Police Friday released new surveillance video showing the suspect in the murder of a fitness coach inside a Midlothian church earlier this week.
The video is roughly two minutes long and shows more angles of the suspect, dressed in police tactical gear, aimlessly wandering around the inside of Creekside Church in the early morning hours of April 18.
Police want the public to pay attention to how the suspect in the murder of Miss Bevers walks, and the way they are holding the object in their hand.
"We are just hoping somebody will see something that peaks their interest and spurs their memory so they can make a connection to someone they know,” assistant police chief Kevin Johnson said.
The first time the suspect is seen on video is at 3:50 a.m. Monday. Missy Bevers arrives at 4:16. Johnson said the new video reflects most of what police know about the suspect’s movement inside the church before Missy Bevers was murdered.
“We still believe that somebody out there knows who this person is and hasn’t come forward,” Johnson said.
Midlothian Police have a board filled with potential suspects or persons of interest.
They've received “hundreds” of tips from across the nation, but Johnson said the majority are from people wanting to give opinions on whether the suspect is a man or a woman. Those tips are “not particularly helpful,” Johnson said.
The assistant chief addressed the rumor mill swirling about the suspect’s gender:
“In our initial press conference, we inadvertently floated the assumption that the suspect was a [male],” Johnson said. “That doesn’t reflect any specific belief on our part.”
The use of “he” in an initial press release was meant to be neutral, he said, and the department corrected the terminology as quickly as it could.
The tips have not brought the department any closer to a motive, Johnson said.
Federal investigators are assisting in the investigation. Surveillance video from the church, as well as from nearby business, is being examined. Johnson said Friday that several tools from the crime scene were also being analyzed.
We know Bevers died from head trauma done by an “unknown instrument,” but police are not releasing specifics on how she died.
Friday afternoon, Missy Bevers’ sister-in-law, Kristi Stout, said in a news conference that the family thought it had identified a suspect, but the lead wasn’t good. She said it was “devastating” learning that the family wasn’t any closer to a suspect.
Stout said the suspect in the video is "not a normal-minded person."
Police say Bevers’ husband has been cooperative during the investigation, but they are still trying to confirm he was out of town on the day of murder.
There is a $10,000 reward for anyone who gives police information that leads to an arrest.
A fund has been set up for the family through Citizens National Bank, Stout said. Those interested in donating can go to any Citizens National Bank location and ask for the Bevers Children account.