Pennsylvania State Police troopers searched a residence on Fish Flats Road in Sparta Township, Crawford County, on Tuesday in their investigation into the suspected homicide of a 23-year-old Amish woman.Photo:TIM HAHN/ERIE TIMES-NEWS/USA TODAY NETWORK
TIM HAHN/ERIE TIMES-NEWS/USA TODAY NETWORK
Pennsylvania State Police are investigating the death of a 23-year-old pregnant Amish woman as a homicide, authorities said this week.
Rebekah A. Byler was found dead on Monday inside her home in Pennsylvania’s Sparta Township, in the northwestern part of the state, in an area with a large Amish population.
Byler was six-months pregnant with her third child, according to localABC 6.
“It’s definitely shameful that anything like this could go on here,” Randy Eaton, who lives in Spartanburg, told the outlet. “Everyone’s surprised.”
Byler’s possible homicide would be the first among the state’s Amish community since 1993, according to theErie Times-News.
Pennsylvania State Police told ABC 6 that authorities are “aggressively investigating all available leads,” though no suspects have been identified thus far. Police have not brought anyone in for questioning yet,Erie News Nowreported.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
According to theErie Times-News, Byler was at home taking care of two young children on the day she was found dead. A family member and a friend of the Byler family discovered her body shortly before 12:30 p.m., the newspaper reports.
ABC reports that it was Byler’s husband who discovered her body inside the family’s home.
The children who were home at the time were not injured, according toErie Times-News.
“We’re just a very tight-knit community and I’m just absolutely heartbroken that this has happened,” Hajec said.
source: people.com
