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Guns, ammo found in home of slain Amish woman in Pa.

Police investigating the killing of a pregnant Amish woman inside her Pennsylvania home last week recovered three firearms, bullets and two spent casings as well as broken knife parts, according to an inventory made public on Tuesday.

The state police document said the search of the house where Rebekah A. Byler was killed on Feb. 26 produced the broken orange handle of a knife, a broken knife blade and a bone-handled knife. Investigators also took a white bonnet and the contents of an ashtray, trash can and dust bin.

A man who lived about 8 miles from the Byler home in northwestern Pennsylvania was charged Saturday with criminal homicide, homicide of her unborn child, burglary and criminal trespassing. Police have not disclosed what they think may have motivated Shawn C. Cranston, 52, to kill her in the living room, where her husband and a family friend found her.

It’s unclear from the search inventory if any of the items taken belonged to Cranston or were used in the killing, which police have said involved “shooting her in the head and/or slashing her throat.” They include a .22-caliber rifle, two shotguns and a variety of ammunition. Investigators also recovered a .22-caliber cartridge case and a 6.5 Creedmoor casing, both discharged.

Cranston remains in the Crawford County Correctional Facility without bail. No defense attorney has appeared in court records, and the county public defender’s office said Monday it was not representing him. Family members have not answered phone calls seeking comment on his behalf.

Police said the 23-year-old Byler, whose two children were home but unhurt, suffered wounds to her neck and head.

FILE - A sign on the sidewalk outside an antique store in Spartansburg, Pa., on Feb. 29, 2024. Police investigating the killing of a pregnant Amish woman inside her Pennsylvania home last week recovered several firearms, bullets and spent casings as well as broken knife parts, according to an inventory made public on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, file)
This photo provided by the Crawford County Correctional Facility shows Shawn C. Cranston. Police investigating the killing of a pregnant Amish woman inside her Pennsylvania home last week recovered several firearms, bullets and spent casings as well as broken knife parts, according to an inventory made public on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. The man who lived about 8 miles from the home in northwestern Pennsylvania was charged with criminal homicide, homicide of her unborn child, burglary and criminal trespassing. Police have not disclosed what they think may have motivated Cranston to kill her in the living room, where her husband and a family friend found her. (Crawford County Correctional Facility via AP)