It seems everyone knew there was something strange going on at a house in Feasterville, Pennsylvania, that had boarded windows and overgrown weeds. Neighbors said they repeatedly called authorities, concerned about the groups of young girls they saw outside the house of 51-year-old Lee Kaplan. Of particular concern was how he appeared to hold hands with the oldest of the girls who was clearly too young to be his wife. Some called to express concern as early as 2013, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Police finally knocked on Kaplan’s door on Thursday. And what they found was horrific. Twelve girls were living in the house, including an 18-year-old with whom Kaplan apparently fathered two children. Authorities say it is still unclear whether Kaplan abused any of the other girls.
Kaplan was charged with sexual assault and police also arrested the parents of the 18-year-old girl, saying they were the ones who “gifted” their daughter to Kaplan when she was 14 as a thank you for getting them out of “financial ruin.” Daniel Stolzfus, the girl’s father, told police he gave their daughter to Kaplan after “researching the legality of the exchange on the internet.”
Daniel and Savilla Stoltzfus told police the other children were also theirs, except for the two youngest who were their grandchildren. Authorities have not been able to corroborate that because they haven’t been able to locate any records to prove their identities.
“We’ve got a ways to go to figure out what’s really going on here,” Bucks County District Attorney David Heckler said on Saturday.
