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Dig this- he said that a 5-pointed star, like the one that JD had, is an Amish symbol for good fortune. If JD was Amish, then he almost certainly came from PA.
There are Amish communities all over the US. Ohio actually has more Amish than Pennsylvania. He could also have been Mennonite. They are even more wide spread. I have considered whether Jason Doe could have been on rumspringa or have left the Amish or Mennonites before he was baptized. That could explain why he was never identified. If he had left during rumspringa or was in the Bann (shunned), his family may not be making an effort to find him.
Amish don't get tattoos, as a rule (they are both worldly, vain and prohibited by the Bible). Someone who was born Amish and left, however, certainly might.
I would be curious to know if they could check his DNA for certain genes that are much more prevalent among the Amish/Old Order Mennonites due to the closed gene pool nature of the communities. See link:
"Amish and Mennonites exhibit certain rare diseases uncommon in other populations. These include Ellis-van Creveld syndrome (a type of dwarfism), glutaric aciduria, Crigler-Najjar syndrome, and maple syrup urine disease. Some illnesses are so uncommon that they are unique to these communities (such as Troyer Syndrome or Amish lethal microcephaly), or rarely seen elsewhere."
http://amishamerica.com/do-amish-have-genetic-disorders/
The reason why I mentioned PA was because that's where the Amish star originated from and is still used on farm houses. It's more associated with PA Amish than anyone else. Jason did not appear to be 'transient.' He had good teeth and no drugs/alcohol in his system. I'm not sure if this matters but the Grateful Dead were going to play in PA a few days after Jason had died. Until more details about his death are released, we can only speculate.
As far as the tattoo thing goes, they cannot get tattoos after they are baptized which occurs after rumspringa. Interesting enough, rumspringa occurs between the ages of 16-21; the same ages listed for Jason.
I definitely think it should be considered, I mentioned a year or two ago that I wondered if he was from an Anabaptist community such as the Amish or the Hutterites. Someone else suggested he could have been a lost boy from a FLDS sect. I think all of these are distinct possibilities, although good teeth makes me lean away from Amish a bit more as he wouldn't have grown up with fluoridated water and Amish dental health is not traditionally stellar. Obviously, there are exceptions to this. He could also be a less strict order of Mennonite or some such.
Just adding what I know from my time in PA. I was always under the impression that stars being lucky were hex sign related. The Amish don't use hex signs. (This is where the whole Pennsylvania Dutch vs Amish vs Mennonite vs They're Really Pennsylvania Duetsch thing kicks in) I'm interested that the Amish you know consider it good luck. Do you know what kind of Amish your friend/contact is? (Beachy, Old Order, etc?)
Not appearing transient would gel with him being on rumspringa, as they often save up for it, so he'd likely have been prepared and possibly moving between various other Amish or former Amish kids he knew if he didn't have his own place.
Do you know if they can look for genetic markers for diseases in the results of a DNA test? If he carried some rare alleles that could be linked to a certain group, that would definitely narrow down things.
Dig this- he said that a 5-pointed star, like the one that JD had, is an Amish symbol for good fortune. If JD was Amish, then he almost certainly came from PA.
Are tattoos common in Amish youth?
Are tattoos common in Amish youth?
There are Amish all over the US and Canada.
I just saw this thread and it caught my attention. I am Mennonite with many ties to other Anabaptist groups, including Amish. One suggestion I had was to contact The Budget, the Amish newspaper. They might know how to get the word out to the communities. LE could put out an ad asking if anyone had a son missing and give the relevant info. there may be a family just heartbroken out there, whose son never came back. There could be a mother or father who wonders at why their child never contacted them in all these years.