Murder of pregnant mother, 23, spooks Pennsylvania residents who saw 'red jeep' in driveway before she was found dead in house with her two young kids - as community raises money for family

A rural Pennsylvania community is in shock following the murder of a young, pregnant, Amish woman who was found dead inside her home Tuesday afternoon.

The body of Rebekah Byler, 23, was found with gunshot wounds inside a house on Fish Flats Road in Sparta Township. Her death is being investigated as a homicide.

Residents and family members said that they recall seeing a red jeep outside of the home at 10am where Byler, a mother-of-two, lived with her husband Andy. 

Locals in the community have banded together to raise money for Byler's family. 

'I'm just absolutely heartbroken that this has happened,' Charleen Hajec, the owner of Spartansburg Pharmacy, told ABC 6. 'I'm very concerned about the Amish community and worried for them.'

Mother-of-two Rebekah Byler, 23, was found dead inside a house on Fish Flats Road in Sparta Township, Pennsylvania

The Amish woman's body was found with gunshot wounds. Her two toddlers were at home at the time of her death

Family members recall seeing a red jeep in the driveway at around 10 am on the day of the 23-year-old's death

Byler was six months pregnant at the time of her death. Community members have banded together, collecting funds and donations for her husband, Andy

The 23-year-old was six months pregnant, and her two toddlers were home with her at the time of her death.

While Andy was away at the time of the murder, neighbors say he was the first to make the gruesome discovery.

A homicide investigation is exceedingly uncommon in the rural area, which is located 40 miles outside the city of Erie.

State police are 'aggressively investigating all available leads.'

Kelsey Bova, owner of Bova's Hardware and administrator of a local Spartansburg Facebook group, set up a GoFundMe for donations.

'We would like to show our support for the entire Amish community and help raise funds so that Andy and his children can find a safe new home,' she wrote.

Police at the scene. The Pennsylvania State Police said they are investigating Byler's death as a homicide, uncommon in parts of Erie region with a large Amish population

Rebekah Byler, 23, was found dead by a family member on Fish Flats Road in Sparta Township after police were called to the scene yesterday at around 12.30 pm

Bova announced that she was organizing a drive for food, toys, cleaning products and gift cards, inviting locals to drop the donations off at the hardware store or a local pub.

Byler's cousin Rosanna posted to Facebook asking friends to pray for her.

'I'm in shock! I can't believe it! Where they live in PA is a rural area!' wrote the Rogers, Ohio woman. 'I grew up about 20 miles from there and would go down to that area all the time.'

Corry Beverage Inc., a convenience store based in nearby Corry, posted a call for information to social media.

'Please take a few moments and try to recall your day if you were in that area,' the business wrote.

Locals in the community have banded together to show their support for the Amish family

'Any small piece of information could help the police department. The family deserves some answers and the Spartansburg community deserves to feel safe again.'

Local resident Randy Eaton told WJET-TV: 'Buncha good people everyone seems to get along with them. Everyone is just stunned. Nobody could even imagine that this kind of stuff is going on.

'It's definitely shameful that anything like this could go on here. There's not a person who's not concerned. Everyone is surprised.' 

Police are asking anyone in the area of Fish Flats Road who might have seen suspicious people, cars or activity to contact them.

In July 2021, a Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty to third-degree murder in the 2020 death of an 18-year-old Amish girl. 

Justo Smoker was sentenced to 35 and a half to 71 years in prison, with an additional 17 and a half years that could be added for a parole violation, in the death of Linda Stoltzfoos.

He also pleaded guilty to kidnapping, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, and possession of an instrument of crime.

The young girl's remains were found in rural Pennsylvania in April 2021, 10 months after her disappearance.