need to know
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Charity Beallis, 40, and her two children, believed to be about 6 years old, were found shot to death in their Arkansas mansion, police said.
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In March this year, she filed for divorce from her husband.
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She was killed one day after they attended a divorce hearing
A woman and her two children were found shot to death in their palatial Arkansas mansion the day after they attended a final divorce hearing.
According to a news release, around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3, Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call for a welfare check at a home in the 1100 block of Bonanza 1st Ave.
No one opened the door initially, but two staff members at the property eventually let officers inside. There, they found the body of a woman identified as Charity Beallis, 40, and her two children with gunshot wounds, according to the release.
The children have not been identified but were born in 2019 and are believed to be about 6 years old, according to online court documents filed in the divorce case.
After the bodies were discovered, the Sheriff’s Office said autopsies would be conducted to determine the official cause of death for the three victims.
Charity Billis and her two children
“A search warrant has been written and executed, and additional search warrants are expected during the investigation. Interviews have been conducted and additional search warrants are expected,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release, adding that information “is still being gathered.”
Police have not made any arrests and have not released any information about potential suspects.
However, one detail revealed by local media is that Beallis filed for divorce from her husband, 56-year-old Dr. Randall Beallis, on March 5, 2025, according to online court records first cited by 5News.
The two attended a final divorce hearing at the Sebastian County Courthouse in Fort Smith on Tuesday, Dec. 2, the day before she and her children were found dead in their home, the outlet reported.
On Thursday, December 4, the day after deputies found Billis and her two children dead in their home, Randall’s attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the divorce case because “the complainant is deceased,” according to the outlet, citing court records.
People reviewed a March court filing that further revealed that Bilis was asking for full custody of her two children and a protective order for herself and her children after her husband was arrested and charged with domestic violence.
He was originally charged with aggravated assault on a family member, third-degree domestic battery and two counts of third-degree endangering the welfare of a minor, online jail records show.
Online court documents in the criminal case say Randall choked and caused bodily harm to Billis on February 16, 2025, 5News and KNWA FOX24 reported.
Related: https://people-app.onelink.me/HNIa/kz7l4cuf
In October, he pleaded guilty to third-degree assault. He was sentenced to 1 year of probation and ordered to pay a $1,500 fine. He was also ordered not to have contact with his estranged wife or any members of her family unless authorized by a valid court order.
According to online divorce records, the two married in 2015 and stopped living together in February 2025.
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In August 2025, Billis commented on an unrelated 5News Facebook post, writing: “I am living this battle right now. I am the victim and yet I am treated like the problem while the criminal – a local doctor – is protected by the system that is supposed to protect us.” She wrote that she “tried to contact prosecutor Daniel Shue but he won’t even accept my letter.”
“As a victim, my voice has been shut out. This isn’t just about me, it’s about a system that protects offenders and turns away victims. Lives are at stake, including the lives of young children. The case is public information: Arkansas v. Randy Billis, Case No. 66GCR-25-31 (available on Court Connect). Transparency matters. Accountability matters. Victims matter, too,” the comment continued.
Billis’ oldest son, John Powell, told KNWA FOX24 that his mother had gone to great lengths to protect herself and her two young children over the past year.
“My mother fought for nine months to save her life and her baby’s life, the last nine months, and nothing happened,” Powell told the outlet. “Now all three of them are dead.”
He said he believed his mother would do “everything in her power” to protect the children. “She went out to fight,” he said, according to media reports.
Lawyers for Sue and Randall did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Read the original article on People
