DAYTON — Someone shot and killed a mother in her home with her two young children nearby.
This murder mystery has stumped detectives for 12 years, despite several thorough investigations. However, they are confident that the clues they have – they just need a push in the right direction to find Jillian Miles’ killer.
Dawn Miles loves to share with her granddaughter, Kayla, memories and photos of the daughter she lost.
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Kayla was just a year old when her mother was killed. Her brother, Ray, was 2.
“I just lost it. My heart just hurt so bad, that moment, I could feel it,” Dawn Miles said.
Jillian Miles was a single mom living in Dayton with her two small children when, in February 2013, neighbors heard shots and saw a man dressed in all black run out the front door and toward the back of the house.
Cold Case detective Sgt. Gary White said, “They clearly see him just seconds after the gunshots were heard.”
White and Det. Doyle Burke said, when officers arrived that night, they found all the doors locked but could see the children through the front window.
They could also see water pouring through the ceiling, overflowing from a bathroom sink left running upstairs. When officers finally breached the window, they encountered another obstacle.
“As they get in, they’re confronted with a vicious pit bull, so they are able to snare the dog and get the dog secured,” White said.
The dog, though aggressive toward the officers, posed no threat to the children because it lived in the house. That’s an important clue because the dog must have known the killer to allow him in.
“So, once the officers get inside, they find Jillian. She had been shot twice,” White said.
Jillian’s lifeless body was lying right inside the front door, clutching a $20 bill in her hand. There was also money in her purse, further convincing detectives that this was not random.
“They were able to determine, once again, that robbery did not appear to be a motive. There was no forced entry,” White said.
“It’s inconceivable that over this time period that there’s not one out there that doesn’t know what happened. I think there’s probably a lot of people out here that know what happened,” Burke said. “Just give us a name to put us in the right direction. That’s all we need.”
With the investigation at a standstill, Jillian’s mother paid to put up a billboard on North Main Street, hoping someone will call with information about her daughter’s murder.
“What if it were your child? Or somebody you loved? You would want to know. You would want justice,” Dawn said.
But even if justice never comes, she’s made peace with one decision. “I do forgive him,” she said.
Dawn said she forgives him because he didn’t hurt the children.
Dawn has raised her grandchildren since their mother’s death. She sees Jillian in both of them, especially Kayla.
“From the nose, the smile, the eyebrows, just everything,” Dawn said.
Still, the grief of losing Jillian is always with her. “This wasn’t what I had planned for my child, and I just can’t wait to see her again,” Dawn said.
Anyone with information about who killed Jillian Miles can call the Dayton Police Cold Case Unit at 937-333-7109. You can remain anonymous.
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