The two young Amish girls who were abducted from a roadside farm stand in upstate New York were sexually abused while in captivity.
The two sisters, ages 7 and 12, were abducted Wednesday in Oswegatchie and were set free by their captors on Thursday. Stephen Howells Jr., 39, and Nicole Vaisey, 25, were arrested and arraigned for the kidnapping of the girls, reported the Associated Press.
The girls showed up at Jeff Stinson’s home, which is about 15 miles from where they had been abducted. Stinson had bought corn from the girl’s farm stand and was able to recognize them. The man brought the girls to their home where the police were waiting, reported Fox News.
Bradford Riendeau, the lawyer for Vaisey, said that Vaisey was abused by Howells. He also said that the woman wanted a restraining order against Howells.
“She appears to have been the slave and he was the master,” Riendeau said.
The two girls were suspected of not being the only two that the couple planned to kidnap. St. Lawrence County Sheriff Kevin Wells believed there was “definite potential” for more kidnappings.
As a result of the kidnapping, some people in the Amish community have decided to take down their roadside stands, and are reluctant to let their children go outside unattended.