Missy Bevers
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| Missy Bevers | |
|---|---|
| Born | Terri Leann Strickland August 19, 1970 Jacksboro, Texas, U.S. |
| 💀Died | April 18, 2016 Midlothian, Texas, U.S.April 18, 2016 |
| Cause of death | Murder |
| Resting place | Shiloh Cemetery Ovilla, Texas, U.S. |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| 👩 Spouse(s) | Brandon Bevers (m. 1998) |
| 👶 Children | 3 |
| 👪 Relatives | Randy Bevers (father-in-law) |
On April 18, 2016, the body of fitness instructor Terri "Missy" Bevers was found at Creekside Church of Christ in Midlothian, Texas. Bevers's murder garnered significant media attention after Midlothian police published surveillance videos from inside the church. Captured around the time period before Bevers's murder, the videos show an unknown person in police tactical gear walking around, breaking glass and into doors. Police believe the person in the video is Bevers's murderer. Few developments have been made since the investigation commenced, and the assailant remains at large.
Background[edit]
Terri "Missy" Bevers was born on August 9, 1970, in Jacksboro, Texas.[1] Wedded to Brandon Bevers in 1998,[2] Missy was a mother to three daughters,[3] and the family resided in Red Oak.[4] Missy Bevers worked as a fitness instructor, holding Camp Gladiator bootcamps at Midlothian's Creekside Church of Christ, only twenty minutes away from her residence.[5] Also, Bevers's friends recounted her actively volunteering for The Salvation Army.[6]
Murder[edit]
Before dawn on April 18, 2016, there was a heavy thunderstorm in Midlothian. The night before her murder, Bevers informed her students that the fitness class would be held inside,[7] as opposed to the typical site at the parking lot.[1] Bevers was last seen on the surveillance tapes arriving at 4:18 a.m.[8] Shortly after 5 a.m., a student entered the class, stumbling upon Bevers's body.[9] Bevers was pronounced dead not long after the police arrived.[1]
Investigation[edit]
Bevers was found with several puncture wounds to the head and chest.[8] A police warrant alleged that these wounds were “consistent with tools the suspect was carrying throughout the building."[10] Although police did not confirm whether it was the weapon of murder, the hammer was found alongside other tools near Bevers's body.[11]
Police turned their eyes to the surveillance cameras. Although outside cameras were not working on the day of the murder,[12] internal cameras were functional. Tapes at around 4 a.m. appear to show the suspect of an unknown gender and identity walking in the church's hallways and smashing glass with a hammer to break into doors.[1] Interestingly, the suspect wore SWAT police outfit and tactical gear from head to toe, including a "POLICE"-marked vest, a black helmet, and a black pair of gloves.[13] Bevers was in the midst of transporting her exercise gear from her truck to the church when she met the suspect.[14] Released tapes do not show the suspect encountering Bevers, and Midlothian police has not revealed where they crossed paths.[1]
At first, the suspect surely looked to investigators like a man.[13] However, police had a change of heart later, stating in a warrant that it appeared the suspect had a feminine gait.[13] Investigators shared another potential clue: the suspect appeared to walk slowly,[13] sometimes steadying himself with the wall[1] and having trouble moving his right foot or leg.[8] In 2021, a forensic podiatrist contested both claims, alleging that gait is affected by the weight of the gear and weapons and that there is no relationship between gait and gender.[15]
Initially, police considered burglary as motive.[16] However, they were unable to find anything missing, implying the suspect did not steal.[17] Bevers left behind valuables, among them her purse and iPad.[18] Sources revealed to WFAA that police now believe Bevers was not only targeted, but that the suspect planned to make the crime appear as if it was a burglary gone wrong.[19] One of the warrants filed by police claimed that the suspect possessed a smartphone with which he might have stalked Bevers's schedules and recorded her murder.[8]
Additional police search warrants allege that Bevers received "creepy and strange" messages from an unknown male on LinkedIn.[8] Police also believe that Bevers might have conversed with her murderer preceding the crime.[8] Law enforcement was able to track down a person of interest who spoke with Bevers over LinkedIn during Bevers's last months, but the person stated that the conversation was ultimately flirty and innocuous.[8]
As usual, Bevers's relatives were questioned. The alibis of Brandon, Missy's husband, and Randy, Missy's father-in-law, checked out: Brandon was in Mississippi fishing, while Randy was in California traveling.[1] Suspicious were roused when a published search warrant reported Randy, four days after the murder, bringing to a dry cleaner a bloodied shirt.[20] Randy later explained the blood as dog blood spilled by two dogs fighting.[1] Midlothian police performed a forensic analysis on the shirt, confirming the absence of human blood and the presence of dog blood.[21]
Initially, a reward was set at $10,000 before doubling to $20,000[22] and rising to $50,000.[23] As of 2021, there is a reward of $150,000 for information potentially helpful in capturing the suspect.[24]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 McPhate, Christian (January 31, 2017). "Internet Sleuths Muddy Waters and Wreck Lives in Missy Bevers' Murder Investigation". Dallas Observer. Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Truesdell, Jeff (May 27, 2016). "Mother-in-Law of Texas Fitness Instructor Killed in Church Shares Family's Frustration a Month After Murder: 'When They Make an Arrest, Will We Feel Like Celebrating?'". People. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Heinz, Frank (April 19, 2016). "Husband of Slain Fitness Instructor Speaks Publicly". KXAS-TV. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Branham, Dana (April 18, 2019). "3 years after Missy Bevers' slaying, police are still searching for the 'one piece that we're missing'". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on March 26, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Woodard, Teresa (September 21, 2020). "'Who murdered Missy Bevers?' asks new Ellis County billboard". WFAA. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Kurtz, Bethany (October 20, 2016). "Camp Gladiator plans run to honor Missy Bevers' passion for others". Midlothian Mirror. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Salinger, Tobias (April 18, 2016). "Fitness instructor murdered before early-morning workout session at Texas church". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 "Docs: Church murder victim received "creepy" LinkedIn message". CBS and AP. May 5, 2016. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Harris, Chris (April 18, 2017). "Who Killed Missy Bevers? One Year Later, Texas Fitness Instructor's Death Remains a Mystery". People. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Missy Bevers Died From Multiple Puncture Wounds to Head and Chest: Police". KXAS-TV. May 3, 2016. Archived from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Heinz, Frank (April 22, 2016). "Midlothian Police Release More Surveillance Footage in Bevers Slaying". KXAS-TV. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Creekside Church's Exterior Cameras "Off" Day Of Midlothian Murder". KTVT. April 20, 2016. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Messer, Olivia; Zavadski, Katie (April 20, 2016). "Cop Lookalike Who Killed Woman Inside Church May Be Female, Police Say". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "CCTV footage shows someone dressed as a cop in a church where Terri 'Missy' Bevers was murdered". News.com.au. April 22, 2016. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Allen, Ginger (April 19, 2021). "Forensic Podiatrist Called By FBI To Study Missy Bevers' Killer's Gait, Explains Investigative Process". KTVT. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Heinz, Frank (April 18, 2016). "Homicide Investigation Under Way After Woman Found Dead Inside Midlothian Church". KXAS-TV. Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Lopez, Rebecca (April 16, 2021). "It's been 5 years since Missy Bevers was killed in a Midlothian church, her family and police remain hopeful". WFAA. Archived from the original on June 17, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Lucia, Andrea (April 21, 2016). "Police Remove Personal Items From Murdered Fitness Instructor's Truck". KTVT. Archived from the original on June 27, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Eiserer, Tanya (April 26, 2016). "Sources: Police believe slain Midlothian mom was targeted". WFAA. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Kates, Graham (April 28, 2016). "Warrant: Father-in-law of mom in church murder had bloody shirt". CBS News. Archived from the original on July 27, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Martinez, Geraldo (June 6, 2016). "Tests show blood on shirt in Bevers case belonged to dog". KDFW. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Reward for info in Bevers murder doubles to $20K". WFAA. May 13, 2016. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Steele, Tom (October 27, 2016). "Reward raised to $50,000 in slaying of fitness trainer Missy Bevers at Midlothian church". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ York, Austin (April 28, 2021). "Reward increases to $150,000 dollars in Missy Bevers murder case". Audacy. KRLD. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)
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