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Thread: Linda Stolzfoos' (18) remains found 9 months after she was kidnapped

  1. #1
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    Linda Stolzfoos' (18) remains found 9 months after she was kidnapped

    https://www.ydr.com/story/news/2020/...an/3239624001/

    Volunteers and first responders came up empty on the primary search for a young Amish woman from Lancaster County on Monday.

    East Lampeter Township Police reported that 18-year-old Linda Stoltzfoos was last seen at 12:30 p.m. Sunday on Stumptown Road, Upper Leacock Township. The 5-10 woman weighs approximately 125 and has brown hair and blue eyes.
    I hope I am wrong, but I don't have a good feeling about this case.
    Last edited by raisedbywolves; 11-24-2022 at 07:56 AM.

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    https://www.facebook.com/Amish-Girl-...1726970587041/

    I was shocked about the use of social media, photography, and video. Always thought the Amish shunned these things as much as possible. However, I'm glad they are trying; I think this will help.

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    Moderator puzzld's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by up2trouble View Post
    https://www.facebook.com/Amish-Girl-...1726970587041/

    I was shocked about the use of social media, photography, and video. Always thought the Amish shunned these things as much as possible. However, I'm glad they are trying; I think this will help.
    This may clear things up a little...
    https://www.newsweek.com/amish-teens...ia-app-1460865

    But also, a friend of mine claims her Amish neighbors, who wouldn't consider owning or driving a car are quite willing to accept a ride from a neighbor. I'd guess that even people who don't use social media might see the value of it in this case, and would be willing to accept help from those who do use it. By the same token, her Amish neighbors were very helpful when the whole area lost power for several weeks... showed up with lanterns and fire wood and home cooked meals.
    Quote Originally Posted by bowieluva View Post
    lol at Nestle being some vicious smiter, she's the nicest person on this site besides probably puzzld. Or at least the last person to resort to smiting.
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    Senior Member KimTisha's Avatar
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    I hope she just fell in love and ran away from home.
    You are talking to a woman who has laughed in the face of death, sneered at doom and chuckled at catastrophe.
    ...Collector of Chairs. Reader of Books. Hater of Nutmeg...

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    Moderator puzzld's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by KimTisha View Post
    I hope she just fell in love and ran away from home.
    Seriously. It would be a happy outcome.
    Quote Originally Posted by bowieluva View Post
    lol at Nestle being some vicious smiter, she's the nicest person on this site besides probably puzzld. Or at least the last person to resort to smiting.
    Quote Originally Posted by nestlequikie View Post
    Why on earth would I smite you when I can ban you?

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    Senior Member Pidge's Avatar
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    Hope she's okay.

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    Senior Member Pidge's Avatar
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    https://amishamerica.com/man-arreste...still-missing/

    News just broke this afternoon: 34-year-old Lancaster County resident Justo Smoker was arrested last night and charged with kidnapping Linda Stoltzfoos. A vehicle resembling Smoker?s was seen by multiple witnesses in the area of Gap with an Amish female in the passenger seat on the afternoon Linda went missing.
    Another detail ? I assume the police think this could be related if they?ve released this info: a ?married couple that were also in the Amish community? saw an Amish woman riding in a red or orange car around a week later ? June 29. The woman was wearing a white apron and black prayer covering.

    What got their attention: ?the couple thought it was odd because Amish churches in that area don?t wear black head coverings and when the woman waived to the car?s passenger, she never waved back, which is an Amish tradition, according to the affidavit.?

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    Senior Member KimTisha's Avatar
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    Yeah, I don't know any of my third cousins once removed.
    You are talking to a woman who has laughed in the face of death, sneered at doom and chuckled at catastrophe.
    ...Collector of Chairs. Reader of Books. Hater of Nutmeg...

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    Quote Originally Posted by KimTisha View Post
    Yeah, I don't know any of my third cousins once removed.
    I don't either, but I did wonder if in this close knit community if it might be more likely for people to know their distant relatives.

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    Senior Member KimTisha's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by raisedbywolves View Post
    I don't either, but I did wonder if in this close knit community if it might be more likely for people to know their distant relatives.
    Possible, but I don't think Smoker is a practicing Anabaptist, is he? Which would make him an outsider and less likely to be known by the family.

    Just saw that he was released from prison because of COVID19. Brilliant move, Pennsylvania. A young girl is dead, but at least that POS criminal is safe. I hope they don't put him back in prison where he might be exposed to the virus. I'm sure he was socially distancing when he murdered poor Linda. We can trust him to behave and do the right thing, right? RIGHT?!?! Disgusting. I know they won't do it, but I hope the Stoltzfoos family sues the living hell out of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

    You are talking to a woman who has laughed in the face of death, sneered at doom and chuckled at catastrophe.
    ...Collector of Chairs. Reader of Books. Hater of Nutmeg...

  11. #11
    What do you care? Boston Babe 73's Avatar
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    For authorities themselves to find the remains this long after she went missing usually points to a tip. Someone knew what happened to that Woman

    ETA: Well, derp. I should have read the thread first. My bad.
    Last edited by Boston Babe 73; 04-21-2021 at 04:26 PM.
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    confirmed it's her :

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...s-believe.html

    Body wrapped in tarp and buried in 3ft grave IS missing Amish girl, 18, who vanished on way home from church: Remains were found behind workplace of man charged with murder

    Linda Stoltzfoos was last seen walking home from a church service on June 21
    Remains were found near Dutchland Inc in Lancaster County on Wednesday
    In December last year Justo Smoker, 34, was charged with criminal homicide
    Dutchland Inc is the former workplace of Smoker, the DA said Thursday
    Officials said last year that the suspect's DNA was discovered on the victim's stocking, which had been found buried at another site alongside her bra
    Lancaster County DA Heather Adams said Thursday they now believe Stoltzfoos was initially buried at that location before her body was moved
    Her body was wrapped in tarp and was more than 3 feet down, Adams said

    Human remains found during a search Wednesday are that of the missing Amish teenager who disappeared in Pennsylvania last summer, officials believe.

    Linda Stoltzfoos, 18, was last seen walking home from a church service in the Bird-in-Hand area of Lancaster on on June 21 last year. She never returned home.

    In December last year Justo Smoker, 34, was charged with criminal homicide. Officials said then that the suspect's DNA was discovered on the victim's stocking, which had been found buried in the woods alongside her bra.

    Lancaster County DA Heather Adams said Thursday they now believe Stoltzfoos was killed within hours of her kidnap and initially buried at that location before her body was moved to where it was found Wednesday.

    The remains were found buried more than three feet down and wrapped in a tarp behind Dutchland Incorporated, the former workplace of Smoker in a rural area in the eastern part of Lancaster County, she said.

    A a dress, bonnet and shoes matching what Linda was last seen in were also found. Prosecutors noted that Wednesday marked exactly 10 months since Stoltzfoos disappeared.

    Speaking about the find, Stoltzfoos's uncle told CBS 21 Wednesday: 'I'm still in shock and never ready for news like this.'

    The county coroner's office will now make a formal identification and determine the cause and manner of death, prosecutors said.

    DA Adams said the surrounding area where the remains were found Wednesday had been already been searched by police.

    She did not comment on what led to the discovery Wednesday.

    Adams told reporters: 'While the coroner's office has not yet made a positive forensic identification, based on all of the information currently known and available to us, we strongly believe and are comfortable saying, that the remains are those of 18-year-old Linda Stoltzfoos.'

    An autopsy is planned for Friday.

    Local resident Debbie Matteoda said: 'For the family I feel terrible because they keep all this hope all this time that maybe she will show up, but then again it's a closure.'

    'Its sad,' said Krista Hanna. 'I hope that the family feels peace a little bit and the search is over and they know now what happened.'

    Last month, a county judge ruled that prosecutors had presented enough evidence for a homicide trial against Smoker, 35, of Paradise, in the disappearance of Stoltzfoos.

    Prosecutors have said friends and family report that Stoltzfoos was happy with her life and had never expressed any desire to leave. In fact, they say, she had made plans to join others in a church youth group that day.

    Smoker was initially charged with felony kidnapping and misdemeanor false imprisonment.

    But in December, he was charged with homicide, with prosecutors alleging that the passing of time, along with the complete cessation of all routine activities led to the inevitable conclusion that Linda was deceased and that Smoker caused her death.

    Adams said then: 'Smoker's conduct on and around the time of Linda's kidnapping, along with physical evidence, supports the allegations that he kidnapped and murdered her.'

    Stoltzfoos was reported missing on the evening of Father's Day by her father after she failed to return home from a youth group she had been set to attend. Investigators say Stoltzfoos never made it to the social gathering that night.

    Surveillance footage observed by authorities captured Stoltzfoos walking alone on Beechdale Road, a route she typically took home after church. A red Kia Rio that matched Smoker's vehicle registration number was also seen in the footage.

    In a rural location in Ronks where they believe the victim might have been taken and where the vehicle was seen parked June 23, authorities found items of Stoltzfoos' clothing buried in a wooded area, prosecutors said.

    'Smoker became a person of interest in the kidnapping after police received information about a red/orange vehicle seen in the Gap area on the afternoon of the abduction,' the East Lampeter Township Police Department said in a press release in July last year.

    'Multiple witnesses in the area reported seeing an Amish female in the passenger seat of a vehicle driven by a male. Witness descriptions of the driver and vehicle are consistent with Smoker and his vehicle.'

    The FBI offered a reward of $10,000 in July for information leading to her recovery.

    Christopher Tallarico, the county's chief public defender, argued in March there was no proof that Stoltzfoos had ever gotten into Smoker's car, and he elicited testimony that her DNA wasn't found on samples taken from the car.

    East Lampeter Township Detective Christopher Jones said DNA profiles recovered were insufficient to test.

    Hundreds of volunteers showed up to search for Stoltzfoos, according to a Facebook page that details search efforts and includes photos and videos from the scene.

    For hours, volunteers scoured fields and streams for Stoltzfoos. In the evening, 15 horses with riders were dispatched to help search for Stoltzfoos.
    Members of the tight-knight religious community held a vigil on Wednesday to pray for Stoltzfoos' return.

    Smoker has an extensive criminal history stretching back to 2005 and has spent the majority of his adult life behind bars.

    He had been a former high school wrestling all-star who had a 3.0 grade point average and earned a place on the Lancaster-Lebanon wrestling all-star team in 2003 before turning to a life of crime.

    The 34-year-old was sentenced to serve 12-and-a-half years to 30 years in prison following a string of armed robberies in 2006.

    Smoker pleaded guilty to the robberies, during which he and his brother, Victor, used a BB gun to rob four different businesses between Aug. 8 and Aug. 13, 2006.

    During the trial, Smoker was revealed to have been adopted at age seven after he was found 'living on the street, just trying to survive', his defense attorney said.

    'They raised me better than this,' Smoker told the judge of his adoptive parents. 'I'm sorry for what I did and the people I hurt, including my family.'

    His adoptive father said Smoker had been 'trouble since we got him.'

    The judge told Smoker at the 2007 hearing that he could have imposed a sentence that would have kept him in prison for twice as long, if not the rest of his life, Lancaster Online reported.

    But, the judge said he issued a sentence that ensures 'society is protected, but that you could still come out and lead a reasonable life.'

    Smoker ended up serving nearly the minimum on that sentence and was released on Feb. 28, 2019.

    Bird-in-Hand is known for its large Amish population, and tourists come to visit the Amish Village heritage museum.

    Pennsylvania and Ohio have the highest concentration of Amish communities, with 50 Amish groups in each state.

    The Pennsylvania Amish are known to be private people who believe that God has called them to a simple life of faith, discipline, dedication and humility.

    Shunning technology, they believe that the Amish religion should be practiced, not displayed, and translated into daily living rather than focused on tangible symbols or complicated religious rituals.

    Stoltzfoos' disappearance came a month after a 21-year-old US Air Force airman was arrested for allegedly killing Mennonite Sunday school teacher Sasha Krause, 27, in Arizona.

    Both the Amish and Mennonites belong to the Anabaptist denomination of Christianity and dress in similar garb, but unlike the Amish, the Mennonites allow the use of some modern technological advances in their daily lives.

  13. #13
    What do you care? Boston Babe 73's Avatar
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    At least they can give her a proper burial now. That poor woman.
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    Scoopski Potatoes Nic B's Avatar
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    He buried her behind his own workplace? What a maroon.


    Quote Originally Posted by marakisses View Post
    yes i said i will leave it under you storage he said cuddle with me i said shut up it over??? what am i doing wrong??
    Quote Originally Posted by curiouscat View Post
    Happy Birthday! I hid a dead body in your backyard to celebrate. Good luck finding it under the cement. You can only use a stick to look for it.

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    What do you care? Boston Babe 73's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    He buried her behind his own workplace? What a maroon.
    My question is why did it take so long for police to find her then? They knew he was involved and claimed to have searched before. They obviously didn't do that great of a job the first time.
    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    That is too pretty to be shoved up an ass.
    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    You can take those Fleets and shove them up your ass



  16. #16
    Scoopski Potatoes Nic B's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Boston Babe 73 View Post
    My question is why did it take so long for police to find her then? They knew he was involved and claimed to have searched before. They obviously didn't do that great of a job the first time.
    Buncha maroons!


    Quote Originally Posted by marakisses View Post
    yes i said i will leave it under you storage he said cuddle with me i said shut up it over??? what am i doing wrong??
    Quote Originally Posted by curiouscat View Post
    Happy Birthday! I hid a dead body in your backyard to celebrate. Good luck finding it under the cement. You can only use a stick to look for it.

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    What do you care? Boston Babe 73's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by raisedbywolves View Post
    https://local21news.com/news/local/a...nda-stoltzfoos

    Linda Stoltzfoos cause of death ruled as asphyxia, stab wound contributing factor



    I wonder if she was raped?
    Considering that her clothes were strewn and not all on her, I'm assuming so. It's also the likely motive. I'm sure with how decomposed her body is that they probably won't be able to determine if she was or not, but the likely scenario is that she was. Sadly.
    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    That is too pretty to be shoved up an ass.
    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    You can take those Fleets and shove them up your ass



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