According to witness statements collected in 2012, Benton visited the Miller farm multiple times in early 1992. Neighbors reported seeing his truck near the property. One Amish farmer, Amos Fisher, recalled encountering Benton and Jacob in a heated discussion near the Miller property line.
“Jacob looked frightened,” Fisher recalls. “I’d never seen him look that way before. And Benton was aggressive, pointing his finger, raising his voice. I asked if everything was alright. Benton told me to mind my own business. Jacob just stood there, silent.”
The final confrontation apparently occurred in late March 1992. Multiple witnesses reported seeing Benton’s truck at the Miller farm on March 24th. Raised voices were heard. Shortly after that visit, neighbors noticed the Millers became increasingly isolated.
“Ruth stopped coming to quilting circles,” Esther Troyer recalls. “She’d always been there every week. But in April and May of ’92, she didn’t come. When I visited to check on her, she seemed nervous, distracted. She said everything was fine, but I could tell it wasn’t.”
In retrospect, the timeline became clear: after Benton’s final threatening visit in March, Jacob began construction on the hidden room. By April, it was complete. The family went into hiding.
