Factual Record
This page presents a chronological record of verified facts relating to the death of Beverly Kay Schappaugh. All statements are drawn from primary sources - official documents and contemporaneous public reporting. Sources are cited for each entry. No interpretation or commentary is included.
August 25, 1941 Beverly Kay Dexter is born in Roaring Spring, Pennsylvania, to John and Dorcus Dexter.
Late 1960s Beverly Kay Schappaugh participates in the federal Head Start program as an elementary school educator.
June 18, 1990 - approximately 7:30 AM Beverly Kay Schappaugh is found in the parking lot of Pine Grove Elementary School, Bemiss Road, Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia. She is 48 years old. The death certificate records this date as the date of death with the notation “FOUND,” indicating the date of discovery. Her vehicle had been observed on school grounds at approximately 5:30 p.m. the previous evening, Sunday June 17. The grave marker at Riverview Memorial Gardens reflects June 17, 1990. Both dates appear in official records for the reasons stated. Source: Georgia Certificate of Death, Lowndes County See Official Records.
June 18, 1990 Beverly Kay Schappaugh is pronounced dead. Source: Georgia Certificate of Death, Lowndes County See Official Records.
June 19, 1990 The Valdosta Daily Times reports her death under the headline “Lowndes Teacher Discovered Dead.” See Reporting. Source: Valdosta Daily Times, June 19, 1990 - VSU certified archival PDF
June 19, 1990 The Florida Times-Union reports her death under the headline “Lowndes Teacher Found Shot to Death.” See Reporting. Source: Florida Times-Union, June 19, 1990 - family-preserved scan
June 19, 1990 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports her death under the headline “Lowndes Teacher Is Found Dead.” See Reporting. Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 19, 1990 - family-preserved scan
June 21, 1990 The Valdosta Daily Times publishes Beverly Kay Schappaugh’s obituary and reports under the headline “Gun Was Teacher’s.” See Reporting. Source: Valdosta Daily Times, June 21, 1990 - VSU certified archival PDF
June 22, 1990 Beverly Kay Schappaugh is entombed at Riverview Memorial Gardens, Valdosta, Georgia. Source: Georgia Certificate of Death, Lowndes County See Official Records.
June 23, 1990 The Valdosta Daily Times reports under the headline “Teacher’s Death Still Mystery.” See Reporting. Source: Valdosta Daily Times, June 23, 1990 - VSU certified archival PDF
June 30, 1990 The Valdosta Daily Times reports a judicial gag order placed on the death investigation under the headline “Judge ‘Gags’ Death Probe.” See Reporting. Source: Valdosta Daily Times, June 30, 1990 - VSU certified archival PDF
August 16, 1990 The Valdosta Daily Times reports under the headline “Schoolteacher Found Slain.” See Reporting. Source: Valdosta Daily Times, August 16, 1990 - VSU certified archival PDF
September 7, 1990 The Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department convenes a meeting to review evidence in the death of Beverly K. Schappaugh. Present at the meeting are Coroner Walter Wacter, District Attorney H. Lamar Cole, Assistant District Attorney David Miller, Sheriff G. Robert Carter, Captain Billy W. Selph, Lieutenant Logan Henderson, and Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department detectives. Following this meeting, Sheriff G. Robert Carter issues an official news release stating that Beverly K. Schappaugh was murdered. No arrest is made. The investigation is reported as continuing. Source: Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department News Release, signed by G. Robert Carter, Sheriff of Lowndes County, September 7, 1990 - held in family archive See Official Records.
September 14, 1990 The Valdosta Daily Times reports the official ruling of homicide under the headline “Teacher’s Death: Murder.” See Reporting. Source: Valdosta Daily Times, September 14, 1990 - family-preserved scan, sole known copy. This edition is not present in the Valdosta State University microfilm archive. Absence confirmed by VSU Archives staff after multiple searches.
September 14, 1990 The Georgia Certificate of Death records the cause of death as exsanguination due to gunshot wound to the chest. The manner of death is recorded as homicide. The place of injury is recorded as a school parking lot. Source: Georgia Certificate of Death, Lowndes County See Official Records.
Approximate 1992 The Valdosta Daily Times revisits the case under the headline “Questions Remain Two Years After Teacher’s Death.” See Reporting. Source: Valdosta Daily Times, approximate 1992 - family-preserved scan, archival version not located
January 9, 1993 The Valdosta Daily Times revisits the case under the headline “Teacher’s Death Gets Another Look.” See Reporting. Source: Valdosta Daily Times, January 9, 1993 - VSU certified archival PDF
Approximate 1993 The Valdosta Daily Times reports a reward offered in connection with the murder of Beverly Kay Schappaugh. See Reporting. Source: Valdosta Daily Times, approximate 1993 - family-preserved scan, archival version not located
February 26, 1994 The Valdosta Daily Times publishes “Petition seeks justice for unsolved murder case” by Dean Poling. Kimberly Tyson, a family friend of the Schappaughs, circulates a petition throughout the region demanding justice, nearly four years after Beverly’s death. The petition collects approximately 100 signatures on its first day. Tyson states: “A lot of people thought this case had already been solved.” Lowndes County authorities are unavailable to comment. Valdosta Police Detective Lt. Earl Spurlock speaks generally on unsolved murder cases; notes the Schappaugh case is outside city jurisdiction. See Reporting. Source: Valdosta Daily Times, February 26, 1994 - family-preserved clipping, VSU Archives not consulted for this date
June 21, 2006 On the sixteenth anniversary of Beverly Kay Schappaugh’s death, family members publish a letter in the Waycross Journal-Herald documenting their dissatisfaction with the progress of the murder investigation and the lack of press coverage of the unsolved case. See Reporting. Source: Waycross Journal-Herald, June 21, 2006 - family-preserved copy
June 22, 2006 WALB News 10 reports on the unsolved case under the headline “Georgia Family Still Hopes for Closure.” The report confirms the case remains open and under a gag order as of 2006. See Reporting. Source: WALB News 10, June 22, 2006 - archived web report, family-preserved copy
2025 Forsyth County Probate Court, acting on behalf of the Georgia State Office of Vital Records, confirmed that the official Certificate of Death for Beverly Kay Schappaugh on file with the Georgia State Office of Vital Records reflects manner of death as homicide at field 27. State file number confirmed as 1990GA000033892. This record is consistent with the Lowndes County copy held by the family. Source: Written confirmation from Carol Seitz, Clerk, Forsyth County Probate Court, acting on behalf of the Georgia State Office of Vital Records, August 6, 2025 See Official Records.
June 18, 2026 Thirty-six years after her death, the murder of Beverly Kay Schappaugh remains officially unsolved.