The Sad Truth About Jeremiah Raber Biological Mother Sherry Hiltabidel and Family

Jeremiah Raber mother Sherry Hiltabidel is the birth mom of the reality star. Jeremiah did not meet his real parents until he was an adult.

Raber is a popular TV personality best known for his appearance on TLC reality show Return to Amish. The reality show first aired on May 22, 2014, in the States. It is a spin-off of the highest-rated freshman series, Breaking Amish.

The 43-year-old made his first appearance on TV in 2012 with the series Breaking Amish. He was one of the five young adults featured in the series which followed their journey of breaking away from their restrictive Amish communities to establish a new life.

Breaking Amish is among the popular TLC reality shows including Extreme Sisters and Say Yes To The Dress.

Jeremy is also active as a content creator. He has his own YouTube channel under @jeremiahraber where he has gained over 9.32K subscribers.

The TV star is married to his wife Carmela Mendez. The couple tied the knot in 2016. Previously, Raber was in a relationship with his co-star, Naomi Stutzman.

Jeremiah Raber Biological Parents

Jeremiah Raber mother Sherry Hiltabidel and father Larry Hiltabidel are his biological parents. Jeremiah grew up with the Amish adopted family of Aaron and Mystic Raber.

Sherry Hiltabidel

Sherry Hiltabidel gave birth to Jeremiah in Holmes Country, Ohio, on January 17, 1980. However, he was adopted by an Amish couple at 9 months.

Raber met his birth mom many years later through his half-sister. He revealed the incident in an episode of Return To Amish in 2018. He further added that he believed each and every word uttered by his family members. 

The Breaking Amish said that he was excited to meet his real parents when he came in contact with them. However, he looks back at the decision as one of the worst in his life.

After the meeting turned sour, Sherry cut off connections with Jeremiah. She share a short video on her social media profile which was supposedly her last words for him.

Mrs. Hiltabidel didn’t refrain from saying that Jeremiah is not her child and she doesn’t want him in her life. She already has her kids that love her. 

Furthermore, Raber’s siblings also went totally dark on Jeremiah and cut off all connections with him. 

Larry Hiltabidel

Larry ‘Lawrence’ Hiltabidel was the biological father of Jeremiah Raber. 

Larry was actually Jeremiah’s uncle. Hiltabidel was having an affair with his wife’s sister, Sherry. As a result, she got pregnant and gave birth to Jeremiah.

For a long time, Raber believed that Dennis was his biological father. He even established a connection with Dennis to discover the real facts about his family and requested a medical test.

The DNA test revealed that Dennis was not the real dad of the reality star. In fact, he shared DNA with his uncle, Larry. Unfortunately, Larry was killed only a year after Jeremiah was born.

Jeremiah Is Widely Known As Son of Aron and Mystic Raber

Jeremiah Raber parents are the Amish couple Aaron Raber and Mystic Raber. Aaron and Mystic adopted Jeremiah as an infant.

Aaron and Mystic are an Amish couple from Holmes County, Ohio. They adopted Jeremiah when he was about nine months and grew up in the Amish community.

The Breaking Amish star claimed in the media that he never really fit into that lifestyle and was always looking for a way out. He has even claimed that he was not adopted but taken from his birth mother.

The reality star is not on speaking terms with his adopted parents. He hasn’t tried to contact them since 2012. However, he doesn’t talk about them in detail in the media.

His Family Truth Revealed

Jeremiah Raber family has a dark and twisted backstory filled with infidelity and violence.

Sherry Had An Affair With Her Brother-In-Law

Raber’s mom, Sherry Hiltediel, was married to Dennis. While she was still living together with her husband, she was having an extra-marital affair with Larry Hiltabidel.

Larry was no other than the brother-in-law of Sherry. Larry was married to Sherry’s sister, Sheila Hitalbidel.

Sherry became pregnant while she was having an affair with Larry and she gave birth to a son in 1980.

DNA Test Revealed Dennis Was Not His Real Father

For almost 20 years, Raber believed that a man named Dennis was his birth father. However, the DNA test result eliminated the possibility entirely.

Dennis, the supposed father of Jeremiah Raber, was married to Sherry Hiltabidel sometime before Jeremiah was born.

Raber assumed that Dennis was his biological father. As per Dennis’ recount, he met Sherry while he was in the army. Their marriage lasted for about five years. After some time, things fell apart and the two went their separate ways.

Jeremiah’s meeting with his real mother and siblings turned sour. So, he was feeling reluctant to find his biological father. 

The TV star finally made up his mind to see Dennis so he traveled to Michigan during the Season 6 of Return to Amish. Raber didn’t have much expectation from Dennis but to his surprise, the meeting went extremely well.

In one of Dennis’ confessions, he said that he had no idea about his son living with the Amish. His meeting with Jeremiah and his back story left him speechless.

Jeremiah still had doubts about who his real father was so he requested Dennis for a medical test. Dennis willingly complied but the DNA test revealed that he was not the real father. Jeremiah’s DNA sample matched with Larry Hiltabidel.

Jeremiah Thinks He Is Responsible For Larry’s Fate

The Breaking Amish star discovered that his aunt killed his biological father. Jeremiah thinks he is the one to blame for Larry’s fate.

Larry was murdered by his own wife, Sheila Hiltabidel, in 1981, a year after Jeremiah was born. The Breaking Amish star stated in the media that it happened because Larry’s partner found out about his extra-marital affair.

Jeremy set out in search of the truth about his real father’s death. What he discovered was a shocking incident that left him devastated. 

When trying to connect with his long-lost dad, Jeremiah learned that he was part Native American. Even this little piece of information was valuable for the TV star so, he hung onto it as a part of his real identity.

Where Is Sheila Hiltabidel Now?

Jeremiah’s aunt Shiela Hiltabidel is no longer in this world. Shiela passed away on May 21, 1986, at the age of 33.

The real reason for Hiltabidel’s death has not been revealed in her Obituary. Whether or not, she was serving her jail sentence during the time of her demise is also a mystery.

The Clinton woman stabbed her husband, Larry Hiltabidel, to death in his sleep in 1981. She was sentenced to prison in 1982.

Shiela, a then-29-year-old, committed the crime at night in their home at Fifth Avenue, Clinton. She was arraigned in Barberton Municipal Court the next day.

Mrs. Hiltabidel was the mother of three children Ronald, Tammy, and Charity.

As per the news published by The Arkon Beacon on March 13, 1982, the Clinton woman pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, stabbing her husband to death. Summit County Common Pleas Judge John Reece sentenced her to 5 to 25 years in prison.