NYPD assisting in Texas church murder investigation
MIDLOTHIAN, Texas - The New York Police Department is working closely with police in Midlothian, Texas, as they investigate the brutal murder last month of a mother in a church, sources tell CBS DFW.
The NYPD experts were called in to help analyze "pings" from cell towers in the hopes of tracking down an "electronic footprint" of the person who killed Terri "Missy" Bevers the morning of April 18. The sources said investigators are hoping the killer, who was dressed in what appeared to be police gear, had an active phone that sent signals to nearby cell towers as he or she confronted Bevers inside the Creekside Church.
Police have indicated the mother of three was attacked with a hammer.
Warrants released Thursday revealed that police obtained cell phone information for several members of Bevers' family and others who were close to her. Those documents also indicate that Bevers received a "creepy" LinkedIn message in the days before her death, and that several phone messages uncovered by investigators confirm tips of financial trouble, struggles within Bevers' marriage and extramarital affairs.
Police have received several tips on the possible identity of the suspect, who in surveillance footage appeared to be wearing tactical gear. Some of the tips refer to the person's build and walk. Police say the suspect had a "feminine sway" and a walk that may indicate an injury to the right leg or foot.
Bevers was seen on surveillance video arriving at the church at 4:18 a.m. She was scheduled to teach a fitness class at 5 a.m. Less than an hour later, she was found dead.
On Saturday, Bevers' mother-in-law posted a letter to the killer on Facebook, the second time she has done so.
"Are you getting a bit nervous, shaking in your 'boots that look too big?'" she wrote. "You should be! It's just a matter of time now."
Bevers' murder was the first in Midlothian in the last seven years.
A $10,000 reward for information that leads to the suspect's arrest and indictment is being offered by Oak Farms Dairy.