Police: Man Asked An Amish Girl If Her Family Sold Eggs — Then Tried To Abduct Her At Gunpoint
Following the recent abduction attempt in Pennsylvania, there’s been another try at kidnapping an Amish female – this time in Indiana.
A heavily intoxicated man is accused of trying to force an Amish girl into his car at gunpoint outside her home in Salem, Indiana. Thankfully, her father and brothers intervened, and detained him until deputies arrived.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Department says 53-year-old Jeffrey Mauck of Borden, Indiana was arrested Friday afternoon, October 23. According to WDRB, deputies were called to a home on North Naugle Road around 4:30 p.m. after a report of a man trying to abduct a girl at gunpoint.
What Law Enforcement Says Happened
According to probable cause documents, Mauck approached the girl outside her home and asked if her family sold any eggs. She told him no and walked away. Deputies say he then grabbed her, threatened her with a gun, and told her to get in his car.
She screamed and fought to get free. Her father and brothers heard her and “came to the rescue” as the report puts it. They were able to restrain Mauck until deputies arrived. More from WDRB:
One of the responding officers said he found a pair of black handcuffs lying on the ground underneath Mauck and could smell what he believed to be the odor of alcohol coming from Mauck.
Court documents said Mauck admitted to having been drinking. A chemical test determined that Mauck had a blood alcohol content of .292.
Police say Mauck was carrying a revolver, ammunition, handcuffs and two folding knives. He was taken to the hospital for treatment before being booked into the Washington County Detention Center.
The sheriff’s department has not released the girl’s age, describing her only as a teen. Amish have lived in the Salem area of Washington County since 1972; the vicinity is home to two distinct Amish communities.
Mauck’s Charges & Family Responds
Mauck faces six charges. The sheriff’s department listed attempted kidnapping, criminal confinement, aggravated battery, pointing a firearm, and operating a vehicle while intoxicated. At his initial hearing Monday, his bond was set at $2 million in cash.
Washington County Sheriff Brent Miller called the incident “extremely disturbing” and thanked the girl’s family for acting quickly, according to WBIW:
“Anyone who attempts to harm or abduct a child in Washington County will be met with the full force of law enforcement. Protecting our children and keeping our families safe will always be among our highest priorities.”
Sounds to me like just another sick guy with bad ideas in his head. One of his family members has come to his defense, however. Mauck’s sister, Anna Hall, said the charges are wrong, and that what is being alleged doesn’t fit what she knows of her brother.
“Just a huge misunderstanding of events,” Mauck’s sister Anna Hall said.
“Everything that is being stated right now is very out of character for what me and my family know,” she continued.
Mauck’s sister said the brother she knows would not do what he is accused of.
“He has a tattoo of a blue, the blue bear, because that’s what he is,” she said. “He is, you know, just not aggressive.”
She said she believes the account will look different when the full story comes out. This sounds like wishful thinking to me, or someone struggling to reconcile what happened with what she knew of her sibling. Perhaps on her part this is a misunderstanding of what happened; the other alternative is that this story and its details were fabricated by the Amish family and law enforcement.
Did the recent Pennsylvania attempt put an idea out there?
The attempted abduction of an Amish woman in Lancaster County happened on October 14th. That story got widespread coverage, especially after it emerged a day or two later that she used a weed whacker to scare the assailant away.
This latest abduction attempt in Indiana happened about nine days later. It makes me wonder if the Pennsylvania story planted an idea into a sick individual’s head. There is such a thing as copycat crime and perhaps that played a part here.
Nonetheless, this targeting of the Amish for abduction is not an isolated incident, as I noted on the original Lancaster abduction attempt post.
In October 2025, an Amish family in Geauga County, Ohio was attacked in their home; the men involved tried to take an 8-year-old boy, who escaped. In December 2025 in Gallia County, Ohio, an Amish boy reported that a man and a woman tried to abduct him on a rural road. And in September of 2025, a 9-year-old Amish boy escaped his abductor in Juniata County, Pennsylvania; the suspect was later captured thanks to DNA left on a $20 bill.
Those are only some of the more recent abduction attempts. Looking over them all – that’s at least five such attempts in about a year’s time – suggests a disturbing trend. The bottom line is there are sick people out there who see the Amish as gettable targets for their ideas.
