Man & Woman Attempt To Kidnap Amish Boy; Suspects Remain At Large (Ohio)
It’s happened again. Authorities seek a man and a woman wanted for an attempted kidnapping of an Amish boy – only the latest attempted abduction of an Amish child.
This happened yesterday in Gallia County, Ohio, in the southern end of the state. More from WSAZ:
GALLIA COUNTY, Ohio (WSAZ) – Deputies are investigating a reported attempted abduction that allegedly happened Wednesday in Green Township.
Investigators with the Gallia County Sheriff’s Office said it was reported by a boy from the Amish community. The boy said a couple attempted to abduct him on Pleasant Hill Road, near the intersection of Cora Mill Road, around 3 p.m. Wednesday.
Deputies said the alleged incident was reported several hours afterward due to “communication limitations.”
Description of the Couple & Who to Contact
Here’s the description of the alleged culprits:
The vehicle involved is described as a black GMC pickup truck with chrome rims and a Tonneau cover rolled up to the cab.
The man involved is described as having facial scruff and three-fourth sleeve tattoos on both arms.
The woman involved is said to be in her 30s with curly, dark ear-length hair. She also was described as having a heavy-set build, being about 5 feet 6, to 5 feet 8 inches tall and having a nose ring on the right side.
Anyone with information should call the Gallia County Sheriff’s Office at 740-446-1221. People in the are are also “asked to review any home or vehicle surveillance footage from the area around the time the incident happened.”
Here’s the notice from the Gallia County Sheriff’s Office:
“Communication limitations”
Just a note on the report: “communication limitations” is a curious phrase; it could mean that the Amish had trouble getting in touch with the Sheriff’s Office, though they should have access to phones in this community.
Or it could mean that the boy is rather young (no age is given here) and had trouble communicating what happened (for one, many Amish children do not learn English until they go to school) – though that wouldn’t prevent communicating with parents in Pennsylvania Dutch.
The delay in reporting is unfortunate but ultimately I believe this couple will be caught. The Gallia County Amish settlement was founded in 1993, and is home to nearly 800 Amish people.
The latest is a series of kidnapping attempts
Sad to say this is only the latest in a number of kidnapping attempts of Amish children in recent months.
In September a man attempted to kidnap a 9-year-old boy in central Pennsylvania. Just a month later, an Amish family in Ohio were the victims of a brutal home invasion and attempted kidnapping of an 8-year-old boy. Not to mention earlier this year when an “Amish wannabe” assaulted and attempted to kidnap an Amish teen girl in an Illinois community.
It’s simply disgusting to think what people might have in mind when they try to do these things. Let’s hope this couple are quickly caught, and then locked away for a long time.
Attempted Abduction In Ohio
It’s amazing that the Amish child was able to give such thorough descriptions of both the vehicle and suspects in this case. So kudos to the child. With the man’s tattoos and the woman’s nose ring, they should be easily identified. Let’s hope they’re apprehended soon. One can only wonder why Amish children are targeted by these scum, but perhaps it’s because many Amish homes lack a telephone or the (mistaken) belief that Amish won’t contact law enforcement?? In any event, these rather unique perpetrators are just as dangerous as any others. Erik, thanks for sharing this with us.