Johnstown man charged with killing, burying wife along trail
May 14—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — A Johnstown man suspected by authorities in the death of his wife and the disappearance of another Johnstown woman was jailed Friday after police charged him with his wife's murder.
City police detectives charged Brian Bradley Giles, 46, with the killing of his wife, Nancy Giles, 40, whose body was found buried three years ago along a Johnstown hiking trail.
Nancy Giles went missing in October 2018 after she reportedly walked away from the couple's residence and never returned.
Her skeletal remains were found buried about two feet deep along a trail on the Inclined Plane hillside near Roosevelt Boulevard, not far from the Stone Bridge, in May 2019 by a man using a metal detector. Her death was ruled a homicide.
Police said the investigation into her killing led to charges in March, when Brian Giles allegedly told a probation officer details of the type of dirt that can be found at the crime scene.
"The exact site where Nancy was buried was never revealed to the public," police detectives said in a complaint affidavit, arguing that the site would only be known to police and the killer.
"We put all our ducks in a row and felt that we had enough evidence to show that Brian was the individual who killed Nancy," Detective Sgt. Cory Adams said.
Police detectives charged Brian Giles, who has addresses on Coleman Avenue in Moxham and Franklin Street in Kernville, with criminal homicide, aggravated assault and hindering prosecution. He was arraigned Friday by District Judge Kevin Price, of Johnstown, and sent to Cambria County Prison without bond.
"It's a relief for the detectives working on the case," police Capt. Chad Miller said. "There's a lot of scrutiny of their work because of all the homicides lately. ... We want the public to know they never stopped working on this homicide or any of the other cases."
Cambria County District Attorney Gregory Neugebauer said the homicide investigation was the work of city police, state police, the Cambria County coroner and Mercyhurst University forensic anthropologists.
"Many people and entities worked together on this case, and everyone will continue to work together to see this case through to the end," he said.
Brian Giles remains a suspect in the disappearance of Jilly Todaro, 43, who went missing from the Franklin Street apartment she shared with him. Numerous searches have been made on the apartment, including the use of a cadaver dog.
Todaro was last seen Dec. 12, 2020, in downtown Johnstown via surveillance footage.
