MN - Beau Shroyer, Wife of Detroit Lakes missionary killed in Angola arrested in connection to his death

[RickshawFan]

I was not sure if that was how things were,... of course , one gets checked , one's visa application is checked before leaving home , but as a 'husband' he would eventually get entry.....My port of entry used to be Honolulu, but now, due to technology, I go straight thru to Dallas, from Sydney and going thru immigration there is a lot longer and more involved. But I'm not trying to stay in the USA, I am only in transit.

But what struck me about Jackie, was, she was prepared to murder to PREVENT RETURNING to the USA. That's what all the reports say, she did not want to go back, she did not want to leave Angola, she was jibbing at being made to return to the USA with her husband, so the solution to that, and the solution must have been appealing to the boyfriend , he didn't want to leave Angola, and he didn't want her to leave, they seemed both in agreement, so much so, they were both prepared to kill for it.

So there was something back home, back in the USA that Jackie was not haviing a bar of, she dug her heels in and got down and organised a program whereby she would not only not be made to go back home to Minnesota, but would get rid of the person to whom she was obliged to follow back home to Minnesota.

That it was a ridiculous , idiotic plan is neither here nor there, she was a desperate woman, it was the only solution that occurred to her.

That is the exact opposite of someone dribblingly determined to migrate to the USA. Even a citizen did not want to go back....

I’m not sure I buy it that Jackie.wanted to stay in Angola, except for maybe via the missionary gravy train. I guess she got her wish, and she might be “taken care of” for life.

I can’t find any evidence that any missionary work was actually happening, though there were funds coming in from donors, and there was no mention of money being tight. Hanging out with the shoeshine boys and buying them cheetos is not missionary work IMO: you’d have to be building, organizing, teaching, or coaching. And kids need actual meals.

 

[Trooper]

I’m not sure I buy it that Jackie.wanted to stay in Angola, except for maybe via the missionary gravy train. I guess she got her wish, and she might be “taken care of” for life.

I can’t find any evidence that any missionary work was actually happening, though there were funds coming in from donors, and there was no mention of money being tight. Hanging out with the shoeshine boys and buying them cheetos is not missionary work IMO: you’d have to be building, organizing, teaching, or coaching. And kids need actual meals.

Maybe when all the dust settled, and the money was divvied up, Bernadino and Jackie would saunter east into the sunrise , a new day, a new life in Kenya, up in Happy Valley, on Lake Naivasha, infamous for its hedonistic, decadent lifestyles and exploits amid reports of drug use and sexual promiscuity.

Where English is spoken , no more boring language lessons, ... Jackie seeing herself as a sort of Latter Day Karen Blixen and Bernadino her Farah.... dispensing bandaids, and lotions, sorting out conflicts among the peeps, dealing out gourmet meals, telling yarns... ..clearing up the wild life..

Maybe the money would still keep pouring in.. people believe anything they want to..

Who knows what fantasy world she lived in ?. Her fantasy obviously went no further than the death of Beau, ....no thought seems to have gone into anything after that.

 

[RickshawFan]

Have you been to Africa? I’ve traveled extensively throughout North Africa (and Ghana), as a woman, and have had no issues making “friends” with the street kids. I’ve taken kids out to eat, had them wander the city with me, etc. I hate when people paint pictures of Africa that just simply aren’t true.

FWIW There are several posters in this thread who have traveled far and wide in Africa, worked there professionally, and are familiar first hand with African geo-politics.
Personally, I grew up in Africa.

 

[RickshawFan]

Because there no mirror outside the door??

Why do you need a mirror for a selfie, unless you want a targeted close up of a zit? I don’t understand this at all.

 

[Knox]

Some random thoughts....
At least one child is not a minor, though? I feel very sorry for the older daughter, but IMO there are situations where you have to roll up your sleeves and get super adult. A non-minor could easily fly back with younger siblings. (Heck, minors could do it without any adult; happens all the time for kids going to boarding schools, etc.). They've even done the flight several times with parents, and the airline would almost certainly keep an eye on them. I doubt paperwork would be needed.
The embassy would surely expedite paperwork, but I don't believe any would be needed to go back to the US. Guardianship would be a Minnesota matter. If a visa was required for Jackie's mother to enter Angola, they clearly took care of it ASAP.

I find it very odd if Jackie's mother is the one who ends up with the kids. Totally Jared Bridegan... I am suspicious about this whole case.

All in all....why haven't the kids gone back to the US already? IMO there's something going on officially that we don't know anything about. Perhaps the investigation goes deeper than we imagine.

Actually she is still a minor per several of JS's IG posts. She won't be 18 until 2/2025.

 

[RickshawFan]

Actually she is still a minor per several of JS's IG posts. She won't be 18 until 2/2025.

That's interesting. She evidently has a HS diploma (or maybe Liberty University doesn't require it?).

I'll look up travel for minors. IMO all those boarding school kids whose parents are embassy/high commission personnel in Africa (and all around the world) hop on and off planes on a regular basis. Failing that, the church at home coulda just sent someone to fetch them.

IMO there's something else going on.

FWIW here are the US DOT requirements:

https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/Kids_Fly_Alone.pdf

From these, there would theoretically be no problem with all 5 traveling back to the US by themselves.

 

[adot0902]

I’m not sure I buy it that Jackie.wanted to stay in Angola, except for maybe via the missionary gravy train. I guess she got her wish, and she might be “taken care of” for life.

I can’t find any evidence that any missionary work was actually happening, though there were funds coming in from donors, and there was no mention of money being tight. Hanging out with the shoeshine boys and buying them cheetos is not missionary work IMO: you’d have to be building, organizing, teaching, or coaching. And kids need actual meals.

If (and it’s a very big not happening if) Jackie got away with it, can you imagine the missionary money/donations rolling in. Grieving widow who spoke out about the dangers narrowly escaped death while her husband was killed, refuses to leave Africa because of her love of Jesus. Plus those donation website. Oh I can imagine she saw the life she could be living. Jackie posts the shoe shine kids once a month, make some soup and live the high life.

 

[Knox]

I’m not sure I buy it that Jackie.wanted to stay in Angola, except for maybe via the missionary gravy train. I guess she got her wish, and she might be “taken care of” for life.

I can’t find any evidence that any missionary work was actually happening, though there were funds coming in from donors, and there was no mention of money being tight. Hanging out with the shoeshine boys and buying them cheetos is not missionary work IMO: you’d have to be building, organizing, teaching, or coaching. And kids need actual meals.

I don't believe that either. Her IG "missionary" posts often focused on the negative - many pictures posted were of her own kids. She complained frequently, when she wasn't actively complaining - her posts had a distinct self-aggrandizing tone to them. It was rare she would mention or picture Beau.

IMO, Jackie was angry with Beau. I'll be very interested to learn whether there were life insurance policies for him. private or through a Christian organization. I willing to bet there were.

Jackie had no interest in remaining in Angola, Bernadino was a means to her end - go back to the US as a widow and wallow in everyone's sympathy. Living off the life insurance proceeds she gained by having her husband murdered.

The plan must have sounded so good. She thought the bumbling Angola CIS would perform a surface investigation and move on.

One other thing I noted, JS received very few likes or comments on her IG posts. I find that particularily interesting as I know other couples, who while on their mission trips, had tons of comments from thier home Church, friends and family. Their home Church was big enough to have two services on Sundays. Things that make you go hmmn ...

 

[Trooper]

If (and it’s a very big not happening if) Jackie got away with it, can you imagine the missionary money/donations rolling in. Grieving widow who spoke out about the dangers narrowly escaped death while her husband was killed, refuses to leave Africa because of her love of Jesus. Plus those donation website. Oh I can imagine she saw the life she could be living. Jackie posts the shoe shine kids once a month, make some soup and live the high life.

* dreamy eyed*... in another context, it would almost be the perfect crime ... if only she had not been so squeamish... if she had only been prepared to dirty up her hands a bit, and of course, poor Bernadino, too, he balked at actually doing it, talk about it, think about it, yes, but do it.. no. .. so he has to hire two blokes who have left squeamishness behind them long ago... She could have , as well as thinking about it, planning about it, dreaming about it, actually do it, then 3 other people would not be in such an invidious position today.. she is responsible for that., to tempt them with money.... despicable.

 

[RickshawFan]

One other thing I noted, JS received very few likes or comments on her IG posts. I find that particularily interesting as I know other couples, who while on their mission trips, had tons of comments from thier home Church, friends and family. Their home Church was big enough to have two services on Sundays. Things that make you go hmmn ...

Snipped for focus…

Well, that’s quite the perception….

 

[Trooper]

I don't believe that either. Her IG "missionary" posts often focused on the negative - many pictures posted were of her own kids. She complained frequently, when she wasn't actively complaining - her posts had a distinct self-aggrandizing tone to them. It was rare she would mention or picture Beau.

IMO, Jackie was angry with Beau. I'll be very interested to learn whether there were life insurance policies for him. private or through a Christian organization. I willing to bet there were.

Jackie had no interest in remaining in Angola, Bernadino was a means to her end - go back to the US as a widow and wallow in everyone's sympathy. Living off the life insurance proceeds she gained by having her husband murdered.

The plan must have sounded so good. She thought the bumbling Angola CIS would perform a surface investigation and move on.

One other thing I noted, JS received very few likes or comments on her IG posts. I find that particularily interesting as I know other couples, who while on their mission trips, had tons of comments from thier home Church, friends and family. Their home Church was big enough to have two services on Sundays. Things that make you go hmmn ...

You think she would have finally bit the bullet , so to speak, and got down to it, like she should have with Beau and got rid of Bernadino?? . after all the talking and planning and outsourcing murder, ..

Bernadino , hopefully , would have been on the lookout for any arrangements for driving lessons Jackie made with him... .. well.. .. I put nothing past Jackie.. any woman who can simply deprive children of their father for her own sexual fulfillment can do anything. Anything.

There is an element of tremendous greed going on here..

 

[RickshawFan]

You think she would have finally bit the bullet , so to speak, and got down to it, like she should have with Beau and got rid of Bernadino?? . after all the talking and planning and outsourcing murder, ..

Bernadino , hopefully , would have been on the lookout for any arrangements for driving lessons Jackie made with him... .. well.. .. I put nothing past Jackie.. any woman who can simply deprive children of their father for her own sexual fulfillment can do anything. Anything.

There is an element of tremendous greed going on here..

I can't see the affair angle, except maybe as a mode of convenience. I mean, she couldn't pick someone her age?

In the realm of how few likes the Shroyer SM posts got, it staggers me that they didn't find other expats to hang out with, if the locals were put off, as they seemed to be. Lubango is a university city, for gosh sake, and the population is something just short of 1M. There must be expat hangouts or circles. I don't see the Shroyers integrating at all or having a clue how. And they were there HOW long?

 

[Trooper]

I can't see the affair angle, except maybe as a mode of convenience. I mean, she couldn't pick someone her age?

In the realm of how few likes the Shroyer SM posts got, it staggers me that they didn't find other expats to hang out with, if the locals were put off, as they seemed to be. Lubango is a university city, for gosh sake, and the population is something just short of 1M. There must be expat hangouts or circles. I don't see the Shroyers integrating at all or having a clue how. And they were there HOW long?

Likewise , couldn't he have found someone his own age?? Since she was his employer, maybe he thought, it was the only way to keep his job, maybe he thought this is how people from Minnesota do divorce, they just have each other killed, maybe he thought she knew what she was doing, after all, she's an educated white woman from a 1st world country.... he , and his contract killer pals didn't seem to have any doubts that Jackie could come up trumps with the money, either, they went ahead and murdered Beau on spec. they only got the deposit, not the full monty. .

They must have been confident the money was there.

Apparently , they were there for 3 years..... I would have thought they would have made at least friends of some sort, not necessarily other missionaries, because missionarying is a competitive sport, there are only so many souls to save and the market is small, each unit is jealously guarded, and appropriating one's own converts and snaffling them into another church is highly frowned upon.... you can't be too friendly, just in case... they don't seem to have sought advice from teachers, or admins of schools, or even a sort of glee club, or cricket, rugby, soccer, ,,, so many avenues of social interaction.

 

[Kemug]

Actually you would think that he would be interested in the teenage daughters, if anyone, as they were much nearer his age!

 

[sunspun]

Actually you would think that he would be interested in the teenage daughters, if anyone, as they were much nearer his age!

Who knows, maybe he was. Maybe the mom just thought he was interested in her.

 

[Sleuthine]

That's interesting. She evidently has a HS diploma (or maybe Liberty University doesn't require it?).

I'll look up travel for minors. IMO all those boarding school kids whose parents are embassy/high commission personnel in Africa (and all around the world) hop on and off planes on a regular basis. Failing that, the church at home coulda just sent someone to fetch them.

IMO there's something else going on.

FWIW here are the US DOT requirements:

https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/Kids_Fly_Alone.pdf

From these, there would theoretically be no problem with all 5 traveling back to the US by themselves.

This link is mostly for domestic travel? For international travel it says also “unaccompanied minor procedures”. The main issue imo here is also not the unaccompanied travel (I. E travel without an adult), it is the following: moving countries and parents are not really available to give consent.

A parent in the US cannot even travel with a child outside of the US without the other parent’s consent. It is not as easy as you claim. Those kids need a new guardian.

 

[RickshawFan]

Actually you would think that he would be interested in the teenage daughters, if anyone, as they were much nearer his age!

The Shroyers had him in their house, “enjoying our fun!” This seemed so bizarre to me. And evidently he had a criminal record.
Male household staff are common in Africa, but they don’t mingle on a par with their employer’s families. And a security person stays outside the house. I’ve never heard of one in the house, let alone in the family living quarters.
I can’t remember exactly how it was arranged, but the male house staff must have come into our living quarters to clean at a specific time every day, likely morning, maybe even when we were at breakfast. I don’t recall being close by at all while they were cleaning our private areas. Childcare was women. Staff had their own living quarters (some in rooms on the grounds), bathrooms, etc.

At any rate, there’s a clear delineation between family and staff, except, I guess, chez Shroyers. They seem to have been clueless about every dimension of their lives in Angola. Totally at sea. About mission work, the country they were in, the people, how to speak the language. Even though they were generously allocated a year to get acclimatized to language and culture before obligations kicked in. A whole year! And they seem consumed by home invasion, but it never occurred to them that a security guard with a dodgy record might steal from them? Why did his job with the security company end anyway?

How ironic that Beau was killed with the knife he had given the nightwatchman. Yep, he evidently gifted him a knife. Another boundary violation, and that’s a bizarre gift! A pair of new shoes or something might have been a more appropriate gift, with little chance for negative implications. Besides, didn’t he have a history of assault?

 

[RickshawFan]

This link is mostly for domestic travel? For international travel it says also “unaccompanied minor procedures”. The main issue imo here is also not the unaccompanied travel (I. E travel without an adult), it is the following: moving countries and parents are not really available to give consent.

A parent in the US cannot even travel with a child outside of the US without the other parent’s consent. It is not as easy as you claim. Those kids need a new guardian.

There’s a section on international travel in that document. It’s clear there’s not a problem. Kids fly unaccompanied hither and yon all over the world. Us kids did that routinely, including several plane changes; we stayed overnight in motels by ourselves. From age 10 and up. Typical for boarding school kids. Evidently, the practice continues, pretty much unchanged. We’re talking hundreds of kids. British Airways used to have nannies to shepherd them around.
You might not notice these kids on a plane or realize they’re unaccompanied. They’re put on the plane before other travelers. I’ve never heard of acting out, except maybe my 10-year-old brother scampering around O’hare while his 12 year old sister was pulling her hair out. Our 4th change of plane on that trip.

At any rate, I would guess the kids are being held in Angola for some reason, and it’s not about travel. Guardianship could be quickly arranged, because the options for next of kin seem to be few in that family. Otherwise, they’d be wards of Minnesota CPS.

I’ve never heard of their being a problem with a parent taking kids traveling without the other parent’s consent, unless there’s a custody arrangement. One parent is plenty of legal guardian. But you don’t have to have a guardian with you at all.

 

[Trooper]

There’s a section on international travel in that document. It’s clear there’s not a problem. Kids fly unaccompanied hither and yon all over the world. Us kids did that routinely, including several plane changes; we stayed overnight in motels by ourselves. From age 10 and up. Typical for boarding school kids. Evidently, the practice continues, pretty much unchanged. We’re talking hundreds of kids. British Airways used to have nannies to shepherd them around.
You might not notice these kids on a plane or realize they’re unaccompanied. They’re put on the plane before other travelers. I’ve never heard of acting out, except maybe my 10-year-old brother scampering around O’hare while his 12 year old sister was pulling her hair out. Our 4th change of plane on that trip.

At any rate, I would guess the kids are being held in Angola for some reason, and it’s not about travel. Guardianship could be quickly arranged, because the options for next of kin seem to be few in that family. Otherwise, they’d be wards of Minnesota CPS.

I’ve never heard of their being a problem with a parent taking kids traveling without the other parent’s consent, unless there’s a custody arrangement. One parent is plenty of legal guardian. But you don’t have to have a guardian with you at all.

Lets hope the kids get a nanny to assist, hopefully Lufthansa will step in , they do a good job at it, BA has cut that service out.. They'll need one because even clever Jackie and Beau got into a muddle in Germany and had to rely on the kindness of strangers to get them back in momentum, Jackie felt it was, as usual, the hand of god, ignoring her own lack of common sense in the incident.

 

[Trooper]

The Shroyers had him in their house, “enjoying our fun!” This seemed so bizarre to me. And evidently he had a criminal record.
Male household staff are common in Africa, but they don’t mingle on a par with their employer’s families. And a security person stays outside the house. I’ve never heard of one in the house, let alone in the family living quarters.
I can’t remember exactly how it was arranged, but the male house staff must have come into our living quarters to clean at a specific time every day, likely morning, maybe even when we were at breakfast. I don’t recall being close by at all while they were cleaning our private areas. Childcare was women. Staff had their own living quarters (some in rooms on the grounds), bathrooms, etc.

At any rate, there’s a clear delineation between family and staff, except, I guess, chez Shroyers. They seem to have been clueless about every dimension of their lives in Angola. Totally at sea. About mission work, the country they were in, the people, how to speak the language. Even though they were generously allocated a year to get acclimatized to language and culture before obligations kicked in. A whole year! And they seem consumed by home invasion, but it never occurred to them that a security guard with a dodgy record might steal from them? Why did his job with the security company end anyway?

How ironic that Beau was killed with the knife he had given the nightwatchman. Yep, he evidently gifted him a knife. Another boundary violation, and that’s a bizarre gift! A pair of new shoes or something might have been a more appropriate gift, with little chance for negative implications. Besides, didn’t he have a history of assault?

I've been thinking some of those kids might be witnesses,,. One reason Angola Justica Sistema may have required them to stay in country., if that is who is keeping them home bound.. ... the fact that he lived in the house, 'having fun' signified to me that he was 'one of the family,' a most unusual and gossip provoking situation, which all the other missionaries would know, they don't mix by, by golly , their staff do, and how.

Your description of how things are bought back so many memories.. the rigid timetables to allow staff to attend chores, the inviolable meal times, .. the eye signals my mother gave me to behave in front of staff... ( she still does it to me )

It would be the talk of the town, and those kids must have seen the surreptitious cuddle behind a suddenly shut door, the secret hand holds, and god alone knows what else, suffice to say , kids see everything, Everything you thought they didn't .

And Manuel , our hard working Superintendent, would want to know all about this engine that drove this crime to it's hideous conclusion.