The wife of an American missionary killed in Angola last week has been arrested for his murder, the lead pastor of the Lakes Area Vineyard Church in Detroit Lakes, Minn. said Friday in a letter to the congregation.
Beau Shroyer was killed in a “violent, criminal attack” while doing mission work in the Southern African nation on Oct. 25, Pastor Troy Easton wrote in a statement to inform the community about the “unimaginable” recent developments in the shocking story.
“Wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, I’m going to ask you to sit down, take a deep breath and remember that God is our ever-present help in times of trouble,” Easton began.
“Today, our grief and sadness has deepened immeasurably as we’ve learned that his wife, Jackie Shroyer, has been arrested in connection with his death,” the pastor continued, adding he was still in shock and didn’t even have the words to express his disbelief.
The couple moved to Angola with their five children three years ago to serve as missionaries as part of SIM USA, a North Carolina-based interdenominational Evangelical Christian mission organization.
Last week, Easton said in a message to the community that Mark Bosscher, the organization’s chief personnel officer and general counsel, had informed him that Shroyer had been “killed in an act of violence while serving Jesus.”
The pastor also said he had been in contact with Jackie Shroyer, and that the church was doing everything it could to support the family “in this shocking and awful time.”
In a separate letter to the community, SIM USA president Randy Fairman said the Shroyers were “some of the first missionaries to begin service with SIM USA after the COVID lockdowns eased. They have brought a faithful, energetic, growing, loving aroma of Christ into our family.”
Before becoming a missionary, Beau Shroyer worked for the Detroit Lakes Police Department., according to the Detroit Lakes Tribune. He also worked as a real estate agent before moving abroad.
According to Easton, the couple’s five children are being “well cared for” and the church will continue to work alongside SIM USA and SIM Angola “to ensure that continues to be the case.”
A representative for the church didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday afternoon.
