A man was arrested Monday on suspicion of murder in the death of a pregnant Amish woman in her Pennsylvania home, police said.
Pennsylvania State Police announced Saturday morning that after a “five-day thorough investigation,” Cranston was charged with murder, murder of an unborn child, robbery and trespassing.
Cranston was arraigned just before 4:30 a.m. Saturday. He is currently being held without bail in the Crawford County Jail.
Sean Cranston (left), of Pennsylvania, is charged with the murder of 23-year-old Rebecca Byler, who was about six months pregnant at the time of her death. This is Byler’s house. (Crawford County Jail, left, Tim Hahn/Erie Times News/USA TODAY NETWORK, right)
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Police have not said what, if any, relationship Mr. Cranston and Mr. Byler had before their deaths. According to the Daily Mail, Cranston is married to a 46-year-old nurse named Jamie, but it is also unclear whether he is part of the Amish community.
Pennsylvania State Trooper Cynthia Schick said Beilers’ children, ages 2 and 3, were in the home when their mother was killed but were not harmed.
At about 12:26 p.m. Monday, Rebecca’s husband, Andy, and another person returned to the Byler home on Fish Flats Road in Sparta Township, Crawford County, and found her. Police were first called after finding the man unresponsive.
Rebekah was found with fatal head and neck injuries. Law enforcement has not released her cause of death, but the Daily Mail reports that she was shot.
An Amish horse-drawn carriage passes by Dutch Treat Restaurant on February 29, 2024 in Spartansburg, Pennsylvania. A man was arrested Monday on murder charges in connection with the death of a pregnant Amish woman in her Pennsylvania home. (AP Photo/Jean J. Pasker)
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Upon arrival, police entered and inspected the residence and, based on evidence, obtained a search warrant for the residence, outbuildings, and surrounding areas of the property.
Police are asking the public to report any suspicious persons, vehicles or activity in the area of Fish Flats Road.
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.
A sign on the sidewalk outside an antique store on February 29, 2024 in Spartansburg, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Jean J. Pasker)
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“It’s not something that happens around here,” Lindsey Smith, president of the Women’s Auxiliary of the nearby Spartansburg Volunteer Fire Department, said earlier this week.
There are about 400,000 Amish living on settlements in 32 states, Canada and Bolivia, and Pennsylvania has one of the largest concentrations of Mennonites, the news agency said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
