By
The Associated Press
SPARTANSBURG, Pennsylvania — A 52-year-old man was arrested Saturday in Pennsylvania and charged with the murder of a pregnant Amish woman whose body was found last week.
Shawn C. Cranston, of Corry, has been charged with criminal homicide, criminal homicide of an unborn child, robbery and criminal trespass, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
He was denied bail at a preliminary appearance Saturday morning and is being held in the Crawford County Jail.
Online court records show a preliminary hearing has been scheduled for March 15, and a defense attorney has not yet registered.
Emails and calls to the state police, district attorney and public defender's offices were not immediately returned Saturday morning.
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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 located a few miles from Spartansburg.
Police said he appeared to have slash wounds to his neck and head.
The killing shocked the rural northwestern Pennsylvania community, where people say the Amish get along well with their local neighbors.
Police began their investigations on February 26 after Byler's husband, Andy Byler, found her body inside the home shortly after noon.
Officer Cynthia Schick told The Associated Press on Thursday that the investigation and autopsy gave police some clues as to what the murder weapon was used.
Schick said two young children of the Byler family were also in the home and were not injured.
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The Byler house is located along a dirt road in a very remote agricultural area.
Dozens of Amish people went to a residence in the community on Thursday night to offer their condolences to the family.
Many arrived in buggies illuminated by headlights along the narrow country roads.
Residents said the Amish have been present in the area for a long time and mix well with the community.
The Amish, and people who are not part of that community, often visit each other in their homes, they also work for people who do not share their beliefs and attend events such as fish fries, neighbors explained.
People in the community have been raising money to help the Byler family.
The Amish typically follow basic Christian beliefs and practices, but they are not homogeneous, according to the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania.
They are known for their simple clothing and for using horses and buggies as a means of transportation.
Local congregations maintain a number of rules and restrictions on dress, use of technology, and participation in American society.
The total Amish population is nearly 400,000 people in hundreds of settlements spread across 32 states, Canada and Bolivia.
Pennsylvania has one of the largest concentrations of Amish.