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DA: Suspect arrested, charged in connection to disappearance of Amish woman in Pennsylvania

18-year-old Linda Stoltzfoos has not been seen since June 21
DA: Suspect arrested, charged in connection to disappearance of Amish woman in Pennsylvania
DA: Suspect arrested, charged in connection to disappearance of Amish woman in Pennsylvania
Posted at 5:54 PM, Jul 13, 2020
and last updated 2020-07-13 17:55:58-04

The Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday that a suspect has been arrested and charged in connection to the disappearance of an 18-year-old Amish woman in Pennsylvania.

Justo Smoker was arrested on Friday by East Lampeter Township and charged with felony kidnapping and misdemeanor false imprisonment, the DA's office said in a press release.

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Officials say in the news release that Linda Stoltzfoos was last seen walking home from church on June 21 in the Bird-in-Hand area.

Investigators searched a rural area in Rurks on Friday, where they believe Stoltzfoos may have been taken after she was kidnapped, officials said.

Officials say Smoker's red Kia Rio sedan was seen parked in that area on June 23.

kia rio lancaster county DA .jpg
Picture of a Kia Rio that Justo Smoker owned.

Clothes believed to belong to Stoltzfoos was found buried in a wooded area there, investigators say.

Officials say Smoker became a person of interest in the kidnapping after multiple witnesses told police they saw an Amish woman riding in the passenger side of a red/orange vehicle.

Investigators say police obtained and viewed surveillance video which captured Stoltfoos' abduction on Beechdale Road.

In the video, officials say, showed a red Kia Rio involved in the abduction.

Investigators say the vehicle was also seen in the Gap area on the afternoon of the abduction.