Terri “Missy” Bevers, 45, was preparing to lead a 5 a.m. fitness class at Creekside Church of Christ in Midlothian, Texas, on April 18, 2016.
Instead, she was killed inside the building, in a case that has haunted the town for years.
What makes it worse is that surveillance cameras caught the intruder wandering the halls beforehand, yet nobody has been identified.
THE VIDEO THAT WON’T LET GO
Police say the suspect first appears on the church’s interior surveillance around 3:50 a.m.
The figure wears tactical gear, including a vest marked “POLICE,” making it hard to tell who they are.
Warrants describe the intruder moving through hallways and using a hammer to break windows.
Investigators have also said they could not determine the suspect’s gender from the footage.
The CCTV footage appears around 5:30 into the video.
A TIGHT TIMELINE, THEN SILENCE
Police have said Missy’s truck is seen arriving around 4:16 a.m., with Missy herself appearing on video entering shortly after.
A warrant summary reported she was seen arriving at 4:18 a.m., before she disappears from the available footage.
The same warrant said the video shows Missy walking toward where the suspect was, and then neither is seen again.
Police received two 911 calls at 5:00 a.m., after a participant arrived and realized something was wrong.
HOW SHE DIED
Police documents said Missy had multiple puncture wounds to her head and chest.
Those wounds were described as consistent with the tools the suspect was seen carrying inside the building.
THE CAMERA GAP THAT HAUNTS DETECTIVES
Midlothian police confirmed the church’s exterior cameras were not functioning that morning.
That meant investigators had no clear outside view of how the suspect arrived or left.
“BURGLARY” OR A DISGUISE
Police said early on that Missy may have interrupted a burglary, because the suspect appeared to be breaking glass inside.
But officials also acknowledged the situation was “unusual,” and the footage does not show the person clearly taking items from the church.
That mix of pointless damage and lingering in hallways is why many people believe the “burglary” look could have been staged.
THE “CREEPY” MESSAGE DAYS BEFORE
Search warrants later revealed a friend told investigators Missy received a private LinkedIn message “less than three days” before the murder that felt “creepy and strange.”
The friend could not recall the sender’s name, according to the warrant summaries.
Police also described another “person of interest” who confirmed they communicated with Missy on LinkedIn, with messages that “ultimately turned flirtatious and familiar.”
Investigators said only part of those messages could be recovered because some had been deleted.
THE PHONE THEORY
Those same warrant summaries said investigators believed the suspect may have used a phone to check Missy’s publicly posted workout schedules.
Police also suggested the suspect could have used a phone to communicate, navigate, or even record what happened.
THE CAR SPOTTED NEARBY
In 2017, police and a nearby sporting goods store released video of a silver Nissan Altima circling a parking lot a couple of hours before the killing.
The driver is seen turning the car’s lights off and on, and the vehicle appears from multiple angles.
Police said they still wanted to identify and speak with the driver, while saying they did not believe the car was tied to the murder.
WHERE THE CASE STANDS NOW
Eight years later, Midlothian’s police chief said the investigation has “never ended,” and the department has received more than 3,000 tips.
Friends of Missy have kept the case in public view through vigils, signs, and billboards.
A 2023 CBS Texas report said detectives still treat it as active work, with dedicated time set aside to re-assess the case, and the reward still standing at $150,000.
KRLD previously reported that the reward was raised to $150,000 around the five-year mark, driven by community efforts and supporters.
In 2025, CBS Texas reported police say new leads continue to come in, but they have not shared specifics publicly.
FAST FACTS
Missy Bevers was killed April 18, 2016, inside Creekside Church of Christ in Midlothian.
The suspect was captured on interior surveillance wearing tactical gear marked “POLICE.”
Exterior church cameras were not working that morning, according to police.
The reward has been reported as $150,000.
TIMELINE
- 3:50 a.m. Suspect appears on church surveillance.
- 4:16-4:20 a.m. Missy arrives and enters.
- 4:35 a.m. A participant arrives.
- 5:00 a.m. Two 911 calls are made.
HOW TO HELP
Police have previously asked anyone with information to contact Midlothian’s tip line at 972-775-7624 or Ellis County Crime Stoppers at 972-937-7297 (PAYS).
