GUILTY PA - Linda Stoltzfoos, 18, murdered, Bird-in-Hand, Lancaster County, 21 June 2020 *arrest* #4

[Gibbo214]

Ah okay. Forgive me for being so uninformed. So, he dug her up 6 times and then re-buried her? I'm not sure about this either, so I really have to ask. Which trip did he move her?

No, not dig her up. Just go back to where he did the deed. And relive it again.

 

[Rocky1]

No, not dig her up. Just go back to where he did the deed. And relive it again.

I see. So he assaulted her there too then. And LE determined this by the amount of time spent there by matching the phone records to that location?
What time of the day do you think he did this? Tell me, so I can go back and read the timeline/location of the cell records.
Again, I am uninformed, so I have to ask.

 

[Maryland Oracle]

Yes. It's known that there were many texts that went to his brother. I'm sure LE checked the location of both to see if they matched.

What I mean is JS and the person LE named as the recipient of the 15 texts appear to have been living at the same apartment.

 

[Maplesyrup]

This case it a bit maddening to me as it is practically in by back yard. We now know where JS was and when. We know the spots that JS was seen with LS and when. It's all right in front of me and I can't see it. I drive these roads in the summer months and know the area well. I'm missing something. I wish I had @OldCop with me when I go on these scouting missions. Did JS put LS in the trunk before heading to Harvest Drive? Is the ever popular trash dumpster in play? What the heck am I missing??

Do you know of any old hand dug water wells? A while back I mentioned paying to have one filled at my parents' home. It looked harmless from the outside and was covered by a concrete slab. Underneath it was 7 feet wide and 16 feet deep with 8 feet of water at the bottom. Truly a death trap if someone fell in. This well was over 100 years old and there was NO record of it anywhere. Sadly, many old hand dug wells are abandoned by old farm houses, barns, etc. and pose risk of death to humans or animals that happen to fall in. One of these old wells, known to JS from his younger days... knowing it had an old concrete slab over it or a hunk of plywood or old farm equipment sitting on it, would be the perfect place. Throw junk into the well on top of her before pulling the lid back over top to cover it, and she would be hidden.

 

[Maryland Oracle]

I can't help but ask why someone didn't call the police to report the stalking of young Amish girls the evening before the abduction?

And why the extraordinary sight of an young Amish girl dressed for church travelling in a strange car and pleading with her eyes whilst not returning a customary wave didn't get reported until 8 days afterwards?

 

[OldCop]

The day of the abduction - From Criminal Complaint

6/21/2020 9:28:00 Walmart, 2034 Lincoln Highway Lancaster, PA JS Walking into store Video
6/21/2020 10:13:00 Dollar General, 3337 E Lincoln Highway Paradise, PA JS Purchasing gloves and laces
6/21/2020 12:04:00 Leola Beverage, 352 W Main Street Leola, PA JS Purchasing beer Bank Statements
6/21/2020 12:16:00 Sheetz, 2425 Old Philadelphia Pike Lancaster, PA JS Putting item(s) in trash Video
6/21/2020 12:22:00 North on Mt. Sidney Road Lancaster, PA JS Driving Video
6/21/2020 12:30:00 East then West on Stumptown Road Bird-In-Hand, PA JS Driving Witness and Video
6/21/2020 12:41:29 Beachdale Road Bird-In-Hand, PA Abduction Video
6/21/2020 12:41:52 South on Beachdale Road Bird-In-Hand, PA JS Driving w/passenger Video
6/21/2020 Weavertown Mennonite School, 73 Orchard Road Bird-In-Hand, PA Behind School 5 min Video
6/21/2020 East on Church Road Bird-In-Hand, PA JS Driving w/passenger Video
6/21/2020 13:30:00 Amish Road and Buena Vista Road Gap, PA JS Driving w/LS Witness
6/21/2020 13:30:00 North on Amish Road Gap, PA JS Driving w/LS Witness
6/21/2020 13:30:00 North on Redwell Road, then East on Peters Road Gap, PA JS Driving w/LS Witness
6/21/2020 15:30:00 3250 Lincoln Highway Ronks, PA JS Washing car + Interior Witness
6/21/2020 14:32:00 3104 Harvest Road Ronks, PA JS at location Cell phone records 14:32 to 15.35

Got the locations faster than I expected. I think JS pulled behind the Weavertown Mennonite School, took the "sack" off and told her that if she yelled or made any signal, he would kill her, then continued on. At some point between 13:30 hours and 15:30 hours, LS is no longer seen. That is only two hours.

Just laid out the map as described above for the day of the abduction from when he left the gas station until he ended up at the car wash.
I think he saw her walking on Beechdale as he drove up Stumptown Rd. That’s why he made a u turn. His driving route over the next 2 hours was almost one big circle. (A couple of turns could be wrong. I just put in the points outlined in the complaint and let Google draw the map.) After stopping at the school, I think he was looking for a place to rape and kill her.
Do we know if all those ponds by the fish hatchery up off Red Well RD were searched?

 

[Trackergd]

Looking at Google Earth View, there really is very little in the way of trees and undergrowth behind the Harvest Drive property, however there is more behind the farm fields on both sides. There is just no where for me to get in there and look without wandering onto posted property and I don't really feel comfortable about asking the property owner as he has most likely had more than enough grief over this. The Weavertown School is really not that far from the Harvest Drive property, so I have to ask myself why was he driving all over the area with an abducted girl and the very real risk of getting caught, only to dispose evidence so very close to the abduction site.

 

[Trackergd]

Quite frankly I don't know what areas were searched. That information is not being communicated. Perhaps some locals closer to this can clue us in?

 

[Trackergd]

Nice job with the map @OldCop

 

[Maryland Oracle]

Just laid out the map as described above for the day of the abduction from when he left the gas station until he ended up at the car wash.
I think he saw her walking on Beechdale as he drove up Stumptown Rd. That’s why he made a u turn. His driving route over the next 2 hours was almost one big circle. (A couple of turns could be wrong. I just put in the points outlined in the complaint and let Google draw the map.) After stopping at the school, I think he was looking for a place to rape and kill her.
Do we know if all those ponds by the fish hatchery up off Red Well RD were searched?

The Complaint states in paragraph 41 that JS placed LS in the car and transported her to eastern Lancaster county to include some remote areas of the Welsh Mountain. I assume he headed towards there after turning east on Peters Road which would seem to exclude ponds on Red Well Road.

 

[Maryland Oracle]

Paragraph 41 of the Complaint is carefully worded and reveals more info than I'd thought.

Paraphrasing, it states that Smoker placed STOLTZFOOS into his car and proceeded to transport HER to Eastern Lancaster County including remote parts of Welsh Mountain. Justo Smoker then travelled back to the area of 3104 Harvest Drive.

LS was transported to the Mountain however just Smoker headed to Ronks.

He likely removed her underwear and she dropped her stockings in the car hence him burying these items near the railroad tracks.

When asked why he was at Harvest Drive, apparently he told LE that he's gone "to smoke weed".

 

[LadyL]

thinking of Linda ...

 

[TwoBlueJays]

Paragraph 41 of the Complaint is carefully worded and reveals more info than I'd thought.

Paraphrasing, it states that Smoker placed STOLTZFOOS into his car and proceeded to transport HER to Eastern Lancaster County including remote parts of Welsh Mountain. Justo Smoker then travelled back to the area of 3104 Harvest Drive.

LS was transported to the Mountain however just Smoker headed to Ronks.

He likely removed her underwear and she dropped her stockings in the car hence him burying these items near the railroad tracks.

When asked why he was at Harvest Drive, apparently he told LE that he's gone "to smoke weed".

MOO - that makes more sense in terms of the purpose of his abduction. And why that area was searched so frequently. Now that it's winter, are there teams out there again? It was mentioned several times in earlier threads that once the leaves dropped, it might be easier to locate her body. If he didn't have a shovel when they arrived at the random Welsh Mountain location, he could have walked her into a spot off the road, assaulted and killed her, then left her body there. By now all there would be are clothes, if that. If he didn't throw them away along his route back to Harvest Road. I think he went back there to try to calm down and possibly he did smoke some weed while sitting there reliving what had happened. In many lies there are often kernels of truth.

 

[OldCop]

Nice job with the map @OldCop

Thanks @Trackergd. Needs a little more work. The timeline is so tight. If he went to Welsh Mountain from Red Well that was about a 10 minute drive. If he was at 3104 Harvest Dr by 14:42, that only gives him less than a half an hour to rape/kill/dispose of the body?
Then we have the 1 hour stop at 3104 Dr where the bra & stockings were found.
Doesn’t seem to make sense.
The CC is confusing to me because there is so much detail about the witness sightings, times, etc none of which involved Welsh Mountain. Then the detective throws it in at the last moment. Why didn’t they go into cell or video detail about why they are mentioning he drove to Welsh Mountain?
Then the timeline is picked right back up again when we get cell phone info on Harvest Rd at 14:32.
They’ve definitely left something out. MOO

 

[OldCop]

The Complaint states in paragraph 41 that JS placed LS in the car and transported her to eastern Lancaster county to include some remote areas of the Welsh Mountain. I assume he headed towards there after turning east on Peters Road which would seem to exclude ponds on Red Well Road.

You’re probably right, but LE hasn’t told us why Welsh Mountain is in the mix. I’m sure it was probably cell data, but they were so specific about the other places he had gone, I’m wondering why they didn’t include it. They’re probably trying to catch him in a lie.

 

[Trackergd]

@OldCop , thanks for your second set of eyes analysis, just what I was looking for. The clue to this mystery is somewhere after the intersection of Red Well and Peters Roads, but as you noted, the time was very limited.

 

[Maryland Oracle]

Paragraph 41 states the evidence gathered shows the abduction, where he drove with her and where he went alone afterwards and is in the form of witness statements, video surveillance and cell phone records. I would imagine cell phone pings are much more vague in the remote Welsh Mountain area.

I think he violated her immediately after the abduction behind the church and that LS was traumatized and in shock during the witness sightings.

The journey to the Mountain was for disposal only. Did he have the ideal spot planned ahead of time or is the fact that she hasn't been found down to dumb luck?

LS is 4" taller than him and 125lb which rules out carrying her for anything more than a short distance. There wasn't enough time to go off the beaten track even if he forced her to walk by herself.

Without wishing to be too graphic, what is likely to be recoverable now over six months on in the wilderness from an evidence standpoint?

 

[Trackergd]

Actually there may be quite a bit of recoverable evidence. I just don't know where to look. Clothing, bones to name two. The Amish use pins and hooks, not buttons, so they would show up with a metal detector.

 

[MontereyMama]

Thank you, thank you to those of you who are not letting this heartbreaking story rest!
It's really difficult to believe that JS chose a clever hiding place, when he so stupidly stalked and, later, drove around with Linda in plain sight.

 

[Trackergd]

@MontereyMama, If I knew where JS went in that short period of time, I might be able to find her. It's just too vast an area to be guessing. I'm still interested in the Snake Rd area, but I can't ignore private property rights to go poking around.