THE MURDER OF BEVERLY CARTER

Beverly Carter, a real estate agent, had an appointment to show a house in Scott, Arkansas at 5:30 PM on Thursday, September 25. Her husband, Carl Carter, filed a missing person’s report for his wife after attempting to contact her, and then drove to the house only to find Beverly’s vehicle, along with her purse and her wallet.

Later that evening, he received several very strange texts that came from his wife’s phone, but did not seem to be things that his wife would normally say.

This post discusses the Beverly Carter disappearance case, the arrest of a suspect, and what to do if a loved one goes missing.

The first text, which arrived at 1AM on Friday, simply said, “Yes”.

The second said, “My phone’s low. The battery’s down, and I’ll call you whenever I get signal.”

A text that followed almost immediately after that second text said, “Oh, I’m out drinking with some friends”.

To Carl, the texts did not sound like things his wife would normally write, and his wife is not a drinker.

Something was definitely wrong.

The police who investigated and went to the house said that they did not find any trace of a crime at the property,

While the police investigate, friends, family and hundreds of members of the community got together in order to search for Carter. Many went out on foot, while others are using ATVs to comb the area. Volunteers continued to search the area, which is vast. There is forest, swamp, and farmland.

Carl simply wanted his wife and the mother of their children home safe.

The suspect

The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office arrested 33-year-old Michael Lewis on September 29 on kidnapping charges.

Lewis said that someone had caused him to get into the accident by running him off the road. However, witnesses to the accident say there was no other vehicle and that Lewis was simply speeding and lost control of the vehicle. Reports also indicated that Lewis was actually a person of interest in this case even before his accident on Sunday.

However, while he was receiving treatment at the hospital, he escaped, knowing that the authorities wanted him. They did not pick him up until the next day after issuing the arrest warrant.

The authorities also said that Lewis is currently on parole and has been out of jail for just over a year. He has a criminal history in the state, although most of the history involves theft.

Carter’s body found

Carter’s body was found shortly thereafter, in a shallow grave near Little Rock, Arkansas.

Lewis pleaded not guilty to the crime, though in an interview with reporters, said he wanted to plead guilty, but didn’t on the advice of his lawyer.

Lewis also provided a motive for the killing to reporters, who asked “Why Beverly?”.

Because “She was a rich broker,” he said. “Because she was just a woman who worked alone — a rich broker.”

What to do if someone you love is missing

Those who are in professions such as real estate or sales and sometimes need to meet people at remote locations should always take extra precautions.

Try not to go alone if possible and always let others know where you will be and when you will be home.

If someone you know is missing, make sure you get in touch with the police as soon as possible. This is critical.

If the investigation goes cold, or if you want to want to have extra eyes on the case, consider hiring a private investigator.