Deadly Amish buggy crash: possible twin driver switch at crash site

KTTC
By Kamie Roesler
Published: Oct. 19, 2023 at 10:00 AM GMT-7

FILLMORE COUNTY, Minn. (KTTC) – According to court records, law enforcement suspects the driver in the deadly buggy crash in Fillmore County on Sept. 25 was not who she said she was and was pretending to be her twin sister. Two children in the buggy were killed in the crash.

Originally, Sheriff John DeGeorge identified the driver in the deadly crash as Sarah Beth Petersen, 35, of Spring Valley, Minn. KTTC is learning now, she has a twin sister named Samantha Jo Petersen. Documents state, Samantha was likely the one driving the car.

On October 19, KTTC received 55 pages in search warrant affidavits from the Fillmore County courthouse in Preston. They were filed between October 4 and October 9.

According to the affidavits, law enforcement began looking into who was actually driving the silver SUV shortly after the crash. It didn’t take long for investigators to suspect Samantha Petersen was the driver of the car.

Court documents state both twins were on the scene when authorities arrived to the crash scene on September 25. When officers and deputies arrived, Sarah Petersen told police she was driving the SUV, that is registered to her twin sister Samantha. She told deputies she was traveling to Spring Valley from Rochester to pay her utility bill and get her kids to school.

However, review of Kingsland Public Schools surveillance footage shows Sarah dropping her kids off at school at 7:41 that morning. Spring Valley Public Utilities staff reported Sarah’s bill was paid in cash prior to the crash but could not confirm which sister paid the bill. Phone records indicate it was Sarah who called the company that morning to confirm the payment was applied to her account.

At that time there was another car at the crash site also registered to Samantha Petersen, a black Toyota SUV.

Documents show Samantha Petersen left work at the Crossroads Hy-Vee in Rochester shortly before 8 a.m. on the day of the crash and was seen getting into the silver SUV and leaving. The affidavit reveals this information was received from Hy-Vee staff, where she and her sister Sarah both worked. It also accuses Petersen of admitting to using methamphetamines and being high at the time of the collision.

Phone records indicate the number that called 911 about the crash belonged to Samantha Petersen, who said she came over a hill and struck the buggy. The documents note the pavement was dry on that cloudy day.

Surveillance video also captured Samantha Petersen at some point appearing to change her shirt.

According court documents, surveillance footage from Hy-Vee indicates Samantha was wearing black pants, black shoes and a black long sleeve top with a red shirt underneath when she left the store.

Upon further review of dashcam footage, both Petersen’s were seen standing by the silver SUV when that deputy arrived to the scene. The documents say the footage shows one of the Petersen sisters wearing black pants with a red t-shirt and black shoes while the other had on black pants, a long sleeve coat with “flip flop type shoes.”

The black SUV at the scene is then moved and the female that was wearing the red shirt was seen walking away wearing a black tank top, according to the documents. The documents go on to say the shoes, pants and wristbands appeared to match that of the Petersen that was wearing the red t-shirt at first.

Sarah was taken through field sobriety tests and a blood draw warrant was executed after Sarah was examined by a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE).

While giving her statement to deputies, the questioning deputy exited his car to speak with the other deputies on scene while Sarah was in the back of the patrol vehicle.

Samantha then approached the car and spoke to Sarah through the passenger window. Deputies reviewed the audio the next day, which revealed the twins talking about how officers couldn’t tell them apart. The documents say this audio is what led deputies to question the identity of the driver.

One court document concludes by saying quote “As a result of evidence located through statements and footage, it became apparent that Samantha Petersen was the likely driver of the striking vehicle.”

Wilma Miller, 7, and Irma Miller, 11, were killed in the crash. A nine-year-old and a 13-year-old were both taken to St. Marys Hospital with injuries but survived. All four of the children in the buggy were siblings and lived in rural Stewartville.

This is a developing story KTTC is continuing to follow. Check back for updates.