City police: Search of apartment belonging to boyfriend of missing woman comes up empty
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May 14—Johnstown police searched Brian Giles' Franklin Street apartment on Friday hoping to find evidence linking him to a missing woman.
Detective Mark Britton said police, acting on a tip, brought in a cadaver dog but turned up no new evidence.
Jilly Todaro, 43, went missing Dec. 12, 2020, from the apartment she shared in the 500 block of Franklin Street with then-boyfriend Giles, 45.
Previous searches of the apartment turned up a clump of human hair in a plastic bucket, women's clothing, cleaning supplies and evidence indicating the place had been "thoroughly cleaned and scrubbed," according to court documents.
Investigators also found a letter Todaro apparently wrote to Giles telling him she had found a new lover.
"It was a handwritten note, but we can't confirm it was her handwriting," Detective Cory Adams said.
Although no one has been charged in connection with her disappearance, Giles remains a prime suspect, Adams said.
Detectives said they continue to piece together Todaro's movements before her disappearance.
"The last time we can confirm a sighting was downtown on Dec. 12 via surveillance footage," Adams said.
Detectives have made unsuccessful attempts to reach Todaro by phone. Her cellphone has either been turned off or the battery has died. Records show Todaro last used her government Electronic Benefit Transfer card on Dec. 11 at Sheetz on Haynes Street.
Detectives also have contacted employees at places Todaro was known to frequent, including the Women's Help Center, the CamTran bus terminal and St. Vincent de Paul Family Kitchen.
Giles is in Cambria County Prison, accused of assaulting Todaro a day before she went missing.
Giles remains at the center of another missing person case. His wife, Nancy Giles, 40, was reported missing in October 2018 after she walked away from the couple's residence and never returned.
Her skeletal remains were found in May 2019, buried about two feet deep along a trail on the Inclined Plane hillside near Roosevelt Boulevard in downtown Johnstown, not far from the Stone Bridge, by a man using a metal detector. The death was ruled a homicide. No charges have been filed.
