Pennsylvania Amish teen's search intensifies as FBI offers $10,000 for information about missing girl
LANCASTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA: Search for missing Amish teenager has intensified as the FBI has also joined the case. The law enforcement agency has offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information that would lead them to the girl who went missing three weeks ago after leaving the church.
Linda Stoltzfoos went missing on June 21 after going for the church service in East Lampeter Township, Lancaster County. She reportedly never returned home after the service. The FBI is now offering the money for information that would help them find the 18-year-old and the person or people responsible for her disappearance. Along with her original photo in which Stoltzfoos is wearing a dress, a cape, and an apron, the FBI has also released a visual composite of Stoltzfoos as she might be seen without her traditional Amish bonnet on and with her hair down. “Our focus is on finding Linda,” Carrie Adamowski of the FBI said.
The teenage girl was reportedly last seen at around 12.30 pm at a farm on Stumptown Road, between the intersection of Beechdale Road and Gibbons Road, in the community called Bird-in-Hand. At the time of disappearance, Stoltzfoos was wearing a tan dress, white apron, and black bonnet, Daily Local News reported.
According to USA Today, for the Amish community, who have been in the US for a long time, farming of all kinds has been at the center of their work life. There are four main groups of the Amish, they are the Old Order, the New Order, the Beachy Amish, and Amish Mennonites. The Amish of Pennsylvania are said to be private people who believe in the simple life of faith, discipline, dedication and humility.
“There's no reason to believe that she wanted to leave. She didn't indicate to anyone that she wanted to go take a trip, so it's very out of character for Linda to do this. So, it changed the circumstances in the sense that there was no pre-planned events or reasons for her to not come back home,” Lt Matt Hess, of the East Lampeter Township Police Department, said after the girl went missing.
In an interview with NBC10, Hess also noted: “This is unlike her. There are certain teenage Amish kids who would have that personality or would express that interest, want to see the world. There was no indication that this is the case for Linda,” adding: “We want Linda to know that if she is watching or listening to this, she is not in any trouble. We are only concerned for her welfare.”
According to reports, members of the community began the search for Stoltzfoos the very next day she disappeared. They checked the fields and screamed her name. Even 15 horses with riders were also sent to look for Stoltzfoos but of no avail. The tight-knight religious community members held a vigil to pray for the girl’s return. A page named "Amish Girl Missing - Linda Stoltzfoos" has also been set up on Facebook, where details of search efforts and includes photos and videos from the scene.