Abducted: Missing Amish Girls, 12 and 6, Found Alive

Two young sisters from an Amish community in upstate New York that were reported abducted on Wednesday evening have been found safe, the AP reports. Fannie Miller, 12, and Delila Miller, 6, were discovered about 36 miles from their home, cold and wet, but safe.

The girls were taken from the family’s roadside stand at around 7:20 pm in Oswegatchie, New York, near the Canadian border, The Inquisitr previously reported. Witnesses say a white Sedan was at the stand just before the girls disappeared.

Imagine searching for someone that you’ve never seen. No pictures… nothing. That’s what authorities were faced with as the family, whose culture provides for no modern conveniences or technology, had no photos of the girls. Only a description of what the girls and what they were wearing, brown hair and brown eyes, dark blue dresses, blue aprons and black bonnets, and a sketch of the older sister the family agreed to work on with the authorities.

ABC News reports that applause erupted at the search command center when word of their return was announced. The report also says that the entire community rallied to find the girls, despite cultural differences, and that played a key role in the girls’ safe return. The news came shortly after a prayer vigil attended by 200 people at Cornerstone Wesleyan Church.

Fannie and Delila were dropped off in Richville, about 45 minutes away from their home, still wearing the traditional Amish attire they were last seen in. They knocked on the door of a house, and the man who answered knew them immediately because of the reports of their disappearance.

The girls have been reunited with their family and “seem to be healthy” District Attorney Mary Rain said.

Authorities haven’t released many details about the incident yet, but Rain indicated that more than one person may have been involved in the girls’ disappearance. The roadside stand was deemed a “crime scene” and was cordoned off.

St. Lawrence County Sheriff Kevin Wells said it was a very short period of time between when the family realized the girls were missing and when authorities were notified. The family speaks mainly Pennsylvania Dutch and does not own a phone, in keeping with the Amish way of life. The phone call to authorities was placed from an English-speaking home.

Numerous tips surrounding the girls’ abduction were received in the 24 hours they were gone. As authorities continue to sift through those tips, the hope is that one will lead them to those responsible.

[Image: WSYR-TV]