Found Deceased PA - Linda Stoltzfoos, 18, Bird-in-Hand, Lancaster County, 21 June 2020 *kidnapping arrest* #3

[Curiosity1234]

Today I started thinking about a different angle and thought of a little bird called a Killdeer.
When I was young and would see a Killdeer start calling and making a lot of noise, I paid attention. A few times when I didn't have anything else to do, I'd walk around to see which of my movements panicked the Killdeer parent more. They nest on the ground and the closer you come to their nest the more dramatic they become, even spreading their wings and flopping and hobbling and pretending to be injured...all to get you...the predator..to follow THEM thereby never finding their nest...or young ones...who are on the ground. So it's worth considering if JS had a plan to grab an Amish girl off the side of the road, that he already had the location ready where he would leave his victim when finished. In the lead up to that, he could have purposefully driven into the Welsh Mountain area, drove around just to add that to his GPS history which he knew LE would use to track him... IF [and only if] he somehow screwed up and was suspected. We have already asked why he would bother burying her undergarments when he could so easily throw them away. Maybe it was an "oh s***" moment when he realized he still had the stuff in his car and decided better to leave them the opposite direction of where Linda's final resting place actually was. Do everything possible to keep them searching in the opposite direction of where she actually is. He may have left his phone home when he drove off to leave Linda in her final location. I know this is giving him a lot of credit and assuming he could be this clever but I'd guess that at some point in prison he had to hear other inmates talking about ways to reduce the chance of being caught.

it's also quite possible that wherever Linda Stoltzfoos is buried (if in fact she is buried) was just meant to be a temporary burial site and he may have been scouting for a permanent burial site in the Welsh Mountain Preserve area but his arrest put a damper on those plans.

 

[Hereshecomes75]

According to the newest message on the Amish hotline, there will be a search this Wednesday. More will follow if nothing is found, the message said. I’m assuming it’s more looking in the Welsh Mountain area, but it didn’t specify.

 

[Trackergd]

LE seems to have put a focus on Welsh Mountain so I would assume that they would know all the other locations he had been at prior to Welsh Mountain and checked into them.

 

[Trackergd]

Wonder if the search happened today. I really think figuring out the egress points is key. JS is not going to climb through picker bushes, poison ivy and thick brush, he's going to use an established trail and then go a little off trail to dispose of the remains, and he's not going to go too far. Every try to carry 100+ lbs over your shoulder for any distance? If Linda is on the mountain, the highest probability is that she's within 20' of a trail. Wish I could get out there myself. Completely swamped at work with a major project.

 

[Bravo]

Thank you Trackergd for all you do. Here and in real life.

 

[Stopthehate]

Thinking of Linda today and every day. I cannot fathom the grief her family and friends are feeling. Let today be the day!

 

[Saphyrrra]

I wonder how disturbed ground would look compared to not after this long a time period and rain and growth of plants. If it would look out of place to the naked eye.

If he went for ease of access youd think they'd check that first... which is why I'm wondering how hidden could she be without cadaver dogs and ground penetrating equipment

 

[Trackergd]

There is usually some evidence based on how deeply a body is buried. A shallow grave is usually disturbed by carrion eaters like coyotes, possums and turkey vultures. If somewhat deeper, the animals my try to dig at it, but give up. Push-downs in the vegetation shows where humans and animals go off trail. Push-downs always have the vegetation bent down in the direction of travel so it's easy to see if someone or something has gone from the trail into the brush. So I would be looking for push-downs off of the trails where there are also human or carrion eater prints. Concentrations of flies and vultures are another clue. Trackers and scent/cadaver dogs working as a team are the most effective method in this situation.

 

[Trackergd]

I should add that a buried body usually creates a "dirt mound" as when you dig the hole and then deposit the body in it, all the dirt does not fit back in. You are left with a "dirt mound" that slowly sinks down, is covered by leaf litter and branch debris, and then grows new vegetation which may appear a bit greener than the surrounding vegetation. Whomever is doing the searching really needs to know what to look for. It is not always a body laying out on the ground waiting for them to trip over it.

 

[Jmoose]

There is usually some evidence based on how deeply a body is buried. A shallow grave is usually disturbed by carrion eaters like coyotes, possums and turkey vultures. If somewhat deeper, the animals my try to dig at it, but give up. Push-downs in the vegetation shows where humans and animals go off trail. Push-downs always have the vegetation bent down in the direction of travel so it's easy to see if someone or something has gone from the trail into the brush. So I would be looking for push-downs off of the trails where there are also human or carrion eater prints. Concentrations of flies and vultures are another clue. Trackers and scent/cadaver dogs working as a team are the most effective method in this situation.

Tracker, how long are you likely to see flies and vultures if a body is buried?

 

[sds71]

There was another search Wednesday for missing 18-year-old Linda Stoltzfoos.

Trained volunteers and members of the Amish community searched the Welsh Mountain area in Lancaster County.


ANOTHER SEARCH conducted for missing Amish teen Linda Stoltzfoos

 

[Niner]

@sds71 - anything new on his next court date? TIA!

I went thru the Lancaster County court site thru 9/11 & didn't find anything.

 

[crhedBngr]

Prayers for Linda, her Family and Friends.

May she soon be found.

 

[crhedBngr]

Sending Love, Light and Strength to Linda's Family and Friends.

 

[sallye818]

I have been checking in often and praying for Linda's return. I can't believe, with the perp in custody and video evidence of the kidnapping, plus details we, the public, don't know, that Linda hasn't been found

 

[crhedBngr]

I have been checking in often and praying for Linda's return. I can't believe, with the perp in custody and video evidence of the kidnapping, plus details we, the public, don't know, that Linda hasn't been found

Yes, it's very frustrating that she still hasn't been found.

 

[HailedSunSea]

In the late afternoon, with many gods chattering, my soul is the only remnant, the sand of rivers, the clack of crops blowing in the wind, trees squealing against each other. Oh how we bring our presents for you, the promise has set upon us. Misfortune has not a strike upon me, the words spoken from the mouths of those before us. Remain still, and may it bring great pleasure, for we do not know your luxury. Blessed be in sanctuary,in the hands of god, must you stay in peace, Linda Stoltzfoos.

 

[IndyEyes]

Prosecutors release new details of Linda Stoltzfoos' abduction; investigators still looking for tips | fox43.com

 

[PayrollNerd]

Prosecutors release new details of Linda Stoltzfoos' abduction; investigators still looking for tips | fox43.com

Cleaning his car a few hours after she disappeared. So sad for what that implies.

According to preliminary hearing testimony from East Lampeter Township police and Pennsylvania State Police:

• Linda “was content with her Amish lifestyle. Nobody we spoke with reported she was unhappy in any capacity.”
• She was “timid in groups” and in public. She never had any boyfriends or non-Amish friends.
• Police searched Linda’s bedroom and found: her money was still there, along with her travel bag and all other belongings. The only things missing were her church clothes.
• Police checked for activity on Linda’ bank accounts as recently as Aug. 5 – there has been none.
• Witnesses saw an Amish female in a red car on the afternoon Linda disappeared. That was ‘extremely noteworthy’ because Amish females typically would not be alone in a vehicle wearing a head covering.
• One witness said, “she looked at me with pleading eyes.”
• As for the red car, Smoker was seen cleaning it a few hours after Linda was abducted. He also sent a Facebook message stating he was cleaning his car.
• Smoker told police no one else drove his car around the time of the abduction, and that he was not in that area on June 21 – but when police showed him surveillance images, he said the car appeared to be his.
• On June 23, a witness saw Smoker’s car parked near a wooded area where police later found Linda’s stockings and bra buried. A plastic zip tie also was found in that area.
• The witness photographed the car - it matched Smoker's registration.

 

[PayrollNerd]

Prosecutors release new details of Linda Stoltzfoos' abduction; investigators still looking for tips | fox43.com

So at least 12-24 hours before searching began? I'm wondering if he was cleaning his car so soon after her disappearance, maybe she isn't buried. Maybe she is inside something, like a cavern, a well, a septic tank, a barrel, an old vehicle, a shed/barn, etc. It takes time and energy to move earth and he wouldn't be choosing an open cleared area either.

A Brief Timeline of Events in the Disappearance of Linda Stoltzfoos:

• June 21 (Father’s Day): Stoltzfoos, 18, never returned home from church.
• June 22: Stoltzfoos is reported missing. Volunteers search for her.
• June 23: Search continues near Enterprise Drive and Old Philadelphia Pike.
• June 24: FBI joins East Lampeter Twp police in search efforts for Stoltzfoos.
• June 29: Investigators say they want to talk to anyone who was on Mill Creek School, Stumptown, Gibbons, Beechdale or Millcreek Roads between 8am and 4pm on Sunday, June, 21 when Stoltzfoos disappeared.
• July 10: FBI offers a reward of up to $10,000 for information about Stoltzfoos’ disappearance.
• July 11: Lancaster County District Attorney’s office announces arrest has been made in the disappearance of Stoltzfoos. Justo Smoker, 34, of Paradise Township, is charged with kidnapping and false imprisonment.