A judge from Saline County will now hear the case in Cooper County against a Boonville man who ran an Amish retreat and claimed to be a healer.
Judge Joshua Taylor was assigned to the case last week that prosecutors have brought against 43-year-old Sam Shetler, who was indicted earlier this month on ten charges including manslaughter, kidnapping, sexual abuse, and trafficking. Court documents accuse Shetler, who ran the Truth and Mercy Retreat, of claiming to being a healer and developing a level of trust within Amish and Mennonite communities that would lead to a number of alleged abuses.
Most recently, Shetler was charged with involuntary manslaughter after a six-month-old boy died from pneumonia and viral infections while his family was staying at the retreat in March. An investigator for the Cooper County Sheriff’s Office said in a probable cause statement that Shetler provided a “lavender breathing treatment” and failed to conduct follow-up checks on the infant, or render any emergency care. The parents took the child to a neighboring residence, where paramedics pronounced the child deceased. An autopsy found that the boy had been dehydrated and test positive for RSV, Covid-19, and rhinovirus.
The sheriff’s office said they began receiving calls as early as 2022, accusing Shetler of abusive, sexual, and neglectful behavior toward people staying at the retreat. One probable cause statement details an incident where Shetler and his staff allegedly forced a teenage boy to sleep in a cold attic as a form of punishment, and another instant where a man with disabilities was repeatedly kicked in the groin and subjected to pepper in his eyes for several weeks. Shetler was also accused of forcing several teenage girls who were brought to the retreat to take pills and attend counseling sessions where Shetler would inappropriately touch the girls. He’s also facing charges that he would make teenage boys at the camp work at his horse training business and sawmill without pay.
Shetler remains behind bars on $100,000 bond. His next hearing is Wednesday, May 20 in Cooper County Circuit Court.
If you suspect a child is experiencing abuse or neglect, you’re strongly encouraged to call the Missouri Child Abuse and Neglect hotline at 800-392-3738. You can also make a report through the Department of Social Services’ website.