Arkansas law enforcement officials are currently investigating a tragic incident involving the shooting deaths of a woman and her two young children. The incident occurred in the woman’s home amidst the finalization of her divorce proceedings. The Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office reported that a welfare check was conducted at the residence, located in the small town of Bonanza near the Oklahoma border, around 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
Upon arrival, officers received no response when they knocked on the door. Two individuals who worked at the residence allowed the officers to enter, where they discovered the bodies of 40-year-old Charity Beallis and her two children. The authorities noted that it was evident that the victims had suffered gunshot wounds.
Autopsies are scheduled to be performed to confirm the official causes of death. The Sheriff’s Office stated that search warrants have been executed and more are expected to be issued as the investigation progresses. Interviews have been conducted and more are anticipated as information continues to be gathered.
The identities of the two children, both approximately six years old, have not been released. While no arrests have been made, local media reports indicate that Beallis was in the process of divorcing her husband, a local physician. The couple had attended a court hearing just two days prior to the discovery of the bodies.
Court documents obtained by local CBS affiliate KFSM revealed that Beallis’ husband was arrested in February for choking his wife in the presence of their children. He pleaded guilty to third-degree battery in October, receiving a one-year suspended sentence and fines exceeding $1,500.
Beallis filed for divorce in March, citing the incident as grounds for her to obtain sole custody of their children. It remains unclear whether she was granted sole custody as part of the divorce settlement. Beallis had previously expressed her frustration with the legal system in a Facebook post, stating that she felt like a victim being treated as the problem while her husband was protected by the system.
Beallis’ father, Randy Powell, has publicly stated his belief that her husband is responsible for the deaths. He stated, “There’s nobody else in the world that had any reason to harm her or those babies but him,” suggesting that financial gain and hatred were the motives.