Shawn Cranston.Photo:Crawford County Correctional Facility
Crawford County Correctional Facility
• Rebekah A. Byler was found dead inside her home with a “scalping-type wound,” an affidavit states• Shawn Cranston was arrested on Saturday and charged with murder, court records show• Cranston is not a member of the Amish community himself and has a criminal history, per authorities
A man suspected of killing a pregnant Amish mother is not a member of the Amish community, authorities tell PEOPLE.
Rebekah A. Bylerwas found dead inside her home on Feb. 26 in Pennsylvania’s Sparta Township, in the northwestern part of the state, in an area with a large Amish population.
Cranston is being held at Crawford County Prison without bail, online court records show. He has beenchargedwith criminal homicide, criminal homicide of an unborn child, burglary and criminal trespassing in connection with Byler’s death, according to records.
Investigation at the Sparta Township residence.TIM HAHN/ERIE TIMES-NEWS/USA TODAY NETWORK
TIM HAHN/ERIE TIMES-NEWS/USA TODAY NETWORK
At the time of her death, Byler, 23, was six months pregnant with her third child, according to localABC 6.
“The accused is not a member of the Amish community,” an official with the Pennsylvania State Police tells PEOPLE.
When asked how Cranston might have known the victim or the family, the official declined to comment, citing the pending investigation.
“This is still an active investigation which we are not going to release a whole lot,” the official tells PEOPLE.
The official further declined to comment on a possible motive behind the crime.
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They found her with her throat cut with “evident laceration” on the front of her neck, the affidavit states. She also had a “scalping type wound," indicating she likely hadpart of her scalp removed with hair attached to it, according to the affidavit.
Cranston has a criminal history. He was convicted of reckless endangerment of another person and disorderly conduct after he pleaded guilty to two 2009 charges, court records show.
Attorney or plea information for Cranston were not listed in online court records as of Monday. He is set for a preliminary hearing later this month.
source: people.com
