Though not featured on the pod, both Sarah and Grace had been closely following Linda's case since her disappearance on Father's Day of 2020. Linda was an 18 year-old member of the Amish community in Lancaster County. She was abducted by Justo Smoker while walking home from church and then assaulted and murdered. All murder is senseless, but this crime feels particularly heinous since the Amish are so peaceful and it was an English person (someone from outside the Amish community) who killed Linda.
Linda Stoltzfoos
Birth:11/18/2001 - Death: 6/21/2020
Ethnicity: Amish/Caucasian - Sex: Female
Height: 5"10" - Weight: 125lbs
Hair Color: Brown - Eye Color: Blue
Hometown: Bird In Hand, PA - Lancaster County
Last Known Location: Walking home from church near a farm on Stumptown Road, between the intersection of Beechdale Road and Gibbons Road, in the Bird-in-Hand area.
Clothing: She was last seen wearing a tan dress, white apron, and black head covering. Please keep in mind, Linda is a member of the Amish Community.
Case Details: Linda did not return home after church on June 21st, 2020. She was last seen near a farm on Stumptown Road, between the intersection of Beechdale Road and Gibbons Road, in the Bird-in-Hand area. Justo Smoker was seen on surveillance video in a red sedan , which is the vehicle believed to be involved with the abduction. Police found Linda's clothing buried in a wooded area where the vehicle was found parked in a rural location in Ronks, PA. DNA on her stockings was found to be "attributable to Justo Smoker" and he was formally charged with felony kidnapping and a misdemeanor for false imprisonment. Smoker pleaded guilty to third degree murder, kidnapping and other charges on July 23, 2021.
Linda's remains were found on April 21, 2021, the identification verified by dental records. It was determined that she died by strangulation and that she had been stabbed in the neck. Her family was able to officially lay her to rest on April 26, 2021 and Justo Smoker has been sentenced to 35.5 - 71 years in prison for the murder, to be served after the 17+ years he received for violating his parole (Smoker had been on parole for a little over a year when he killed Linda).
Justo Smoker
Sources
https://www.fox29.com/news/homicide-trial-ordered-in-disappearance-of-young-amish-woman-from-lancaster-county https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/linda-stoltzfoos
Last updated 9/15/2022