Police are hunting a police impersonator who killed a mother-of-three inside a Texas church.
Fitness instructor Missy Bevers was found murdered inside the Creekside Church of Christ where she was scheduled to teach a fitness class on Monday. The church is located in Midlothian, about 25 miles southwest of Dallas.
Police initially described the killer as a man wearing police tactical clothing, including black helmet, black gloves, and a black vest with the word “POLICE” on the front.
But on Tuesday, police announced after reviewing surveillance video, that the killer might be a female.
Police indicated the “man’s” halting gait and appearance looked more like a female.
“We are backing off our statement that the suspect on video was a man,” Midlothian Assistant Police Chief Kevin Johnson told KXAS-TV. “I know we said ‘he’ over and over again yesterday, and that was a mistake. There’s a lot of speculation based on the gait and appearance that this person may be a woman. It’s a legitimate question right now. We no longer will say the suspect is a man. That does not mean I’m saying this suspect is a woman. It’s just that at this point we can’t rule it out. We don’t know yet.”
The suspect is seen on surveillance footage meandering around the hallways of the church, opening and closing doors as if looking for something or someone.
The suspect carried a tool used by police to break out glass.
Bevers was a personal trainer for the nationally known Camp Gladiator fitness training program. She had moved her class to the church on Monday because of the inclement weather in Midlothian.
“If it’s raining we’re still training,” Bevers posted on Facebook on Sunday.
Bevers’s students found her body, surrounded by broken glass at around 5 a.m., about an hour after she began setting up for her class.
Police did not disclose the manner of death.
Sgt Nick Harp said he wasn’t sure if the suspect was a cop or how she or he obtained police tactical gear.
“It’s tragic. It’s sad for the Bevers family and the community as a whole,” said Harp. “It’s not something that we’re used to seeing. It certainly doesn’t sit well.”
A $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the suspect.
