Markell Beasley, 6, and Alleged Kidnapper Found Dead After 3-Day Search
The family of a six-year-old boy is at a loss after learning he was murdered by the man who allegedly kidnapped him. Both men were found dead on Christmas Eve after a massive three-day search for the pair.
Markell Beasley, 6, and Demetrius Beasley, 40, were both found dead in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. They had been shot to death in what police assume was a homicide-suicide. Michelle Gelling, Markell's mother, was distraught at the news and told police that she had let her son go with Beasley's relatives to a Christmas gathering. Only later did she learn that there never was a gathering and that the relatives had actually snuck Markell to Demetrius, who was to have nothing to do with the boy.
Even though he had been a part of Markell's upbringing, his relationship with Gelling was over, and in April, Demetrius had child molestation charges filed against him. He was ordered by the court not to have any contact with his victim or any other children.
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Beasley and Gelling made contact while he had custody of Markell, and he allegedly told her that he would never bring the boy back and that he would harm anyone who tried to rescue Markell. He also said that "God would see Markell before she would," authorities said in court documents.
"He wasn't … they knew he wasn't safe," Markell's biological father, Terance Tullock, told KMOV News. "I knew he wasn't safe and everyone around him knew he wasn't safe."
Authorities are still investigating exactly what happened that fateful Christmas Eve when Demetrius and Markell were killed. Police were summoned to the home after shots were fired at the Cape Girardeau residence. They are also investigating the role that Demetrius' family played in the alleged kidnapping.
