On April 18, 2016, the body of Terri Missy Bevers was found at Creekside Church of Christ in Midlothian, Texas. Her murder garnered media attention after Midlothian police published surveillance camera videos from inside the church. Yet six years later, the murder has not been resolved.
We are still searching for an answer to who killed Missy Bevers. The murderer remains a mystery, and few developments have been made since the investigation commenced.
Story Stages
Who Was Missy Bevers?
Before we get to the murder and the investigation, let’s talk about the woman in question. Born on August 9, 1970, in Graham Texas, Terri Bevers was a simple woman. She got married to Brandon Bevers in 1998 and gave birth to three children.
She, her husband, and their three daughters lived in Red Oak. Missy worked as a fitness instructor, holding Camp Gladiator boot camps at Midlothian’s Creekside Church of Christ. The church was only 20 minutes away from her residence.
The 45-year-old mother took fitness very seriously and taught her own classes. The fitness instructor was also an active member of the community. According to many, she had no known enemies.
The Murder
Missy arrived at Midlothian’s church just after 4 am to prepare for her early morning fitness class. As we said before, she taught a gladiator boot camp. She was prepping the room for a morning session.
But before dawn on April 18, 2018, there was a heavy thunderstorm in Midlothian. The night before her murder, Bevers told her students that her fitness class would be held inside.
Usually, her class was held outside, in the parking lot. But because of the storm, she moved the class inside.
She was found by her students at 5 am. That was about an hour after she arrived at the spot. Her students quickly called emergency services. Terri Missy Bevers had a head injury and multiple puncture wounds to her chest. When her students discovered her, Missy was unresponsive. She died shortly after the paramedics arrived.
The investigation into the murder began immediately. Shortly after the investigation began, surveillance video footage from the church showed a person carrying a hammer while opening and closing various rooms. At one point, he broke open a door with the hammer. That person’s clothing included a helmet, gloves, and shin guards.
What Did The Investigation Show?
As we said before, Missy Bevers was found with several puncture wounds to the head and chest. According to the police search warrant, the “wounds were consistent with the tools the suspect was carrying throughout the building”.
While the Midlothian police department didn’t confirm the weapon of murder, the hammer was found alongside other tools near her body.
So, the police turned their eyes to the outside surveillance cameras. Outside cameras were not working on the day of the murder. But internal cameras were functional. Tapes show the suspect of unknown gender and identity walking in the church’s hallways and smashing the glass with a hammer to break into doors.
The suspect wore a SWAT police outfit and police tactical gear from head to toe. That included a POLICE-marked seat, a black helmet, and a black pair of gloves.
According to the police investigators, Terri Bevers was in the midst of transporting her exercise gear from her truck to the church when she met the suspect. The tapes do not show him or her encountering the fitness instructor, and the police have not revealed where they crossed paths.
At first glance, the suspect looked like a man. But the police changed it later, stating in the warrant it appeared like the suspect had a feminine gait. They shared another potential clue, the suspect appeared to walk slowly, sometimes steadying himself/herself with the wall. He/she also had trouble moving the right foot or leg.
But in 2021, a forensic podiatrist contested both claims, alleging that gait is affected by the weight of the gear and weapons. According to the report, there was no potential relationship between gait and gender.
In the beginning, the police also suspected burglary as a motive. But they were unable to find anything missing. That implied that the suspect did not steal. Bevers left behind valuables, including her purse and iPad.
An additional search warrant alleges she received creepy and strange messages from an unknown male on LinkedIn.
Her close relatives were questioned. The police initially offered a reward of $10,000 for information. That doubled to $20,000, then to $50,000, and as of October 2022, that number is $150,000 for any potentially helpful information. The Midlothian police say they receive tips on a daily basis.
The Potential Suspect
There is still no name attached or even gender to the potential suspect. Six years later, police still have only the chilling video footage from the church as evidence. That footage shows a person carrying a hammer while opening and closing various rooms.
The footage was analyzed, but the gender was not discovered. As the police say, it was inconclusive. The killer was between 5’2″ and 5’8″, with feet predominantly pointed outward, and walking with a limp.
Thanks to the glass from broken windows, the police went on a trail that helped track the movements of the person. They also found marks on the church’s backdoor, indicating that the perpetrator accessed the building.
They also recovered messages from her phone, detailing flirtatious and intimate conversations on LinkedIn. Sadly, Missy posted a lot on social media about her upcoming boot camps. The night before she was killed, she said “come rain or shine, the class would still go ahead”. That advertising made her movements easily trackable.
Did The Husband Do It?
As in most cases, the police had her husband Brandon Bevers as a potential suspect. But after his alibi was verified, he was questioned by investigators about a different matter.
They wanted to know who would harm his wife. Sadly, he couldn’t think of anyone who would like to hurt Missy.
He told the police their marriage was great and that they were happy. Although, the police found out their marriage was in disrepair and fraught with financial issues and infidelity.
His father was also questioned. On April 22, Brandon’s father, Randy Bevers, went to a dry cleaner in town with a woman’s blood-stained shirt. He told the employee the blood was from breaking up a dog fight. Because Missy’s story was all over the news, the employee called the police.
When analyzed, the police found out that someone tried to clean the blood off beforehand. Randy also had a similar physique to the person in the security footage.
But his alibi was verified as well. He was in California when Missy was murdered. That cleared him as a suspect.
Recently, her daughter Hannah talked and recalled the struggle her family has been through. She said, “I’ve had people on Facebook message me and say ‘Your dad this, your dad killed your mom’. My dad loved my mom and I know that 100 percent”.
The Nissan Altima
A few weeks after the murder, the police found security footage from a nearby sporting goods store. They discovered a Nissan Altima driving around a nearby car park a few hours before the Missy Bevers murder.
The video was released to the public, but the car owner never came forward. No one knew who the car belonged to.
Keeping The Investigation Alive
Six years since the killing, no one has been arrested. No suspect has been identified as well. Midlothian police say they have tips coming in almost daily. They also claim they investigate all leads.
But it is still unknown whether the killer was male or female.
Lately, a podcast was launched to keep the murder investigation alive. Renae Rodden and Crystal Lawson are hosts of the True Crime Broads. That podcast began with the intention of keeping people talking about the case.
Lawson says, “I think I was like everyone else. I was just riveted when it was on the news. It was the most unbelievable thing I’d ever seen”.
Renae and Crystal met on a discussion page about the case. They have since recorded dozens of episodes of their podcast. Rodden also had a personal connection, as they worked together and still live in the community.
Each podcast runs for about 45 minutes, with guests coming from different industries and areas. Some are law enforcement officials, and some are campers from her camp. Bobby Chacon, former FBI agent, and writer for the TV series Criminal Minds joined as well. Renowned crime analyst Sheryl McCollum joined once too.
Public response to the podcast has been good so far. Rodden says, “We get a lot of positive feedback about the podcast. Police are also supportive of the billboard we had put in place. I believe that tips have increased since the installation of the billboard, therefore helping police”.
The podcast also tries to dispel rumors. Finding the killer is challenging enough without distractions and rumors that can lead down a wrong path.
Lawson and Rodden also raised money to maintain advertising of a $150,000 reward in connection to the case. The case is to keep as many eyes and ears on the case as possible.
