Remains found in nearly year-long search for missing Amish woman
Authorities in Lancaster, Pa., announced on Wednesday that they have recovered human remains while looking into the disappearance of an 18-year-old Amish woman.
Linda Stoltzfoos has been missing since June 21, 2020 after last being seen walking home from church in the Bird-In-Hand area. Testimony from friends and family of Stoltzfoos indicated that she was content with her life and never made mention about leaving the community.
The newly recovered remains have not yet been identified but prosecutors said that the coroner’s office will formally identify the remains and determine a cause of death.
Prosecutors have already identified a person of interest in this case and have since charged Justo Smoker of nearby Paradise, Pa., with felony kidnapping and misdemeanor false imprisonment.
In December, an additional homicide charge was added to the case against Smoker as prosecutors alleged “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, according to the Associated Press.
A county judge in March ruled that there was sufficient evidence to maintain the homicide charge against Smoker.
Investigators have already found evidence with help from the FBI that shows the same vehicle owned by Smoker involved in the abduction of Stoltzfoos. Authorities also recovered some of Stoltzfoos’ clothing in a rural, wooded area. Of the items found, a stocking was discovered that contained a similar DNA profile “attributable to Smoker.”
Chief county public defender Christopher Tallarico argued that there was no proof of Stoltzfoos ever being in Smoker’s car as her DNA had never been found in samples taken from the vehicle.
With Wire News Services
