A suspect has finally been arrested in connection to the murder of a 23-year old pregnant Amish woman in Pennsylvania.
According to a criminal complaint from the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Shawn Cranston from Corry, Pennsylvania, was arrested on March 2 by Crawford County police in relation to the murder of Rebekah A. Byler.
Cranston, 52, has been charged with criminal homicide after Byler was found dead on Monday inside her home in Pennsylvania’s Sparta Township.
Rebekah’s life was cut short along with her unborn child after Cranston shot her in the head and then slashed her throat.
The victim was six months pregnant with her third child at the time of her tragic death.
Cranston was also charged with the homicide of Byler’s unborn child and faces life sentences for each crime. He is also accused of burglary and bodily injury crime, for which he could face a 20 year sentence, and trespassing, for which he could receive a 7 year sentence.
Authorities said this is the first homicide case within the Amish community since 1993. A homicide investigation is exceedingly uncommon in the rural area, which is located 40 miles outside the city of Erie.
Police reports stated that a family member and a friend found Byler’s body after 12:30 p.m., when she had been taking care of her two young children at home that day. The children that were in the home during the crime were not injured.
Byler’s husband is said to have discovered her body inside the family’s home.
Pennsylvania State Police previously told the outlet that authorities were “aggressively investigating all available leads” ahead of Cranston’s arrest.
Spartanburg resident Randy Eaton shared his reaction to the homicides, “It’s definitely shameful that anything like this could go on here. Everyone’s surprised.”
“Her death is very shocking to the community. It is a sad tragedy,” Charleen Hajec, a neighbor in nearby Spartansburg also added. “We’re just a very tight-knit community and I’m just absolutely heartbroken that this has happened.”