Return to Amish’s grisly secret murder – affair scandal, brutal stabbing and heartbreak

There’s a grisly secret lurking behind the scenes of TLC reality show Return to Amish.

While the show – a spin-off to Breaking Amish – might seem squeaky clean on the surface, one of its stars is actually hiding a dark past.

Put simply, the show follows a group of formerly Amish people who ditched their traditional lifestyle to live ‘English’ – that’s not-Amish – but decided to eventually return.

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Charting the issues they run into as they try to settle back into their non-Western lifestyle, the show debuted in 2014 and is currently in its seventh season.

But one star, Jeremiah Raber, has a very tragic past that we’re not fully privy to on-screen.

Daily Star takes a peek behind that curtain.

Adoption heartache

Adopted by an Amish family when he was still a baby, Jeremiah was taken from his birth mother when he was around nine months old, and adopted when he was a year and a half old.

Much later, his biological half-sister found him, and Jeremiah was finally able to meet his birth mom after years “knowing I wasn’t meant to be Amish”, so “never really lived by their rules”.

More would come out of this chance meeting than just a new relationship, as Jeremiah later discovered that his biological father was murdered in a grisly incident.

Things soon went downhill with Jeremiah and his mom, with him revealing in 2018: “In the beginning, I believed every damn word that my family told me. I agreed to meet up with them.

“And it was the f***ing worst mistake I’ve made in this entire life.”

He and his mother suffered a huge, public fall-out, with his mom claiming: “I have all my kids that I love and love me,” seemingly digging at Jeremiah.

Amid his family problems Jeremiah revealed on YouTube that he had a habit of self-harm, and cut the word “worthless” into his chest after meeting with his birth family for the first time.

For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.

Dad discovery

In season six of the show, Jeremiah’s supposed biological father, Dennis, reached out to him – and he reluctantly agreed to meet up.

Dennis had tied the knot with Jeremiah’s mom just before his birth, explaining: “I met Jeremiah’s mother when I was in the army. I was married to her for a total of, I think, it was five years.

“And then things hit the fan, and I tried to be — do the right thing and get back and take over, and responsibility… I didn’t know that she was pregnant with Jeremiah when it came to a head, and I left, finally.”

But further heartbreak would follow, as a paternity test revealed that Dennis wasn’t actually Jeremiah’s birth dad.

Instead, it revealed he shared DNA with his uncle, who was married to his mom’s sister – and died around the time Jeremiah was adopted.

Named Lawrence ‘Larry’ Hiltabidel, the true story of how he died soon emerged – leaving Jeremiah reeling even further than before.

Grisly slaying

It took hunting through old newspapers for Jeremiah to figure out just how his biological dad died. His cousin Chris helped out, revealing that Larry was actually killed by his wife – Sheila Ann Hiltabidel, Jeremiah’s aunt.

Back in 1982, the pair had gone to a bar together in the days leading up to Christmas, but when they returned, Sheila stabbed Larry in the chest with a knife.

He died from the brutal wound, and Sheila was charged with his murder. And though she tried to deny any wrongdoing at first, she later pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, and was handed a 5-25 year prison sentence.

Reports at the time from The Akron Beacon Journal explained: “Deputies were called by a neighbour after Hiltabidel staggered to the neighbour’s house.

“Clinton firefighters said he was conscious on the way to the hospital and several times asked them to open the doors because he could not breathe.”

In the show, Jeremiah asked if he was the reason for his father’s death. He assumed Sheila may have killed Larry for cheating on her with her own sister and welcoming a child with her – but no answers could ever be confirmed.

Another tragic death

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Sheila died in 1986 at the age of just 33, meaning Jeremiah was never able to meet her and get answers over his father’s murder.

It is unclear whether she was still behind bars when she died, but reports said she passed at Barberton Citizens Hospital in Ohio.

Thankfully he was able to get to know his biological grandmother.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk