UPDATED: 4:07 p.m.
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A young foster mother was found dead inside her Mayfair home Thursday night, and police are trying to find her killer.
Initially, police on the scene believed 25-year-old Lexus Jawanda Brice was beaten to death. Now, investigators say she was shot in the neck.
Police believe Brice may have known her attacker.
Around 7 p.m. Thursday, police say the victim's mother called 911 after she saw that the back door was kicked in at her daughter's house, located on Levick Street near Charles Street.
"When she walked toward the door and saw the damage, she immediately did the right thing and called a burglary in progress, thinking somebody was in the house," said Capt. John Walker.
Once inside, officers found Brice's body in a second-floor bedroom, left in a gruesome scene. They believe Brice had been dead for up to nine hours.
The victim suffered blunt-force trauma to her head. They did not find a weapon. They believe it may have been a domestic incident and there was a struggle, but the motive remains unknown.
"People are under the impression that it may be a domestic. That may not be the case," argued Homicide Capt. Jason Smith. "We are not sure. It could be a domestic, it could also be a home invasion. We do see force to the rear of the property."
Smith also noted Brice's bedroom headboard was knocked out of place.
Two guns, which were stored in a lockbox, were also missing, as was the lockbox itself.
Brice had been caring for three foster children, ages 13, 6 and 3 months. Police say the kids were with neighbors during the day, so they weren't hurt.
People in the neighborhood, like Shauna Ward and her family, are shaken up.
"My daughter, she was up half the night. She couldn't even sleep," Ward said.
Brice worked as a home health care aide and a school bus driver for the Cheltenham School District. The Department of Human Services is now caring for the three foster kids.
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Correction: An earlier version of this story said Brice had two biological children and cared for three other foster children. This story has been corrected to reflect that Brice does not have biological children and only cared for the three foster children.
KYW Newsradio's Tim Jimenez and Kristen Johanson contributed to this report.
