‘Cult-like’ Amish leader indicted by grand jury in baby death, sex crime case

By: Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) -- The leader of a “cult-like” Amish community who was charged with several felonies, including manslaughter and sex crimes, was indicted by a Cooper County grand jury on Friday.

Sam Shetler, 42, of Boonville, is charged with three counts of trafficking for the purpose of slavery, a count of first-degree sodomy, first-degree sex abuse, four counts of kidnapping and one count of first-degree involuntary manslaughter. 

He is being held at the Cooper County Jail without bond. An arraignment is scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday, May 11.

Shelter is accused of forcing teenagers work at the t the Mercy and Truth-Amish and Mennonite Retreat without pay and rubbing oils on young females to "heal" them, court documents in previous reporting indicate.

Following his March arrest, more victims came forward and accused Shetler of posing as a doctor that gave a “lavender breathing treatment” to a baby who suffered from multiple viruses in 2025, including COVID-19, court documents in previous reporting say. The baby had died on March 6, 2025.