Missy Bevers' murder remains unsolved, but her friends are dedicated to the investigation
MIDLOTHIAN (CBSNewsTexas.com) – It was a murder that's haunted the city of Midlothian since 2016.
The killing of Missy Bevers seven years ago today remains unsolved.
Tuesday night, a memorial service was held in a Midlothian park. CBS News Texas spoke to the women who have spent the last three years trying to do what police haven't been able to – catch a killer.
A small group of Midlothian residents gathered in a park to observe the passing of another year since the murder of Missy Bevers.
Renae Rodden is among those who fear the murder of her friend seven years ago today will never be solved unless people keep talking about it.
That's why Rodden and Crystal Lawson started a podcast three years ago, called True Crime Broads, devoted to the investigation that includes their own detective work.
"We just noticed that it was starting to die out," Rodden said. "You never heard about it. You never saw it on the news hardly it was just like it was a cold case."
Midlothian police insist it's not a cold case and that it's investigative team "spends at least one to two days a month sequestered in a conference room where they can work without interruption on this case. On other occasions, the team meets at the scene of the crime and re-assesses the incident."
Bevers was preparing to teach a fitness class inside a Midlothian church on the morning of April 18, 2016 when security cameras recorded her killer walking around in police tactical gear as a disguise.
Rodden and her colleague have studied videos, interviewed 30 people, produced more than 100 podcasts and have contributed to keeping billboards up around the city.
When asked if she has any idea who could have killed her friend, Rodden replied, "I do. It's somebody that we've had on our mind for a really long time."
One of the officers at the murder scene that morning, who now works for another police department, says he still has faith in the Midlothian detectives who have been working on the case for seven years.
"I know it personally, they have great investigators still working on the case there's still a lot of manpower to go into this case, and that the only way it will be solved is the community's help," said former Midlothian police officer Cody McKinney.
One of the ways to get the community's help is a still standing $150,000 reward.
