Current:Home > StocksAn arrest has been made in the slaying of a pregnant Amish woman in Pennsylvania -WealthRoots Academy
An arrest has been made in the slaying of a pregnant Amish woman in Pennsylvania
Rekubit Exchange View
Date:2025-04-10 06:28:33
SPARTANSBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania man was arrested Saturday and charged with the slaying of a pregnant Amish woman whose body was found last week.
Shawn C. Cranston, 52, of Corry, has been charged with criminal homicide, criminal homicide of an unborn child, burglary and criminal trespass, Pennsylvania State Police said.
He was denied bail at a preliminary arraignment early Saturday morning and is being held at the Crawford County jail. Online court records show a preliminary hearing has been scheduled for March 15; they do not list a defense attorney.
Calls and emails to state police, the district attorney and public defender’s offices were not immediately returned Saturday morning.
Cranston’s arrest comes less than a week after authorities found the body of Rebekah A. Byler, 23, in the living room of her home a few miles from Spartansburg.
Police said she appeared to have cutting wounds to her neck and head.
The killing shocked the rural community in northwestern Pennsylvania, where people say the Amish get along well with their neighbors in the area.
Police began their investigation Feb. 26 after Byler’s husband, Andy Byler, found her body inside the home shortly after noon.
Trooper Cynthia Schick told The Associated Press on Thursday the investigation and autopsy have given police an idea of what murder weapon may have been used.
Two young Byler children at the home were not harmed, Schick has said.
The Bylers’ home is located along a dirt road in a very remote farming area. Scores of Amish turned out for calling hours Thursday evening at a home in the community. Many arrived by buggies lit by headlights along the narrow country roads.
Residents said the Amish had a longstanding presence in the area and mix well with the surrounding community. Amish and non-Amish visit each other’s homes, and the Amish work jobs for the non-Amish and attend events like the fish fries, they said. Neighbors have been raising money to help the Byler family.
The Amish generally follow basic Christian beliefs and practices but are not homogeneous, according to the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. They are known for simple clothing and for relying on horses and buggies for transportation. Local congregations maintain a variety of rules and restrictions regarding dress, the use of technology and participation in American society.
The overall Amish population is nearly 400,000 people in hundreds of settlements across 32 states, Canada and Bolivia. Pennsylvania has one of the greatest concentrations of Amish.
veryGood! (64187)
Related
- How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
- Nearly $200 million bet in North Carolina’s first week of legalized sports wagering
- Sophia Smith, Portland Thorns sign contract making her NWSL's highest-paid player
- Vet, dog show judge charged with child porn, planned to assault unborn son: Court docs
- 2025 'Doomsday Clock': This is how close we are to self
- Collapse of Baltimore's Key is latest bridge incident of 2024 after similar collisions in China, Argentina
- Vet, dog show judge charged with child porn, planned to assault unborn son: Court docs
- Former correctional officer at women’s prison in California sentenced for sexually abusing inmates
- Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
- Ruby Franke’s Estranged Husband Kevin Details How She Became Involved in Extreme Religious Cult
Ranking
- B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
- When will Lionel Messi retire from soccer? Here's what he said about when it's time
- Why Jennifer Garner's Vital—Not Viral—Beauty Tips Are Guaranteed to Influence You
- President Biden to bring out the celebrities at high-dollar fundraiser with Obama, Clinton
- Trump issues order to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military
- Judge imposes gag order on Trump in New York hush money case
- What happens during a total solar eclipse? What to expect on April 8, 2024.
- Suspect in 3 Pennsylvania killings makes initial court appearance on related New Jersey charges
Recommendation
Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
West Virginia Gov. Justice breaks with GOP Legislature to veto bill rolling back school vaccine rule
Republican committee to select Buck’s likely replacement, adding a challenge to Boebert’s campaign
Pennsylvania’s mail-in ballot dating rule is legal under civil rights law, appeals court says
Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
Evers signs new laws designed to bolster safety of judges, combat human trafficking
Kansas considers limits on economic activity with China and other ‘countries of concern’
'Why wouldn't we?' Caitlin Clark offered $5 million by Ice Cube's BIG 3 league