Murdered: Terri "Missy" Bevers

Terri "Missy" Leann Bevers, née Strickland, was born August 20th, 1970. She married Brandon Bevers in 1998, and together they had three daughters. After their first daughter was born, Missy decided to be a stay-at-home-mom and left her job as a special education teacher. She was described as a compassionate and hard-working woman by all who knew her. She was a caring mother, wife, and friend. After her children were a little older, she began to venture into being a fitness instructor, working with a company called Camp Gladiator. She would teach classes in her community, and seemed to really enjoy being a teacher again.

Just before 4 AM on April 18th, 2016, 45 year-old Missy left her house to go teach a Camp Gladiator class at Midlothian Creekside Church of Christ in Midlothian, Texas. Missy lived in Red Oak, Texas, part of the of the Dallas-Ft Worth metroplex, which was about a 25 minute drive to the church in Midlothian. Because of a heavy thunderstorm, the class was going to be held inside the church rather than in the parking lot like it normally was. Missy was seen on surveillance footage entering the church at around 4:18AM, where she began getting ready for her fitness class to start at 5AM. That was the last time Missy would be seen alive.

Shortly after 5AM, one of Missy's students arrived at the church for the class. Upon their arrival, they found Missy's body inside the church. The police were called, and Missy was pronounced dead at the scene. Missy's body had several puncture wounds to the head and chest, and although the police have not confirmed the murder weapon, a hammer was found next to her body.

Early on in the investigation, the police looked into the surveillance footage. The cameras outside the church were not working, but the ones inside were. The police found a mysterious figure roaming the halls of the church around the time Missy was killed. The figure was dressed in a head-to-toe SWAT police outfit, complete with a "POLICE" marked vest, a black helmet and a black pair of gloves. The figure was seen walking through the halls of the church, occasionally smashing glass and attempting to open doors.

Investigators first reported that they believed that the perpetrator was male, but later changed their stance, saying that the gait appeared feminine in nature. While the police speculate, the identity and gender of the figure are unknown to this day. The suspect was seen to be walking slowly, sometimes leaning against walls, and seeming to be having trouble with their right foot or leg.

At first, the police believed Missy's death to be the ramification of a burglary attempt, but nothing was found to be missing from the church. Missy's purse and iPad were also found, still at the scene. The most popular current theory among investigators is that the perpetrator used the burglary ruse to cover up the real purpose of the crime: Missy's murder. Despite the police's theory, Missy's husband, Brandon Bevers does not believe that Missy was targeted.

Before her death, Missy had been receiving "creepy and strange" messages from an unknown male on the site "LinkedIn". The police believe that she had possibly exchanged messages with this person a few times. The messages had a “flirtatious and innocuous” undertone, according to investigators.

During the investigation, suspicion had originally fallen on her husband, Brandon Bevers. He provided an alibi of being in Mississippi on a fishing trip. This alibi was accepted by police, and he was no longer under suspicion.

The next person the police looked to was Missy's father-in-law, Randy Bevers. Even though he had a possible alibi of being on a trip to California at the time of the murder, Randy was thought of as a possible suspect when he brought in a blood-stained shirt into a dry cleaner four days after Missy's murder. He claimed it was canine blood from a fight between two dogs. The police were notified and the shirt was tested, confirming no evidence of human blood, only canine. Randy's alibi was confirmed, and he was no longer under suspicion.

In May of 2016, nearly a month after Missy's murder, the police released a still of a video. The video showed a 2011-2012 Nissan Ultima that was driving around in the parking lot of a nearby sports store, in the early morning of the 18th of April, the morning of Missy's murder. Police report that the car, which had an oval bumper sticker, pulled into the parking lot of the sporting goods store at around 2AM, before leaving moments later. Investigators say that the driver of the car is not necessarily a suspect, but they would like to speak to them about that morning and uncover if they saw anything. The driver has not been identified as of 2023.

A reward was set for the capture of Missy's killer for $10,000, before doubling to $20,000, and then growing into $50,000. In 2021, the reward was set to $150,000 for any information leading to the capture of the suspect.

If you, or anyone you know, have information about the murder of Terri "Missy" Bevers, please contact the Midlothian Police Department.

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