subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Fri, Nov 20 2009 

Resources

print this story   Print this story
  Post to del.icio.us

Published April 20, 2007 10:20 pm - Two hours before 17-year-old Mary Gingerich was reported missing Wednesday, she and her aunt apparently had been locked in a barn by her brothers.

Report releases details of Gingerich disappearance



4/21/07

ROCKDALE TOWNSHIP — Two hours before 17-year-old Mary Gingerich was reported missing Wednesday, she and her aunt apparently had been locked in a barn by her brothers.

Pennsylvania State Police were are still searching for the teen Friday with nothing new to report.

Details of Wednesday’s alleged incident are outlined in a petition for emergency or special relief filed by Mary’s grandparents, Dan and Mary Gingerich, who sought custody of the teenager.

Pennsylvania State Police said Thursday that Mary is believed to be in the company of several family members, including her father, Ed, and two brothers and a female cousin. She has lived with her paternal grandparents since her father killed her mother, Katie, on March 18, 1993.

The murder received widespread media attention at the time, as have reports of this week’s alleged incident, because Ed Gingerich has been ordered by the court to have no contact with the local Amish community. Convicted of involuntary manslaughter but mentally ill in March 1994, he served a prison sentence of five years and one day, the maximum sentence allowed by law.

If details outlined in the petition are true, they would confirm that Mary was with her father and brothers — at least on Wednesday.

In the petition for custody filed Thursday against her father, it’s reported that Mary was riding in a buggy with her aunt, returning from her uncle’s home about 6 p.m. Wednesday when the teen’s brother, Dan, jumped from the road onto her buggy. He grabbed the reins of the horse and wouldn’t let the women stop the buggy. It’s alleged that Dan then drove the buggy to his uncle Atlee’s home where another brother, Enos, was waiting.

The court papers said Enos led the buggy into the barn, closed and locked the doors, trapping the two women inside. Uncle Atlee, Ed and Ed’s brother, Joe, then began speaking with Mary, trying to convince her to go away with them. They said if she didn’t do it voluntarily, the police would be called and would make her go with them and not let her return.

The two Gingerich sons have previously been sentenced for trespassing and were under court order not to be on Amish property unless invited in writing.

“She did not want to go, according to her aunt,” says the written complaint, but eventually she gave in. Her father reportedly took her away to an undisclosed location by automobile.

Fearing for the life of Mary, her grandparents have now filed for custody.

Crawford County Court of Common Pleas Judge John Spataro granted the request, giving the grandparents custody and ordering Ed to return Mary to them immediately.

Any law enforcement officer is authorized to enforce the court order, take custody of the girl and return her to her grandparents.

Further, the order states the father is to have no contact with Mary pending further hearing of the court.

In the initial missing person report filed Wednesday, police referred to custody as “an unresolved issue.”



print this story    email this story   
Click here to load this Caspio Bridge DataPage.
Click here to load this Caspio Bridge DataPage.






autoconx
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Premier Guide
Premium Jobs

Babysitter
Babysitter needed 2 days per wk, in child’s own home, Conn Lake area call (814)853-808...>MORE

Automobile Technician for Howick Motors, Inc.
AUTOMOBILE TECHNICIAN
Immediate opening in our busy service dept. Must have PA inspection License, tools and good
...>MORE

Caregivers

Caregivers

Are you looking for a great place to work? Join us in our Culture Change journey as we becom
...>MORE

Customer Service
Holiday/Semester Break Work
All Students ages 18+ apply now, $16.25 base-appt., PT now and/or FT on break, customer
...>MORE

Car WASHER:
Car WASHER: Evenings Mon-Fri 6:30pm-10:30pm $7.75/hr. Must have valid PA license & be able to drive standard shift. <...>MORE

See all ads

Premium Photos

See all ads

Premium Real Estate

Cochranton Efficiency
Cochranton: Efficiency Clean & Furn. all Util. & cable incl.
814-425-2603
...>MORE

See all ads

Premium Promos: Check It Out!

Shop Close to Home Directory
• House cleaning
• Package wrapping
• Home decorating
• Meat processing
• Massage therapists
...>MORE

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2009. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index