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

[Hereshecomes75]

Hi, Filly! A quick look at the market’s Facebook looks like it was open in March with abbreviated hours, but prepared food stands like the pretzel stand weren’t open until sometime in April. So it could be that COVID introduced some new customers to the market that visited the pretzel stand.

Interesting comment about Wolf...sometimes the Amish can be a little obstinate about government, and this mask edict isn’t something many of them comply with as business owners. That’s all I’ll say about that.

 

[Filly]

Hi, Filly! A quick look at the market’s Facebook looks like it was open in March with abbreviated hours, but prepared food stands like the pretzel stand weren’t open until sometime in April. So it could be that COVID introduced some new customers to the market that visited the pretzel stand.

Interesting comment about Wolf...sometimes the Amish can be a little obstinate about government, and this mask edict isn’t something many of them comply with as business owners. That’s all I’ll say about that.

Thanks so very much for the insight. Didn't even occur to me to look up a website for the market with my brain fog.

Indeed I bet it would introduce some new customers.

Bless you, and I so get your epitome of class in going no further on the mask requirements. Albeit having a tad conspiracy theorist in me I also see the side of the Amish. As my DD likes to quote "Ma, you can trust your "guberment" just ask a Native American".

Prayed all the way to the Sevie this morn this dear young lady is found. Unlikely but if I had a notion she just up and got a gentleman friend bound in love. Unlikely. Hoping.

 

[Twolabs]

That’s usually how it works. I have an ex-Amish friend who used to drive a van full of Amish people to work at a market in Maryland. She’d leave at 4 in the morning, work at the market herself, then drive everyone back to PA at the end of the day. It was a loooooong day, but she only did it once a week.

The Amish are industrious, and women who don’t have young children at home often do a variety of jobs in a given week. Most farmers markets aren’t open every day, so a lady might do some cleaning or babysitting or work at another retail place on the other days. Sometimes they sew or do crafts to sell. And different seasons bring different jobs, especially if your family farms.

We’ve heard that Linda seemed to have a job related to school, so the market work might be her summer job. I agree with the poster upthread who suggested that a planned escape from the Amish community would have been a lot easier to orchestrate from a market 60 miles from home than from your own neighborhood on church day. “I’m feeling sick, coworker, I’ll be in the restroom”...change into English clothes from the backpack you always bring, walk out the door, drop a letter in the mailbox to mom and dad, and step into the car that takes you to your new life. That seems a lot more likely to me than some scenario where you’d have to rely on perfect timing to be walking alone and avoid being seen by droves of church people.

Amish do church every other week. Does anyone know if all the church districts are on the same schedule? Or could someone from another district have had an off week when Linda’s church was meeting? (I’m missing the pattern of the district near me, since all the members live south of us.) I’m wondering if someone from another district could have been there, maybe in a car, waiting for Linda, planned or not. If he wasn’t supposed to be at church that day, people might not wonder where he was.

Buggies would not go to Harrisburg for sure I know some Amish families in that area. There is one family that the Mom works in the markets in Philly a couple days a week and her daughter did a market in Maryland. They all get picked up by usually a van and dropped off at the end of the day. Linda would have been noticed missing on her last day of work if she did not show up for the van ride home. To the best of my knowledge the districts do rotate the church services so while some are on the off week others are the on week. I have seen plenty of them walking to them on Sunday mornings and they walk quite far. Linda did not have far to walk since she lived pretty much around the corner from where church was that weekend. Not unusual to live close to the service and walk home alone. If further to walk they are usually in groups especially the young ones or buggies and the elders are usually walking in couples! I sit, pray and wait with the rest of you that she comes home safely.
Where are you Linda, hope you are found soon!

ETA: They are also known to cut thru the fields.

 

[am80]

I’m not sure why my reply is showing in the quote! I will try this again...

Its not uncommon for them to use “Amish taxi’s” . I know that there are taxi businesses specifically for the Amish community. They will mostly pick them up and drive them to work. I would imagine they would commute in groups. So I’m sure they had a schedule to take her to work. There is no way they would horse and buggy to Harrisburg. It’s a good hour in the car from Bird in Hand. Just provided info, I’m not pointing fingers at the taxi company. There is no way she would be scheduling a ride on a Sunday, and everything is shut down on Sunday’s.
I have seen them get picked up in groups. I’ve never seen any Amish get picked up in a car on their own.

 

[Twolabs]

I’m not sure why my reply is showing in the quote! I will try this again...

Its not uncommon for them to use “Amish taxi’s” . I know that there are taxi businesses specifically for the Amish community. They will mostly pick them up and drive them to work. I would imagine they would commute in groups. So I’m sure they had a schedule to take her to work. There is no way they would horse and buggy to Harrisburg. It’s a good hour in the car from Bird in Hand. Just provided info, I’m not pointing fingers at the taxi company. There is no way she would be scheduling a ride on a Sunday, and everything is shut down on Sunday’s.
I have seen them get picked up in groups. I’ve never seen any Amish get picked up in a car on their own.

Yes everything is closed on Sundays related to the Amish. As a previous poster stated they normally do travel in groups to work markets and such and it is normally a van. I personally have never seen the Amish take a traditional taxi. There are a lot of what they call drivers in the area who normally drive mini vans or commercial vans and the Amish hire them out to take them where they need to go. Like Walmart, target or Aldi's for example. The families I know will use the same driver all the time so they are very familiar them. When I visit my friend I take her anyplace like that she needs to go. I visit fairly often and always joke that I am going to retire there and be an Amish driver! I see the vans pull into the markets with an Amish mom and kids frequently but never have seen a taxi. JMO

 

[cutter99]

How long is it via buggy from Bird-in-Hand to Harrisburg?
(It’s about an hour by car from what I remember)

It would be hours to Harrisburg via horse and buggy, and not likely a trip to be made. The main route there is Route 283, a four lane divided highway that does not allow horse and buggy on it.

Another thing to keep in mind is horses are physically limited in the amount of distance they can go. They do not have unlimited strength and will to keep going.

Linda, and others from her area, would be using a driver together as a group to get to Harrisburg.

 

[am80]

This is just a hunch. I’m very familiar with the larger area outside of Lancaster. There are many major roads that lead to major cities. Though if any has ever traveled 896 south towards Delaware you are driving through 30+ miles of Amish farmlands. This road takes you to Newark Delaware. It’s a single lane majority of the way, it’s a beautiful drive. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cop on it, a ton of horse and buggies. My point is that if she was abducted, this road would take that car/van out of the area without our needing to go on a major highway. It’s not too far off from where she lived. I hope that whole area is being investigated.

 

[am80]

Yes everything is closed on Sundays related to the Amish. As a previous poster stated they normally do travel in groups to work markets and such and it is normally a van. I personally have never seen the Amish take a traditional taxi. There are a lot of what they call drivers in the area who normally drive mini vans or commercial vans and the Amish hire them out to take them where they need to go. Like Walmart, target or Aldi's for example. The families I know will use the same driver all the time so they are very familiar them. When I visit my friend I take her anyplace like that she needs to go. I visit fairly often and always joke that I am going to retire there and be an Amish driver! I see the vans pull into the markets with an Amish mom and kids frequently but never have seen a taxi. JMO

Yep, those vans are typically “ Amish taxi’s”, you won’t see anything indicating that on the van though.

 

[am80]

I was just thinking... If she worked at a farmers market in Harrisburg, she likely worked in multiple locations, so it was make sense that she also worked in Bird-in-Hand. Farmers Markets are typically stands representing a company therefore they have multiple locations .

 

[am80]

I just did some research. It was said that she worked at a pretzel stand. There is a Lil’s Pretzels in Broad St Market Harrisburg that is Amish owned. Here is the company profile-
Lil's Pretzels, LLC
The map shows the company located by Beechdale and Stumptown Rd. Not that this leads to anything, but I think confirms that she likely worked at the Farmers Market in Harrisburg

 

[Hereshecomes75]

I’ve never seen any Amish get picked up in a car on their own.

Cleaning ladies or caregivers whose employers can’t pick them up might ride alone but with a known and trusted driver. And definitely not on Sunday.

 

[Hereshecomes75]

This is just a hunch. I’m very familiar with the larger area outside of Lancaster. There are many major roads that lead to major cities. Though if any has ever traveled 896 south towards Delaware you are driving through 30+ miles of Amish farmlands. This road takes you to Newark Delaware. It’s a single lane majority of the way, it’s a beautiful drive. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cop on it, a ton of horse and buggies. My point is that if she was abducted, this road would take that car/van out of the area without our needing to go on a major highway. It’s not too far off from where she lived. I hope that whole area is being investigated.

Good point. That’s a beautiful drive if you aren’t in a hurry, and 896 is very easy to access from where she disappeared.

 

[adot0902]

I just did some research. It was said that she worked at a pretzel stand. There is a Lil’s Pretzels in Broad St Market Harrisburg that is Amish owned. Here is the company profile-
Lil's Pretzels, LLC
The map shows the company located by Beechdale and Stumptown Rd. Not that this leads to anything, but I think confirms that she likely worked at the Farmers Market in Harrisburg

I wish I could tell you the name of the pretzel stand I don't know it, I can check and see next time I'm there, there is only one though so that's probably it. But I can 100% confirm she has worked there for a while because I have bought pretzels and spoke to her, nothing personal just a hi, thank you.
One thing to note about the farmers market is its kind of cocooned in a safety zone that is one block. Right beside it is a small grocery store that is ALWAYS getting robbed, three bars two of Which were closed for being a nussiance (they were), only one remains. There is also the mayors bookstore which is pretty famous and the art museum. I recommend you mapquest and walk around the area. It's so hard to explain but it's a mini block in the middle of a high crime area that is trying to change.

 

[Maplesyrup]

If LE used tracking dogs, they will know which direction Linda went. They will be able to pick up her scent at the location she was last known to be. If she left in a vehicle, her scent will abruptly end and the dog will indicate that. If she left via a field to cut cross country, the dog will follow that trail. If she fell into an abandoned water well or septic system, the dog should track up to that general location and then lose her scent.

 

[Filly]

You are all the very best. Thank you for so much information. Here we are basically commissioned to think "Reading Terminal Market" although we have an Amish market in Bristol, PA and one right in Philly in NE Philly.

It just breaks my heart knowing that the Amish are stoic people. This has to have them in a tailspin. Prayers for this family, and please, please may this young girl come home safe.

 

[GordianKnot]

If LE used tracking dogs, they will know which direction Linda went. They will be able to pick up her scent at the location she was last known to be. If she left in a vehicle, her scent will abruptly end and the dog will indicate that. If she left via a field to cut cross country, the dog will follow that trail. If she fell into an abandoned water well or septic system, the dog should track up to that general location and then lose her scent.

BBM:

I really question whether or not that's true, though.
I think it depends on where precisely she was at the point of vanishing.

If she had walked to church that morning, presumably dogs would pick up her scent not just from her return from trip, but from her trail walking to the farm for church that day, too.

@Trackergd : Would dogs be picking up any scent from her that day, including earlier in the day, if she walked to church? What if she walked all the way to the farm for church and then only came a partial way back?

My concern is that if she was picked up along the exact same road that she travelled to get to church, dogs may not pick it up because her scent would still track all the way back to her point of origin (her house), whereas if LS ended up heading somewhere else or veering from the course she took on her way there, dogs would be able to pick that up and would lead searchers in that direction.

A cadaver dog, of course, is an entirely different story.

JMO.

 

[Trackergd]

Two types of tracking dogs. Ground Scent - predominantly bloodhounds. Air Scent - other breeds. Blood hounds scent on the skin cells that fall off of your body all the time. Air scent dogs pick up on your scent carried on air currents. In this particular case, a ground scent dog can pick up your trail, but will not know which direction you are traveling along that trail. Yes, the dog could have picked up on an earlier scent trail. If Linda walked the exact same side of the road and on the same pathway, the dog might not pick up on the stop. You would need a tracker to look at the prints to see if one set was on top of the other, and if at some point, the tracks back towards home stopped and if there were any indicators she turned towards the road, signs of a struggle or an abductors shoe or vehicle tire print. This evidence was all very apparent in the Jacob Wetterling case. The whole story was in prints in the dust. The ground scent dog also lost the scent in the same spot he was abducted. Hopefully someone has looked at another pair of her shoes and documented the wear patterns as they would be mostly the same for any pair of shoes she wore.

 

[WildOrchid]

Like maybe in a veggie cellar? Or is it called a root cellar? Do they still have those?

I tend to agree. I am curious if we know for absolute certain that she left that house though. It wouldn't be the first time that a body was found inside a home weeks after a disappearance, hidden somewhere nobody else could find.

 

[Trackergd]

Everyone else in the church group her family belongs to would know if she had been at church. Given the reports and community chatter, she did attend church. She most likely did not make it home as the bars she was taking to the youth gathering were not disturbed. I have not heard definitive reports about her clothing at home..if she changed or not or if she had a cell phone (most likely off on Sunday and at home if she had one).

 

[Regal Beagle]

I recently read an investigative piece that was put together over the course of a year by Cosmo magazine with regard to the sex abuse crisis amid Amish culture. Praying someone in her community was not one of these abusers and something terrible happened to Linda. Not sure if link is allowed to article so I won't post but you can easily find.

I read that article as well. I was VERY naive about their lifestyle until i read it. IMO, i feel it was someone LS knew and trusted.