Police opened an investigation into the killing of Rebekah A. Byler, a pregnant Amish woman who was found dead in her rural Pennsylvania home this week, rocking the small community.
The incident is being treated as a “criminal homicide,” Pennsylvania State Police said in a statement. They did not release a cause of death or identify any suspects, adding that they were “aggressively investigating all available leads.”
Little information has been released to the public since police said they were notified of a “deceased female at a residence located on Fish Flats Road” around 12:30 p.m. Monday. They later identified Byler, 23, as the victim.
The killing has shaken Spartansburg, a tiny rural community of fewer than 300 people in the northwest of the state.
“This is very shocking,” Charleen Hajec, a Spartansburg resident, told ABC 6. “We’re just a very tightknit community and I’m just absolutely heartbroken that this has happened and I’m very, very concerned about the Amish community and worried for them.”
Neighbors and relatives told local outlet JET 24/FOX 66 Byler was six months pregnant and that her husband had returned home to find her body. Authorities confirmed her pregnancy.
Crawford County District Attorney Paula DiGiacomo confirmed that Byler was found deceased in the living room area of her home and that her two young children had been home at the time but were unharmed, according to the Meadville Tribune.
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Pennsylvania has the largest Amish community in the United States, estimated at around 87,000 people. The communities emphasize family life, self-sufficiency and separation from the non-Amish world and modern conveniences.
Trooper Cynthia Schick told The Washington Post by email on Thursday that police were “following up on all leads that we receive.”
Share this articleShare“We want the public to remain vigilant since this is an active homicide investigation. The public should practice safe procedures like locking their doors,” she said.
Schick urged the public to report any suspicious vehicles, people or activities in the area as police investigate.
Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers has offered a $2,000 reward for any information about the homicide.
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