What a sick and disturbing case!
Last Thursday, authorities in Pennsylvania arrested 51-year-old Lee Kaplan for illegally housing TWELVE Amish girls in his home.
The kids in question ranged in six-months old to 18-years-old in age.
Related: Stanford Rape Judge Removed From Upcoming Sexual Assault Case
What makes this story especially heinous is that the 18-year-old is the mother to two of Kaplan’s children — an infant and a three-year-old. Lee allegedly engaged in a sexual relationship with the woman when she was just 14.
How horrific. We can only imagine what the other girls living in the house went through.
As for how the girls ended up in L.K.’s possession to begin with, cops claim the kids’ parents and ex members of the Amish community Savilla Stoltzfus and Daniel Stoltzfus “gifted” them to him as repayment for a debt. The parents have since been arrested with endangering the welfare of a child and they’re being held on a $1 million dollar bail.
What’s confusing about this case is that authorities have yet to figure out if all of the girls are related (authorities can’t find their birth certificates), in addition to the extent of their abuse. All they know for sure is the kids were found in “good health”, that they didn’t attend school, and that they lived in the basement on air mattresses.
Concerned neighbor Jen Betz, who made the rescue call to Child Protective Services last week, revealed to CBS News:
“I just made the call, I just, I don’t know. It’s just an instinct. You notice these little children, these little girls — only little girls — and they be outside very rarely, very sporadically, you’d see one or two.”
Ugh. This situation reminds us of Jaycee Dugard‘s tragic situation, and of those poor girls held captive for YEARS in Ohio.
Mrs. Betz went on to describe the kids’ “fearful” and “sad”, explaining:
“They’re so sad and fearful every time I see them. That’s what made me call. I’ve been telling my husband for years ‘Something isn’t right, something isn’t right.”
How heartbreaking. We just hope the twelve victims will be able to recover from this tragedy.
Related: 600 Witches Placed A Hex On Brock Turner
When asked about the ongoings of the children, another resident told CBS:
“They were very sheltered. I would see them in the front yard working a small garden.”
Ugh. We’re just truly disgusted by all of this.
As of now, the police are investigating this case and we’ll keep you updated as we receive more information.
[Image via Lower Southampton Township.]
Related Posts
-
Categories
