Authorities are investigating a homicide where they claim a teen fostered by a decorated Philadelphia Police Officer’s mother changed his tune three days after the adoption and brutally stabbed her to death. Renee Gilyard, 64, was found dead in a bathtub in her East Germantown home.
The teen was one of four people who crashed Renee Gilyard’s car in West Philadelphia hours after Gilyard, his foster mother for just three days, was found covered in blood with stab wounds to the neck, Homicide Capt. Jason Smith said at a news conference. All of the teens were expected to be questioned by homicide detectives.
In Gilyard’s slaying, Smith said, relatives had tried to contact her during the day Tuesday and grew concerned when they did not hear from her. Officers who responded to her home on the 300 block of Mechanic Street about 1:20 a.m. Wednesday initially found the door of the first-floor bathroom locked. After opening the door, Smith said, officers found Gilyard inside covered in blood and partially in the tub.
This is an ongoing investigative special. Stay with yc.news for the latest updates. Have a story or news tip? Contact our 24/7 newsroom at 833.336.8013 or e-mail our tip line: [email protected]