By David Lohr
October 10, 2007
Botetourt Co., VA (Crime Library) — When I started writing this case yesterday there was hope that nineteen-year-old Samantha Bittler would be found safe. Unfortunately, shortly after I finished I was notified of her death. Hence the end of this story has been updated to reflect this sad news.
For the last week the Botetourt County Sheriff's Office and the Bedford City Police have been looking for 19-year-old Samantha Bittler, a young woman who was last seen at a relative's home more than a week ago. Police say Samantha's cell phone was turned off and there had been no activity in her bank account or her MySpace page.
According to police, Samantha was to spend the night of Sunday, September 30 at a cousin's house in Botetourt County. She was last seen by relatives around 10:00 p.m., but was gone when her cousin woke up the following morning. Her car, a black 1999 Chevy Cavalier, was also missing.
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| Samantha Bittler |
Concern turned to worry when Samantha failed to show up for her job at the Valley View Applebee's on Monday, October 1, where she is employed as a waitress. When police spoke with the managers of the restaurant, they were told Samantha was a reliable employee and they could not recall one instance where she had missed work or come in late without first calling in.
"When she didn't call her dad we knew, we knew something was wrong. She talked to her dad every day, every day," Samantha's mother, Ellen Bittler, said in an interview with WDBJ7.com. "...She was very, very popular. She's never had an enemy. Everyone's loved her who ever met her."
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| Sheriff Ronald Sprinkle |
According to Botetourt County Sheriff Ronald Sprinkle, his department was also mystified by Samantha's sudden disappearance.
"We certainly don't have any type of evidence to suspect foul play has occurred at this point. There are several scenarios that could've occurred," Sprinkle told WSET.com. "She certainly could've just run away or could be spending some time with some friends. We just don't know at this point."
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