Man arrested in killing of pregnant Amish woman at home with kids, PA police say

UPDATE: A man has been arrested in the killing of a 23-year-old, pregnant Amish woman found dead by her family inside their Pennsylvania home on Feb. 26, according to police.

“After an exhaustive five day investigation,” officers arrested 52-year-old Shawn C. Cranston, of Corry, the State Police said in a March 2 news release.

Officials have not said what may have motivated the killing, but Cranston is facing charges of homicide, homicide of an unborn child, burglary and criminal trespass.

The original story is below:

Police in Pennsylvania are “aggressively investigating” after a young Amish woman was found dead inside her rural home, officials told news outlets.

Pennsylvania State Police received a call at 12:26 p.m., on Feb. 26, and responded to a house in Sparta Township, according to a police release. Officers provided few details in the release, but said “the death is currently being investigated as a criminal homicide.”

The woman, who officials have not publicly identified, was a 23-year-old member of the Amish community, police told GoErie.com.

Family members told WJET that she was 6 months pregnant. The woman’s husband came home and found her dead, neighbors told the station, adding that their two young children were also inside at the time but were not hurt.

Family told the station that a red Jeep was spotted driving down the dirt road running by the home, and it was also seen parked in the driveway at 10 a.m.

Investigators are looking into the woman’s activities in the hours before her death but said they “don’t have any suspects or much else at this time,” GoErie.com reported.

Sparta Township has a population of about 1,900 people, and is 120 miles north of Pittsburgh.

This story was originally published February 27, 2024 at 9:42 AM with the headline "Man arrested in killing of pregnant Amish woman at home with kids, PA police say."