DNA On $20 Bill Helps Police Capture Amish Boy’s (Suspected) Kidnapper

Strange to be doing a second Amish kidnapping story in a row, but here we are. News broke today that police have arrested the suspected kidnapper of an Amish boy in Juniata County, Pennsylvania.

Back in September we learned that a man had grabbed a 9-year-old Amish boy while his back was turned at a farm stand, then put him in his vehicle and drove off.

Thankfully, the boy was able to escape the man’s car at an opportune moment. And he ended up providing the information that led to the suspect’s arrest.

It turns out the man left behind DNA – and the boy was able to direct authorities to where they’d be able to find it. From CBS 21::

In an interview with Pennsylvania State Police, the child told troopers that on Sept. 16, a man came up to him and placed a $20 bill in his money container.

…

While the boy was held captive in the SUV, he reportedly told troopers he was forced to sit on the floor under the glove compartment, but when the driver tried to make a U-turn, the child took the opportunity to open the car door and escape.

He ran into the cornfield before the vehicle drove away.

Troopers said they canvassed the areas the child said the vehicle had gone, which eventually led investigators to obtain surveillance footage.

But it was that $20 bill that became the most concrete piece of evidence—a bill that was sent to the Pennsylvania State Police Harrisburg Regional Laboratory for testing along with other items.

A DNA analysis was conducted, and a month later on Oct. 31, results determined the possible suspect to be 25-year-old Tanner Nipple.

Nipple had allegedly rented the SUV from a local rental company, who were able to provide his phone number and a receipt. The Amish boy was later able to identify Nipple in a police lineup.

Nipple was arrested on Friday and is being held at Mifflin County Jail on a $1.5 million bail. His charges:

• two counts of kidnapping a minor
• one count of false imprisonment
• one count of interference with the custody of children

Thank God the boy was able to escape and this fellow was unable to carry out whatever evil he (allegedly) had in mind. And great work by the investigators with the help of the boy to identify and take the suspect into custody.

Together with the Illinois “Amish wannabe” kidnapper and the Geauga County home invasion case, this is the third attempted kidnapping-of-the-Amish story we’ve seen this year. None of them have ultimately been successful, and I do hope that’s the end of it.

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