Iowa City police ID dead taxi driver, call death a homicide

Show Caption Hide Caption Police say Iowa City taxi driver death was a homicide Officers were called to 520 Ernest St. at 3:42 a.m. where they found Ricky Ray Lillie slumped over in a Yellow Cab taxi.

Iowa City police have identified a taxi driver found dead in his car Wednesday morning and are treating his death as a homicide.

Ricky Ray Lillie of Iowa City was found slumped over at the wheel of a Yellow Cab taxi located at 520 Ernest St., a multi-residential building behind the Alexis Park Inn on South Riverside Drive, according to an Iowa City Police Department news release Wednesday evening.

Iowa City police received a call around 3:40 a.m. Wednesday when a fellow cab driver called the police after he went to the hotel to check on the welfare of his associate and found Lillie dead, according to the release.

Lillie's death is being investigated as a homicide, police said. The release did not provide information about Lillie's cause of death or possible suspects.

Officials at Yellow Cab did not immediately return requests for comment.

The police department was originally investigating the situation as a suspicious death, and Iowa City Police Sgt. Scott Gaarde would not say whether the body showed any obvious signs of trauma.

"At this point we’re still trying to determine what we have," he said Wednesday morning. "Based on the location, based on the unattended death and the way the body was found, that’s why we’re treating it as suspicious at this time. Obviously, that could change pending the final autopsy results from the Johnson County Medical Examiner’s office."

Police determined Lillie's death was a homicide following an autopsy.

Gaarde said it's unlikely there is any danger to the public, although he stressed that the investigation is still in its early stages.

"At this point, based on what I’ve been told, there doesn’t appear to be any public threat," he said. "But again, it’s still very early in the investigation. It’s only been a few hours old."

Police are continuing to investigate Lillie's death and said more information will be released as it becomes available.

The Iowa City Police Department, Iowa City Fire Department, Johnson County Medical Examiner and Johnson County Attorney's Office responded to the scene, Gaarde said.

Police are asking anyone who has further information to contact the Iowa City Police Department at 319-356-6800.

Iowa City Area CrimeStoppers will offer a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to a suspect's arrest. Anyone with information can call CrimeStoppers at 358-TIPS (8477) or visit iccrimestoppers.org. CrimeStoppers will hold contacts in strict confidence and guarantee anonymity. Individuals providing information do not have to reveal their identity to collect a reward.

Reach Stephen Gruber-Miller at 319-887-5407 or sgrubermil@press-citizen.com. Follow him on Twitter: @sgrubermiller.