Official Records
This page presents official documents relating to the death of Beverly Kay Schappaugh. Documents are presented as received. The death certificate contains one redaction: the Social Security Number has been obscured to protect private information. Correspondence documents have personal contact details redacted; all institutional content is unaltered. Provenance is identified for each artifact.
Georgia Certificate of Death
State File Number: 1990GA000033892
Decedent: Beverly Kay Schappaugh
Date of Death: June 18, 1990 (date body was discovered - noted as “FOUND” on the certificate)
Note: The grave marker at Riverview Memorial Gardens reflects June 17, 1990, consistent with evidence that her vehicle was observed on school grounds at approximately 5:30 p.m. Sunday June 17. The date of actual death and the date of discovery are recorded differently across official documents. Both are factually accurate for the event each records.
Source: Official sealed copy issued by Lowndes County at time of ruling - held in family archive
Note: This copy is the official sealed copy issued at the county level at the time of the ruling. The state file number 1990GA000033892 was assigned upon filing with the Georgia State Archives in Atlanta and is confirmed in the 2025 vital records verification below.
Transcription of Key Fields:
Decedent’s Name: Beverly Kay Schappaugh Maiden/Last Name: Dexter Sex: Female Date of Death: Jun 18 1990 (FOUND) Local File Number: 548
Race: White Origin: American Date of Birth: Aug 25 1941 Age: 48 County of Death: Lowndes
City/Location of Death: Valdosta - Pine Grove Elementary School State/County of Birth: PA Blair Citizen: USA Marital Status: Divorced
Occupation: Teacher Kind of Industry or Business: Elementary School
Residence: Lowndes County, Valdosta, GA - PO Box 2392 Inside City Limits: No
Father’s Name: John Dexter Mother’s Maiden Name: Dorcas ‘Dee’ Helsel
Informant: Paul Schappaugh, PO Box 2392, Valdosta GA 31602 - Son
Disposition: Entombed, Jun 22 1990 Cemetery: Riverview Memorial Gardens, Valdosta GA Lowndes 31601 Funeral Home: Carson McLane Inc., 2215 N. Patterson St., Valdosta GA 31602 Funeral Director License No.: 3185 Establishment License No.: 435
Cause of Death: Part I - a. Immediate Cause: EXSANGUINATION - Interval: Minutes Due to, or as a consequence of: b. Gun Shot Wound to Chest - Interval: Minutes
Autopsy: Yes Findings Considered in Determining Cause of Death: Yes
Field 27 - Manner of Death: HOMICIDE - FOUND Date of Injury: Jun 18 1990 How Injury Occurred: Gun Shot Wound to Chest Hour of Injury: Unknown Injury at Work: No Place of Injury: School Parking Lot Location: Bemiss Rd, Valdosta GA 31601 Lowndes
Certifier: Walter Wacter, Coroner Certifier Address: Rt 2, Box 441, Lake Park, GA 31636 Date Signed: June 21, 1990 Date Pronounced Dead: June 18, 1990 Hour Pronounced Dead: 7:30 Am
Registrar: Brenda Courson Date Received by Registrar: Sept 14, 1990
Certificate of Record: This is an exact copy of the unnumbered death certificate received for filing in Lowndes County, Georgia. Local Custodian: Brenda Courson Date: Sept 14, 1990 County of Lowndes
Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department - Official News Release
Date: September 7, 1990
Issuing Authority: G. Robert Carter, Sheriff of Lowndes County
Subject: Official ruling in the death of Beverly K. Schappaugh
Source: Original news release signed by G. Robert Carter, Sheriff of Lowndes County - held in family archive
LOWNDES COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPT. P. O. BOX 667 • VALDOSTA, GEORGIA 31603-0667 • (912) 333-5149
G. ROBERT CARTER, N.A. / SHERIFF
NEWS RELEASE
On Friday, September 7, 1990, a meeting was held to discuss the evidence in the death of Beverly K. Schappaugh. Present at the meeting were 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 investigating the case.
After careful consideration of the evidence and witnesses’ statements, it has been officially ruled that Beverly K. Schappaugh was murdered. No arrest has been made. The investigation is continuing.
Lowndes County Detectives have investigated the case as a homicide since Beverly K. Schappaugh’s body was discovered at Pine Grove School on June 18, 1990.
G. Robert Carter, N. A. Sheriff of Lowndes County
Footer: G. MEL RICKS, JR., N.A. / CHIEF DEPUTY • (912) 333-5143 / LOWNDES COUNTY JAIL • 111 ROSWELL DRIVE • VALDOSTA, GEORGIA 31601
Georgia State Vital Records Verification
In August 2025, a request was submitted to the Forsyth County Probate Court seeking verification of the Georgia State Office of Vital Records record for Beverly Kay Schappaugh. Forsyth County Probate Court acts as a local agent of the Georgia State Office of Vital Records.
Carol Seitz, Clerk, Forsyth County Probate Court, confirmed in written correspondence dated August 6, 2025 that field 27 of the state death certificate record continues to reflect homicide as the manner of death. She further confirmed that the state file number is 1990GA000033892, and clarified that while the local display renders the number as “033892,” the full number 1990GA000033892 was transmitted when the office submitted its ticket to the State Office of Vital Records.
The following document is the August 6, 2025 response from Carol Seitz, Clerk, Forsyth County Probate Court, confirming these findings. Her direct email address has been redacted. Her institutional signature block has been appended from the same correspondence thread to identify her official capacity.
Note: The time displayed in the email header reflects the sender’s local time zone as rendered by the recipient’s email client at the time of printing. The original send time as recorded by Gmail is 1:52 PM Eastern Time, Wednesday, August 6, 2025.
VSU Archives and Special Collections - Research Correspondence
In 2025, a formal research request was submitted to the Valdosta State University Archives and Special Collections seeking microfilm scans of Valdosta Daily Times editions covering the death of Beverly Kay Schappaugh. VSU Archives holds the official institutional microfilm archive for the Valdosta Daily Times.
VSU Archives staff located and produced certified archival scans of the following editions: June 19, June 21, June 23, and June 30, 1990; August 16, 1990; and January 9, 1993.
Two additional family-preserved clippings exist but carry no publication date. VSU Archives staff conducted a preliminary search but were unable to commit resources to searching the full microfilm archive without specific edition dates. No archival verification of these clippings was completed.
VSU Archives staff also confirmed that the September 14, 1990 edition - the edition reporting the official homicide ruling - is absent from the microfilm archive. Staff noted that no damage notation or unavailability notation exists to account for the missing issue, which is atypical for missing editions.
The following document is the July 31, 2025 institutional response from Raya A. Schilke, Graduate Assistant, VSU Archives and Special Collections, confirming these findings. Personal contact details have been redacted.
Note: The time displayed in the email header reflects the sender’s local time zone as rendered by the recipient’s email client at the time of printing. The original send time as recorded by Gmail is 4:48 PM Eastern Time, Thursday, July 31, 2025.
VSU Archives - Missing Microfilm Confirmation
Date: 2025
Issuing Authority: Valdosta State University Archives and Special Collections
Subject: Absence of the September 14, 1990 edition of the Valdosta Daily Times from the VSU microfilm collection
Documentation provided by VSU Archives and Special Collections confirming the September 14, 1990 edition of the Valdosta Daily Times is absent from the VSU microfilm collection. The VSU microfilm archive is the official institutional archive for the Valdosta Daily Times. The document is a scan of the microfilm showing the September 15, 1990 edition where the September 14 edition should appear, demonstrating the gap in the sequential record. The September 14 edition reported the official ruling of Beverly Kay Schappaugh’s death as homicide. The reason for its absence from the institutional archive is undocumented. A family-preserved scan of this edition is the sole known surviving copy.
Source: VSU Archives and Special Collections - provided to family during 2025 research correspondence