Midlothian Murder May Have Been Targeted Attack
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MIDLOTHIAN (CBSDFW.COM) - There are more questions than answers in Midlothian on Tuesday after a North Texas mother and fitness trainer was found murdered inside of a church. The circumstances do not add up, and even authorities are saying that this case is unusual.
It was early Monday morning that the body of Missy Bevers was discovered inside of Creekside Church, where she was getting ready to lead a 5:00 a.m. boot camp class. According to police, the woman's killer actually broke into the church before Bevers arrived. Investigators found broken glass on the floor. Bevers was assaulted by the suspect and left unresponsive.
Relatives remembered the 45-year-old victim as an amazing woman, wife and mother to three kids. Bevers was an avid fitness instructor, and her brother-in-law said that there was simply no reason for this to happen. Rattled members of the community came by the church on Tuesday with mementos for Bevers and her family.
In surveillance video, the suspect can be seen wandering the halls of the church dressed head-to-toe in police SWAT gear. The suspect could be a man or a woman, officials said. The heavy tactical gear makes it hard to identify the individual. The motive behind the attack remains unclear. Authorities stated that Bevers may have interrupted a burglary.
However, some clues suggest that this was a targeted attack. Attorney and former police officer Pete Schulte said, "This is not your routine burglary. I don't want to say anything's routine but, if somebody's going to try to go burglarize a business, they're going to get in and get out and try to grab as much stuff as they can and then leave." In the security video, the suspect is never seen taking anything from the church.
Bevers also advertised the class date, time and location online.
The intruder's police uniform could also prompt investigators to dig deeper into this case. "It is going to raise the awareness of the police department, that there may be something more here than just a burglary or even a murder," the former officer said Monday. "Something else was going on here, and they're going to try to uncover it."
This was the first murder in Midlothian in the past seven years. Oak Farms Dairy is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the suspect's arrest and indictment.
Since the surveillance video was released on Monday, authorities have received several tips. Investigators with the Midlothian Police Department are going through that information and working with the medical examiner to determine an official cause of death.