Found Deceased PA - Dianna Brice, 21, Preg, bf torched car, Philadelphia, 31 Mar 2021 *Justin Smith wanted; Reward*

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Garnett is being charged with arson, criminal conspiracy, use of communication facility, abuse of corpse and other related offenses. Investigators have not revealed further details on how Garnett was involved in the case.

Brice's mother, Betty Cellini, said her daughter had a young son and was 14 weeks pregnant. She also had a life-threatening medical condition that required medication.

Brice and her boyfriend, 23-year-old Justin Smith, were last seen at K Laundry in Yeadon on March 30 around 1 p.m. Smith is a person of interest in the case. He is still being sought by police at this time.
Woman arrested in connection with death of missing pregnant mother in Delaware County

Justin Smith is still on the run according to police.
Dianna Brice Murder: Tylydiah Garnett Arrested In Connection To Murder Of 21-Year-Old Dianna Brice, Police Say
 
Garnett is being charged with arson, criminal conspiracy, use of communication facility, abuse of corpse and other related offenses. Investigators have not revealed further details on how Garnett was involved in the case.

Brice's mother, Betty Cellini, said her daughter had a young son and was 14 weeks pregnant. She also had a life-threatening medical condition that required medication.

Brice and her boyfriend, 23-year-old Justin Smith, were last seen at K Laundry in Yeadon on March 30 around 1 p.m. Smith is a person of interest in the case. He is still being sought by police at this time.
Woman arrested in connection with death of missing pregnant mother in Delaware County

Justin Smith is still on the run according to police.
Dianna Brice Murder: Tylydiah Garnett Arrested In Connection To Murder Of 21-Year-Old Dianna Brice, Police Say
Great update! For those of you who haven't used it the PA Judicial system website (free) can pull up cases. It takes a little practice to navigate (usjportal.pacourts.us
- click link for case info - "court case". Next page click link for "Criminal Court of Common Pleas, will get a "page has moved" - click on the portal link next to that info. On next page search by "Participant Name" and type in first and last name and then select "Criminal" under the drop down menu under "docket type". To see the court documents click on the little icons on the right side of the page after each case) This may work as a shortcut - Case Search
 
The timeline of events shows that on March 30, around 11:30 a.m., Justin Smith, Brice’s boyfriend, picked her up from K Laundry in Lansdowne. Before she was picked up, her mother noticed she was visibly upset but wouldn’t say why.

By 1:30 p.m. the victim’s mom calls to say the laundry is done and it’s time to head home. Brice says she never made it to the pharmacy to pick up her prescription but would meet at home.

That was the last time Brice was in contact with anyone. Frantic to get in touch, Betty Cellini, Brice’s mother, calls Smith. He claims they got into an argument and Brice left.

A threat to file a police report angers Smith and his phone then goes unanswered.

By 5:30 p.m. Smith’s car is spotted abandoned and on fire at 59th and Florence Streets in Southwest Philadelphia.

A little over a mile from where Brice’s body was found a week later.

A source tells Eyewitness News there may be a third person involved in the case.

Investigators are officially looking at two vehicles. Justin Smith’s torched 2018 black Ford Fusion and now a rental car that investigators believe may have been involved in the dumping of Brice’s body.
Dianna Brice Murder: Tylydiah Garnett Arrested In Connection To Murder Of 21-Year-Old Dianna Brice, Police Say
 
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Investigators believe Smith fatally shot Brice inside his car.

The DA's office requested Garnett be held without bail but was unsuccessful.

"We asked that she be held without bail because she went above and beyond in her efforts to help this fugitive, both cover up his crime and flee from justice. We were given $75,000 of bail, 10% of that is $7,500. We appealed that that is still the number we have," said Lightsey.

Smith and Garnett are believed to be friends, but Lightsey couldn't speak further on how they knew each other.
Arrest warrant issued for boyfriend accused of killing missing pregnant mother
 
Investigators believe Smith fatally shot Brice inside his car.

The DA's office requested Garnett be held without bail but was unsuccessful.

"We asked that she be held without bail because she went above and beyond in her efforts to help this fugitive, both cover up his crime and flee from justice. We were given $75,000 of bail, 10% of that is $7,500. We appealed that that is still the number we have," said Lightsey.

Smith and Garnett are believed to be friends, but Lightsey couldn't speak further on how they knew each other.
Arrest warrant issued for boyfriend accused of killing missing pregnant mother
That is one helluva friend. JMO
 
Dianna's body was burned in the car, according to the article below - this is the first I've heard of her being burned or in the trunk.

"The two then loaded Brice’s body into the trunk of a car and drove it to Florence Avenue and 59th Street where they set the vehicle on fire, investigators said."

"Police say 23-year-old Justin Smith shot and killed his pregnant girlfriend, Dianna Brice, 21, and later burned her body with the help of his friend, Tylydiah Garnett."

Man Killed Pregnant Girlfriend, Burned Her Body With Friend's Help, Police Say
 
Dianna's body was burned in the car, according to the article below - this is the first I've heard of her being burned or in the trunk.

"The two then loaded Brice’s body into the trunk of a car and drove it to Florence Avenue and 59th Street where they set the vehicle on fire, investigators said."

"Police say 23-year-old Justin Smith shot and killed his pregnant girlfriend, Dianna Brice, 21, and later burned her body with the help of his friend, Tylydiah Garnett."

Man Killed Pregnant Girlfriend, Burned Her Body With Friend's Help, Police Say

how can this be accurate reporting though? the car was found in flames the same day, 3/31, and her body was found a mile away on 4/5.
 
It has to be inaccurate. Unless

- She’s shot
- She’s loaded into car
- She’s dropped in woods
- Car set on fire
- Body set on fire in the woods at some point.

The only other way I see is if the body was in the burning car and then removed at some point and transferred to woods in another vehicle. That can’t be likely.

JMO
 
Dianna's obituary lists her death as 4/6/21 - I believe this is the day her body was identified. This might be a stupid question, but is it common to use this as the date of death? Wouldn't an autopsy reveal how long Dianna had been deceased for (at least approximately, considering she had been missing for ~ a week)?

Unless she really was kept alive for a week after she went missing on 3/30, but I doubt this, considering the car torching and Justin's disappearance, etc.


** ETA: Obituary for Dianna LaSha "Nana" "Baby Girl" Brice | Donohue Funeral Home
 
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Dianna's obituary lists her death as 4/6/21 - I believe this is the day her body was identified. This might be a stupid question, but is it common to use this as the date of death? Wouldn't an autopsy reveal how long Dianna had been deceased for (at least approximately, considering she had been missing for ~ a week)?

Unless she really was kept alive for a week after she went missing on 3/30, but I doubt this, considering the car torching and Justin's disappearance, etc.

As far as I know, that's entirely the family's choice.

I've seen a wide variety of choices. Families use the disappearance date, the probable date of death, the date the body was found, the date the death was pronounced, the date the body was identified...probably others too but those are the ones I can remember seeing examples of off the top of my head.

The date the person went missing and the date the body was found or identified are probably the most common. I remember one family member saying they used the date their loved one was found, even though evidence was she'd been killed the night she disappeared, because "she was alive to us until then."
 
Dianna's obituary lists her death as 4/6/21 - I believe this is the day her body was identified. This might be a stupid question, but is it common to use this as the date of death? Wouldn't an autopsy reveal how long Dianna had been deceased for (at least approximately, considering she had been missing for ~ a week)?

Unless she really was kept alive for a week after she went missing on 3/30, but I doubt this, considering the car torching and Justin's disappearance, etc.


** ETA: Obituary for Dianna LaSha "Nana" "Baby Girl" Brice | Donohue Funeral Home

In all the missing persons cases I've followed over the years, it's very common to list the date of death, as the day they were found/ID'd. Not a stupid question at all.
 

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