BIRD IN HAND, Pa. —
Search efforts continue to find 18-year-old Linda Stoltzfoos in East Lampeter Township.
The young woman was last seen on a farm on Stumptown Rd. Sunday night, according to East Lampeter Township Police. She never came home from a church service.
Stoltzfoos is Amish and had attended a church service Sunday. The service was most likely held at someone’s home on Stumptown Rd., as is traditional in the Amish community.
She was walking home from church prior to going to her youth group when she went missing, a searcher told FOX43. She never showed up at the youth group.
Stoltzfoos’s parents reported her missing on Monday morning.
So far, it’s unknown if she left willingly or unwillingly. Her parents told police it was out of character for her to leave without warning.
“There’s no real explainable reason why she would be missing,” said Lt. Matthew Hess of the East Lampeter Township Police Department.
Middlecreek Search and Rescue organized a search of the area, along with Bird-In-Hand and Ronks fire companies.
The majority of people in search crews, however, were area community members. Search crews spent all day searching ground and terrain.
Other volunteers brought food and water to help get searchers through the hot day, when temperatures went up to 89 degrees.
Several canine teams were also out, as well as a search drone.
Search operations were based at Hand-In-Hand Fire Company.
The search effort wrapped up at sundown, but may continue Tuesday.
“We don’t have any indication of criminal activity at this point in time,” Hess said. “We're just crossing all of our Ts and dotting all of our Is to try to figure out what might be going on.”
Stoltzfoos was last seen in a tan dress, white apron and white cape.
If you have any information on where she is, you can contact the East Lampeter Township Police at (717) 291-4676.