Police in a small Texas town are combing fitness instructor Terri “Missy” Bevers’s social media accounts for clues into who killed her inside a church.
The 45-year-old mother-of-three was murdered early Monday morning inside the Creekside Church of Christ in Midlothian, near Dallas, where she was scheduled to teach a fitness class.
Bevers died of blunt force trauma to the head.
Police hope to find clues to the identity of her killer among her social media postings.
The suspect wore SWAT tactical gear, including a black vest with the word “POLICE” on it, and carried a tool used by police to break glass.
The suspect broke into the church around 4 a.m., before Missy Bevers arrived. But police don’t believe the motive was burglary since nothing was taken from the church. Bevers’ purse, iPad and other valuables were still in her car.
Bevers’ students found her body, surrounded by glass, in a room in the church at 5:00 a.m. Monday. Bevers had arrived an hour earlier to set up equipment for her Camp Gladiator fitness class. She moved the class to the church because of inclement weather in Midlothian.
“If it’s raining we’re still training,” she posted on Facebook on Sunday.
Police initially described the killer as a man wearing police tactical clothing and gear. But after reviewing surveillance video, police now say the killer might be a female.
Authorities 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 department’s desire is for the public to analyze the video to see if the walk and stature or the suspect is recognizable,” Assistant Chief Kevin Johnson said on Tuesday.
Brandon Bevers, the victim’s husband, was conveniently on a fishing trip in Mississippi when his wife was killed.
Brandon’s mother said he was “concerned” about Missy teaching a class at such odd hours.
“She might have been a little too naive for her own good, but she was a trusting soul. I guess she just thought everyone was good,” Marsha Tucker told KTVT-TV.
Brandon and Missy were married for 20 years and have three daughters – ages 8, 13 and 15.
