Philly PD officer’s mother found dead in bathtub

Philly PD responded to a call about a person on Jan. 15 at around 1:22 a.m. Police responded to the incident within the 300 block of Mechanic Street. 

Family members had discovered the body of 65-year-old Renee Gilyard. NBC reports that the family had tried to contact her Tuesday, but they were met with silence, prompting the family to check in on her. 

Gilyard was found unresponsive and covered in blood in her bathtub. Homicide Capt. Jason Smith told outlets that the victim had two stab wounds to the left side of her neck. It was also reported that she had defensive wounds. 

Multiple outlets report that Gilyard is the mother of a Philly PD officer. Gilyard also was also registered as a foster mother to a 17-year-old boy at the time of her death.

Police confirmed that Gilyard’s car was missing. The victim’s vehicle was a black Nissan Rogue. Police were searching for the car, and Wednesday afternoon, the vehicle was spotted in West Philly. Inquirer.com reported that a car chase ensued, and the car crashed on Sansom Street. 

It was reported that inside the vehicle was the foster son, a teenage boy and two teenage girls. All are expected to be questioned by officials, according to outlets. 

This is not the first time the foster child has had run ins with law enforcement. Capt. Mark Burgmann of the Special Victims Unit told outlets at a press conference that Philly PD had recently interviewed the teen because it was believed he was the last to see 20-year-old Jimmy Mao of Southwest Philly and Jacob Merritt-Richburg, 16, of North Philadelphia alive.

Officials do not believe that the teen had information about Mao’s whereabouts. 

Inquirer.com reports that Mao been missing since Jan.7, and Merritt-Richburg was last seen on Jan. 6. It was reported that Merritt-Richburg’s family reported him missing on Jan. 11. Police are looking for both boys. 

Police did not offer details but said that at some point, Merritt-Richburg had something that belonged to Mao. 

Gilyard’s death is an ongoing investigation.