Family: Slain guard had 'really big heart'

POLICE THINK Lottie "Freda" Denny knew the person who stabbed her to death.

But Denny's only daughter, Carmela McNeal, said she can't imagine anyone wanting to hurt the longtime correctional officer.

"She was a strong and independent woman," McNeal, 37, said last night. "She kept to herself a lot but she had a really big heart. She was willing to help anyone."

Denny, 51, was found dead in a pool of blood on Friday afternoon in the living room of her home on 63rd Street near Elmwood Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia. Police said there were no signs of a forced entry and McNeal said nothing appears to be missing from the home.

A report on CBS3, citing police sources, said an "acquaintance" of Denny's was pulled over driving her car Wednesday night but was just given a ticket and allowed to walk away after the vehicle was impounded. Although police said they were searching for a potential boyfriend to question, McNeal believes her mother didn't have one.

"Whoever this was, it was not a boyfriend. If there was a boyfriend, I would have known," she said.

McNeal said her mother wasn't "flashy" - spending free time riding her bicycle and often visiting her daughter and two grandchildren in Florida. She said she last spoke to her mother on Tuesday night and when she didn't show up to work Wednesday, Denny's brother went to check and found her body.

"I kept trying to call her. I thought she was working overtime," McNeal said.

Denny worked for the Philadelphia Prison System for the last 21 years and was most recently assigned to Alternative and Special Detention Center (ASD).

"She was well-liked and respected by her co-workers," a prison spokeswoman said in a statement.

Tipsters may contact the Philadelphia Police Department at 215-686-TIPS (8477).

- Staff writer Morgan Zalot contributed to this report.