UPDATE: Remains found in convicted killer's former basement, identified as missing city woman; DA says charges will be filed soon, 'one' suspect just in case | News

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Skeletal remains found Friday in the basement of the former home of convicted murderer Brian Bradley Giles have been positively identified as the body of Giles' former girlfriend, Jilly Todaro, officials said Thursday. responsible.

Todaro had been missing since December 2020.

Cambria County Coroner Jeff Lees said identification of the remains was made Wednesday through body imaging by a forensic odontologist and an anthropologist. Once the autopsy and forensic examination were completed, Lees ruled on the manner of the fatal homicide.

No one had been charged in Todaro's death as of Thursday morning — but Cambria County Prosecutor Greg Neugebauer said he expected charges to be filed in the near future, and he came clean when asked how many suspects there were.

“One,” he said. “That should tell you something.”

Giles, 48, was convicted last Thursday in Cambria County Court of first-degree murder and aggravated assault for the killing of his wife, Nancy Giles, who was reported missing in 2018. His Remains were found in May 2019 along a trail on the Inclined Hillside in downtown Johnstown.

Brian Giles and Todaro maintained a relationship as the investigation into the disappearance and death of Nancy Giles developed.

An earlier search of the Johnstown home Todaro shared with Brian Giles was conducted in 2020, after Todaro was reported missing.

Her remains were discovered Friday in the basement of that home, located in the 500 block of Franklin Street in the city's Kernville neighborhood.

“The details of what led us there last week are in a sealed search warrant,” Neugebauer said. “I can't go into detail about it, but we had for the first time very specific information about where a body would be. Obviously, when we went there, we expected it to be Jilly.”

Neugebauer said the information received last Friday strengthens the case.

“Thanks to the information we received on Friday, our case is going to be stronger,” he said. “Like many things in life, sometimes patience pays off.”

Todaro, who was 43 at the time of his disappearance, would have been 46 when his remains were found.

“I'm not going to elaborate on the cause of death at this time other than to say it was a violent homicide,” Lees said. “I have been in contact with Jilly’s family, who are very grateful that she has been found and can begin the healing and grieving process.”

“I wish she knew how many people cared.”

Lees and Neugebauer spoke at a news conference Thursday at Lees' Johnstown office, alongside Johnstown Police Department Detective Brad Christ and Assistant Cambria County Prosecutor Jessica Aurandt.

“There wasn’t a day that went by that we didn’t spend time working on this case,” Christ said. “With the entire JPD Detective Bureau, I can't even calculate how many hours we put into this. And again, we couldn't do it without the DA's team with the D.A. Deputy Jess Aurandt.”

Christ and Neugebauer urged the public to report domestic violence when they witness it.

“If you know someone who is in a bad situation, a spouse – male or female – please contact us. There is help out there,” Christ said. “We will do everything we can to help.”

Law enforcement offered help to Todaro, who was allegedly the victim of multiple assaults by Giles before his disappearance, according to Tribune-Democrat archives. She had personal cell phone numbers for police officers and sat at the conference table in the prosecutor's office, Neugebauer said.

“Jilly was a really nice person. She really was,” Neugebauer said. “I don't think she always liked the things that I had to say to her, or that Jess (Aurandt) had to say to her, but we were coming from a good place, trying to help her. She was a good person .”

“This one hits me a little differently,” Neugebauer said. “Every homicide is a tragedy. This one is just a little different.”

Aurandt said he felt many emotions when Todaro's remains were identified.

“It was like a weight that had been there for three and a half years had been lifted,” she said, “but then seeing the remains of a person who struggled in her life to be treated with dignity , and that I know I didn't feel the value that she truly had during her life – seeing these remains, I don't know if I can express how that feels.

“I just wish Jilly could have seen, in her lifetime, how many people came together and sacrificed so much to make sure she was found and treated with the dignity she was. deserved. I wish she could have seen how much.”