Unsealed Documents Expose Chilling Details In Murder Of Pregnant Amish Woman

The documents indicate that the police were on the doorstep of the suspect within days of the crime, despite his attempts to cover his tracks.

The warrants also disclose that Rebekah and her husband, Andy Byler, had noticed a suspicious man lurking around their property a fortnight before the gruesome incident. The man, who matches the description of 52-year-old trucker Shawn Cranston, was seen by the Bylers around 10 p.m. in early February. Andy Byler reported to the police that he had confronted a "White, bald male with a white beard" on his property after dark. The intruder had inquired about purchasing the house before leaving in what Andy Byler believed could have been a red vehicle.

In the weeks leading up to the murder, several witnesses reported seeing a red Jeep Patriot in the rural area. The police have now confirmed that the vehicle is owned by the suspect's wife. Cranston is currently facing charges for the murder of 23-year-old Rebekah Byler, who was six months pregnant at the time of her death. The crime took place in her living room on the morning of February 26. Her three-year-old son, a witness to the horrific event, told detectives that he saw "a man wearing sneakers" arrive in a truck, enter the house, and kill his mother.

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Surveillance footage from the Sparta Sportsmen Gun Club captured Cranston's red Jeep Patriot near the victim's residence around 9 a.m. on the day of the murder. State police have since secured search warrants for Cranston's Jeep, his residence, and his DNA. Additional surveillance video allegedly shows Cranston repeatedly removing items from the Jeep and carrying them out of sight, as well as smoke emanating from a suspected fire in his yard.

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March 26, 2024

According to the warrants, three crucial pieces of evidence at the crime scene corresponded to items found at Cranston's home. The Bylers did not own any Nike Air Force One sneakers, but footprints from these shoes were found at the crime scene, and a pair was discovered at Cranston's house. The Jeep's tire treads reportedly matched the tire marks left at the crime scene. Furthermore, a box of patterned nitrile gloves seized from Cranston's house matched a piece of rubber found at the crime scene. The Bylers did not own such gloves.

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Witnesses have described Cranston as giving them an "uneasy" feeling and recounted "very odd experiences with him." He had worked as a substitute driver for William Byler, 63, using a red Jeep Patriot. On one occasion, he allegedly arrived uninvited, dressed entirely in black with a holstered pistol, and began wandering aimlessly around their property, uttering gibberish.

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The witnesses provided a phone number that led the police to Cranston, who resides in Corry, approximately 20 miles north. His neighbors informed investigators that they believed he was a member of the "War Dogs" biker gang, supposedly an outlaw club affiliated with the Hell's Angels. Cranston is allegedly the local chapter's "sergeant-at-arms" and goes by the alias "Rumble."

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The police confiscated half a dozen guns and numerous boxes of ammunition from Cranston's home. However, prosecutors stated in court last week that they had not yet found the murder weapons.

On the morning of the murder, Byler's husband was away for about four hours, taking measurements at construction sites around Crawford and Venango counties. He returned home with his driver, Julie Warner, around 12:30 p.m. and discovered the horrifying crime scene.

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The responding officers found Byler with a "scalping type wound" in the neck, which a forensic pathologist later determined was actually caused by a gunshot to the head.

Cranston was arrested on March 2 and is facing charges of criminal homicide, criminal homicide of an unborn child, felony burglary, and criminal trespassing. His previous criminal record includes guilty pleas to reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct. He is currently being held without bail.