Man charged with murder, rape of woman found on Beaver Falls walking trail in January

BEAVER FALLS ― Police have filed several felony charges against a city man for the murder of 41-year-old Rebecca Miller after her body was found on a walking trail in January.

According to Beaver County court records, charges were filed last week against 26-year-old Tyrik Jones, of Beaver Falls, for the rape and murder of Miller earlier this year. Police discovered Miller's body on Jan. 9 on a walking trail behind Geneva College and started an investigation into her death.

Earlier this year, The Times reported Miller was last seen on Jan. 7, and was reported missing shortly before the body was found. Police did not provide many details on the crime at the time, but court records indicate they found her body behind a fence near the end of the walking trail. Police said Miller had open wounds around her neck, her pants had been pulled down and a jacket was covering her body.

During her autopsy, police said it was determined Miller had been stabbed multiple times in the neck and died as a result of the wounds. A sexual assault kit was also administered and the samples were sent to the Pennsylvania State Police Crime Lab for analysis.

In the police report, officers said Miller was seen on security cameras meeting Jones while she was walking through the city. Before leaving home, Miller had sent a message to a friend saying she was "going on a walk [with] TY" and had then sent a text message to Jones asking, "you coming out?" Security cameras later spotted the two walking to the trail behind Geneva College.

Jones and Miller were not spotted leaving the area after they entered it on Jan. 9, but a witness told investigators Jones had said he left Miller behind to "meditate" along the trail. During an interview with police on Jan. 7, Jones denied being with Miller on the day of the crime and had allegedly changed his story several times to place himself away from the crime scene. He also told police that he had never been in an intimate relationship with Miller, with the two only kissing in the past.

When Jones was asked about the video footage of him and Miller entering the trail, he stated he had taken medication and did not remember the rest of that day. When asked to provide a DNA sample to police, investigators said Jones consented to the testing and the swab was placed in evidence.

On April 17, results from the state's crime lab were received by investigators and evidence taken from Miller's body was found to be a match with the DNA sample provided by Jones. Members of the Beaver Falls Police Department arrested Jones on May 3, charging him with felony counts of homicide, rape and threats of rape. He is being held in the Beaver County Jail without bail, according to online court records.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Man charged with murder, rape of Beaver Falls woman found on trail