Missing woman’s remains found in home of man convicted of killing wife, PA officials say
Human remains found inside a Pennsylvania home have been identified as the former girlfriend of a man recently convicted of killing his wife, authorities said.
Brian Bradley Giles, 48, of Johnstown, was convicted on June 6 of first-degree murder and aggravated assault in connection to the death of his wife, Nancy Giles, court records show.
Nancy Giles went missing in October 2018, and her remains were found in May 2019 in a shallow grave near a trail in Johnstown, The Tribune-Democrat reported.
“We were disappointed as my client has maintained his innocence throughout these proceedings,” Giles attorney Tim Burns told McClatchy News in a statement June 17 in response to the conviction.
“We were unable to raise any appropriate mental health defenses, as my client would have had to admit guilt in the death of his wife, and he would not do that,” he added.
The day after his conviction, investigators found human remains buried in the basement of Giles’ former residence, according to a June 13 news conference shared by WJAC.
Cambria County Coroner Jeff Lees identified the skeletal remains as Jilly Todaro, Giles’ former girlfriend who had been missing since December 2020.
Lees said Todaro’s death was ruled a homicide but did not provide any more details on her cause of death.
Giles’ attorney had no comment on Todaro’s remains being found.
“We’re relieved that we finally found her, but we’re incredibly sad that our fears were accurate,” Cambria County District Attorney Greg Neugebauer said.
Neugebauer said he expects charges to be filed “in the near future.”
When asked how many suspects there are in connection to Todaro’s death, Neugebauer replied, “one.”
“That should tell you something,” he added.
Officials said they received “very specific information relative to where a body would be located,” which prompted them to search the home for a second time.
Additional details are in a sealed search warrant, Neugebauer said at the news conference.
Johnstown is about a 65-mile drive east from Pittsburgh.
This story was originally published June 17, 2024 at 1:36 PM with the headline "Missing woman’s remains found in home of man convicted of killing wife, PA officials say."
