person could be.

 

[Rosiebones]

Would the fact that her older sister and her husband had left the faith have any significance or bearing on this?

 

[am80]

Seems like that’s how late many youth group activities go. We often have a number of “kid buggies” going down our road shortly after midnight on Sunday night/Monday morning. I always wonder how those boys manage to get up for work the next morning, but I guess they do.

Agreed, I often see buggies how down my road around 11pm Sunday night. I always assumed it was “date night” for them (but clearly it’s youth group time). Amish get up very early to start their day. So it’s not a surprise that her parents were likely asleep before she was expected home.

 

[Daisy1980]

Would the fact that her older sister and her husband had left the faith have any significance or bearing on this?

I'm not sure she has an older sister. the article lists two differing relationships to the person who started the fb account.

It's possible that person is her uncle rather than brother in law like I first thought.

 

[Daisy1980]

I fear she did not plan to disappear

this is my concern too. I feel for her family.

 

[Yemelyan]

Would the fact that her older sister and her husband had left the faith have any significance or bearing on this?

IMO that article had a reporting error and it is an aunt, not a sister. But the question is still valid....I'm wondering too.

 

[MimosaMornings]

What do they do at youth gathering?
Hang out at someone’s barn?
Evening meal at someone’s house?
Ride around in buggies?
And it wasn’t unusual for Linda to miss youth gathering?

 

[24Roses]

What do they do at youth gathering?
Hang out at someone’s barn?
Evening meal at someone’s house?
Ride around in buggies?
And it wasn’t unusual for Linda to miss youth gathering?

IMO-they eat, play games (volleyball), and sing. It can be in a basement, barn, or outside. Couting couples usually leave togther in a buggy. I think they have what they call courting buggies.
I don't know Linda so can't say if it was unsual for her to miss the gathering.

 

[am80]

Here is a great reading on Sunday night youth group and dating rituals. This also be a great explanation where it would not be abnormal for parents to worry about her until noticing she hasn’t returned Monday morning.
AMISH DATING CUSTOMS

“
The Setup


Amish courtship traditionally begins at age 16 for the boys and age 14-15 for the girls.

To find someone to date you have to go where the action is. The Amish socialize at functions like visits, frolics, and church. Since everyone goes to Church every other week, it is makes sense for the older kids to stay late to mix and match.

So on Sunday evening at the same house where church service was held earlier in the day, after the adults have left, Amish kids meet for Sunday night singing.

The Sunday night singing is not meant for devotion. The songs of worship are faster and more energetic than the slowly chanted songs of the morning church service.

The boys and girls sit at a long table facing each other. There is plenty of time between songs to talk and socialize. The singing lasts until around ten o’clock.

The group will then hang around for an hour or two after singing with the unattached boys and girls sizing each other up as likely partners.

Dating Begins

If a couple hits it off, the Amish dating process with the boy asking the girl if he can drive her home. At her house they will go in and visit. At that late hour, the household will be sleeping so they have plenty of privacy. They may sit up long into the night getting to know each other. The boy makes the long buggy trip home in the wee hours of the morning.

If both are willing, the couple starts going steady.

Amish meet for church every other weekend. On the weekend when there is no church, the couple usually dates on Saturday night. That way they can see each other every week.

Either party can quit the relationship at any time. Just as in the outside world, it might take someone several tries to find a lifelong partner.

The more conservative couples practice traditional Amish dating customs. They date in their buggies and drink hot chocolate or sodas. They focus on group and outdoor activities sometimes with their parents.

Couples from more progressive churches that have drifted more toward the modern world might go into town for the evening. Maybe they will get a bite to eat or just hang out together and enjoy each others company.

The most daring couples might change into English clothes, get into a car and head for a party where they can sample worldly temptations. This group is a very small minority. “

 

[razzledazzle]

I have read everything here, and I can't shake the feeling that she is alive and being held against her will. (I rarely have this feeling - I thought Jamie Gloss had escaped her house, ran off into the woods died from injures and later would be found by hunters or whatnot. Glad I was wrong there). I don't believe LS went willingly with anyone. I feel like she was snatched from the road. I pray she will turn up soon. MOO JMO... My profile would be a 20 something Incel, who thinks she would be easy to control because of her way of life and her shyness. Praying that she turns up soon.

 

[Trackergd]

I wish I had known about this case the moment it broke. At this point rain, dozens of searchers and LE walking about have obliterated any print evidence I could have worked from. I am on vacation later this week, if she still has not been located, I will call in and see if I can assist.

 

[thehnl]

I wonder if she was into Tik Tok at all, that is if she had access to phone. There's an Amish side of tik tok where it shows many teens socializing with outsiders at stores or at job sites. There's also a video where a young guy helped an Amish teen get a cell phone by placing it under a rock in exchange for money.. there's MANY things about this connection to the outside world that could be troublesome

 

[CastlesBurning]

As I was under the impression that Amish folks do not allow themselves to be photographed, I am really glad that in this case we do have a photo, and a good clear one at that, of Linda.

I really hope she just took off for whatever reason, and will be found safely and soon.

 

[Maplesyrup]

IMO-now that I think about it more, it is confusing as to why Linda wasn't realized to be missing until late at night. If she had a family member that didn't walk home from church with her because they were taking classes (IIRC), that same family member would most likely have also gone to the youth group even if they got there at a different time. If the family member wasn't taking a class and staying for other reasons, then maybe not old enough to go to youth group or join the Amish. Even if that was the case, I would think it would be possible that one of her friends might of known she was going home 1st to change clothes or get a snack to bring along (IIRC) and then coome to her house if she didn't show up. That is the sole reason why I could believe that some of her youth group friends did know that she wanted to leave the Amish and knew she wouldn't show up.

They probably realized she wasn't there when they woke up early to start the day. They may have cows to milk at 5 am or other livestock to attend to. Daily meals need to be started. I would presume at that hour Linda would also be getting up to do her daily activities or chores. All IMO.

 

[cass523]

Police in Lancaster County who are investigating the disappearance of Linda Stoltzfoos are seeking tips from people who were traveling along certain roads on the day she went missing.

 

[mspepper]

I have seen several comments about sexual abuse and incest in the Amish community. Back in the 1980's, when I was in nursing school, I did a clinical rotation at an Amish birthing center in that general area. The midwife worked at several clinics as well as attended home births. She said that she saw many cases, particularly of incest. I was able to be there when my client gave birth and saw a beautiful baby being born. Later the midwife told me the baby was a dwarf. I didn't know that among other things, you measure the long bones to determine dwarfism. The midwife said she had delivered several in that general area and she also saw other genetic issues in several babies. I distinctly remember those conversations because the reality of sexual abuse, specifically incest, was so far from my preconceived idea of that culture.

MOO

 

[Hereshecomes75]

I have seen several comments about sexual abuse and incest in the Amish community. Back in the 1980's, when I was in nursing school, I did a clinical rotation at an Amish birthing center in that general area. The midwife worked at several clinics as well as attended home births. She said that she saw many cases, particularly of incest. I was able to be there when my client gave birth and saw a beautiful baby being born. Later the midwife told me the baby was a dwarf. I didn't know that among other things, you measure the long bones to determine dwarfism. The midwife said she had delivered several in that general area and she also saw other genetic issues in several babies. I distinctly remember those conversations because the reality of sexual abuse, specifically incest, was so far from my preconceived idea of that culture.

MOO

The Amish have had their issues with sexual abuse, not going to lie. No one seems to know how prevalent it is. Some offenders are dealt with in the regular legal system, but others aren’t.

However, they also have a higher number of birth defects because the gene pool is so small. So the dwarfism you saw may not have been the result of incest, as in father-daughter or whatever. When it’s the same families intermarrying in the same region for generations, there will be genetic issues.

There is a clinic not far from Bird-in-Hand that does amazing research and treatment of the genetic disorders peculiar to the Amish. The families they treat love them.
Clinic for Special Children

 

[am80]

I have seen several comments about sexual abuse and incest in the Amish community. Back in the 1980's, when I was in nursing school, I did a clinical rotation at an Amish birthing center in that general area. The midwife worked at several clinics as well as attended home births. She said that she saw many cases, particularly of incest. I was able to be there when my client gave birth and saw a beautiful baby being born. Later the midwife told me the baby was a dwarf. I didn't know that among other things, you measure the long bones to determine dwarfism. The midwife said she had delivered several in that general area and she also saw other genetic issues in several babies. I distinctly remember those conversations because the reality of sexual abuse, specifically incest, was so far from my preconceived idea of that culture.

MOO

I understand your concern but that was 30-40 years ago... as of anything, times change. Nothing has come out from LE about concerns about sexual abuse. Nothing anybody has shared showed any evidence of that or came to that conclusion. That is very much “stereotypical” based on your personal experience 30-40 years ago.