A 52-year-old Pennsylvania man has been arrested in connection with the gruesome murder of a 23-year-old pregnant Amish woman in an isolated farmhouse late last month.
Sean Cranston, of Corrie, has been arrested in connection with the murder of Rebecca Byler and her unborn child and faces multiple charges including murder, unborn child murder, robbery and trespassing, according to Penn State. Sylvania State Police confirmed Saturday.
Cranston was indicted early Saturday morning and is now Currently held without bonds at the Crawford County Jail.
Mr Cranston, who is believed to work for a trucking company, had a photo of the rig he nicknamed “Flying Bastard” and wrote: “If they mess with me and my stuff, I’m the worst thing for that person.” It’s a nightmare,” he wrote. In the introduction on his Facebook page:.
Police were called on Feb. 26 after Byler’s husband, Andy, and a family friend returned to their rural Sparta Township home and found the mother-to-be unresponsive. This area is approximately 60 miles from Erie.
She was reportedly six months pregnant and suffered fatal head and neck injuries. The Byler family’s two young children were found unharmed in the home.
Pennsylvania State Police declined to answer questions from The Post about how Byler died. The Daily Mail reported that she had been shot.
The newspaper also reported that Byler’s home was at the end of a long dirt driveway and that a traditional Amish buggy was parked near an outbuilding.
Local businesswoman Kelsey Bova has set up a GoFundMe for the Byler family.
“Everyone is surprised. That doesn’t happen here,” said Charlene Hajek, a pharmacist who was born and raised in Spartansburg. he told ABC News. “Everyone’s talking about it. It’s scary and frustrating.”
Hajek said she couldn’t believe a murder would occur in the Spartan area, which she called a “close-knit community.”
“The outside world doesn’t invade,” Hajek said. “For something so tragic to happen… it doesn’t happen here.”
