Arrest made in young mother's September murder

Authorities in Delaware County have arrested and charged a man in the murder of a 32-year-old mother back in September.

Wednesday, Delaware County's district attorney and Yeadon's police chief announced Byron Shamor Allen, Jr. of Philadelphia was charged in the stabbing death of Natasha Gibson in Yeadon.

After 3am on Sept. 22, Gibson was found lying on the concrete steps in front of her apartment in the 600 block of Baily Road, not far from the Yeadon police station. Her throat had been slashed several times.

FOX 29 had been told a family friend was expecting Gibson, but she didn't show up.

Officers at the scene followed a trail of blood west on Baily Road to Bonsall Avenue, and continuing east on Baltimore Avenue into Philadelphia. The blood made them think the killer could be injured.

A few hours later, at about 7am, they say "a Philadelphia K-9 unit tracked blood drops to a sewer inlet located at 61st and Baltimore Avenue where a large pool of blood was found."

The mile-and-a-half long blood trail led police to a bloody knife in the sewer.

Then, detectives followed the blood trail to a convenience store in the 5800 block of Catharine Street, watched the store's surveillance system and saw somebody familiar.

It was the same person detectives captured earlier on surveillance video in the 400 block of Church Lane in Yeadon, "carrying an object in his left hand which resembled a baseball bat."

This time, they said, "It was apparent that the male was bleeding from his right hand and it appeared that he was missing the tip of the middle finger of his right hand. Detectives learned that the male purchased a 16oz. can of beer and left the store traveling westbound on Catharine Street towards 59th Street."

Later, authorities searched between both cameras and found Gibson's ID cards in a sewer and her purse in bushes along the fence line at 6250 Baltimore Avenue.

On Sept. 23, detectives searched the parking lot there and found a bloody baseball bat along the fence line.

On Dec. 12, they matched DNA from the knife and crime scene to Byron Allen.

District Attorney Jack Whelan said Gibson was probably not targeted.

"We believe Byron Allen randomly selected this young innocent woman as his victim, following her in the dark of night and ruthlessly stabbing her multiple times on the front steps of her friend's home," Whelan said.

Allen, 36, is actually charged with first, second and third-degree murder, criminal homicide, robbery and possessing instruments of crime.