Pennsylvania State Police discovered a gruesome crime scene last month at the home of a pregnant Amish woman who was found dead in a pool of blood in her rural Crawford County home, according to court documents.
“Obvious lacerations were observed on the front.” [Rebekah Byler’s] There was a scalping wound to the neck, according to a Pennsylvania State Police warrant issued in court Monday.
The horrifying details came just two days after police announced the arrest of a 52-year-old man named Sean Cranston in the case.
Man arrested in connection with murder of pregnant Amish woman in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania State Police announced Saturday that they have arrested Sean Cranston in connection with the brutal murder of pregnant 23-year-old Rebecca Byler. (Pennsylvania Bureau of Crime Watch)
Around 12:30 p.m. on February 26, a friend called 911 for help after entering the home with the victim’s husband, Andy Byler, and finding the 23-year-old victim with her throat slit in the living room.
She was six months pregnant.
The suspect, Cranston, is charged with murder, unborn child murder, robbery and trespassing.
Investigators in the death of Rebecca Byler, a 23-year-old Amish woman in Sparta Township, Crawford County, say her body was found inside her Fish Flats Road home, pictured. He said he had injuries. (Tim Hahn/Erie Times News/USA Today Network)
Amish pregnant woman killed with cuts to head and neck in Pennsylvania home: Report
He is being held in the Crawford County Jail without bail.
He is scheduled to return to court for a preliminary hearing on March 15.
Read the warrant affidavit:
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The killing shocked a rural community in northwestern Pennsylvania. Residents say the Amish, known for their modest clothing and limited use of technology, get along well with their non-Amish neighbors.
“It’s not something that happens around here,” Lindsey Smith, president of the Women’s Auxiliary of the nearby Spartansburg Volunteer Fire Department, said last week.
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Fox News’ Christina Coulter and Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
