According to authorities, Samantha Petersen was allegedly high on meth when she crashed into a buggy. They say her identical twin, Sarah Petersen, showed up at the scene, and switched places with Sarah, claiming to be the driver.
Twin sisters have been charged in a deadly crash that killed two Amish children riding in a horse-drawn buggy after one of the women allegedly swapped places with her identical twin in an attempt to help her avoid charges, officials said.
Police say 35-year-old Samantha Petersen was driving an SUV when she hit an Amish buggy on a country road in Minnesota. Two Amish girls riding in the carriage were killed in the collision.
According to authorities, Samantha Petersen was high on meth when she crashed into the buggy. They say her identical twin, Sarah Petersen, showed up at the scene and switched places with Samantha before authorities arrived so that she could claim to be the driver in the incident.
“There’s no way they would ever know the difference between the two of us," Sarah allegedly told her twin, according to a criminal complaint.
And, according to the criminal complaint, Samantha allegedly admitted everything to a friend, texting, “I hit that Amish buggy and killed two people… made Sarah come there and take the fall for it so I wouldn’t go to prison.”
Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge said in February that a “lengthy investigation” found suspicious “inconsistencies” in the case, which eventually led to the unraveling of the alleged plot.
“They are identical twins. It added a lot of complexity. It allowed them to essentially change roles before our first deputy arrived,” DeGeorge said.
Dr. Nancy L. Segal, an expert on the unique bond between twins, spoke with Inside Edition.
“It’s protection. They want to protect their twin. It’s a very loving relationship and they don’t want to see their twin hurt in any way,” Segal says. “So just to spare a twin the pain of a conviction, or some other kind of penalty, sometimes twins will step in and take the brunt for their twin.”
Samantha has been charged with vehicular homicide. Sara is facing charges including taking responsibility for criminal acts. Both women have had run-ins with authorities before. Sarah has been convicted of giving police her sister’s name. Samantha has also been convicted of giving a false name.
