Three St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s detectives will be honored in Washington D.C. for their contributions in rescuing two Amish girls who were abducted and sexually abused last summer.

Augustus Burns, Brookes Bigwarfe and Thomas Caringi will be honored at “Heroes’ Breakfast” May 6 on Capitol Hill. All three are detectives in the St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office. Also being honored are FBI Special Agent Alix Skelton and Frederick E. Bragg.

On Aug. 13, 2014, two sisters were abducted from their family farm stand in rural St. Lawrence County, New York, near the Canadian border. An enormous search was undertaken immediately in this mostly rural area led by the St. Lawrence Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI joined in the next day.

Law enforcement met with Amish elders, who consented to a sketch being prepared, as there were no photographs of the missing girls.

That night, both girls were released and abandoned miles from their home. The girls had been held captive, sexually abused and videotaped for nearly 24 hours.

The girls ran to the closest house, and those people brought the girls home. They told their story to investigators that same night – translated into English by their father. The eldest remembered extremely specific details including what the house looked like and what the cars looked like.

The search teams then created a grid and drove road by road looking for possible matches in a 30-mile radius. When investigators checked at the residence of Stephen Howells, a registered nurse, and Nicole Vaisey, a dog groomer, they became suspicious.

After speaking to the couple at their home and then at the police station, investigators say Howells and Vaisey admitted they had taken the girls. When officers searched the house, they saw multiple cameras and evidence that a sound-proof room was being built. They also saw evidence that other children may have been exploited and abused.

Now, the couple are facing federal charges for producing child pornography, state charges for the abuse and kidnapping of the Amish sisters and additional charges involving four more children.