Cherl Lyn Beardall, a 34-year-old mother of three, was last seen in Henderson, Nevada, in July 2020. A devoted mother, her sudden disappearance raised immediate concerns among her family. At the time she went missing, Cherl was described as being 5'9' and weighing 115 pounds, with shorter brown hair styled in a bob below her ears and green eyes. A prominent and colorful tattoo of an anatomical heart and flowers adorned her chest, stretching up over her shoulder.
In the initial aftermath of her disappearance, her boyfriend, Phillip O'Reilly, told her family that she had left him for another man. This explanation, however, was met with suspicion by Cherl's loved ones, who described O'Reilly as controlling and said that Cherl had to communicate with them in secret. The situation grew more alarming when her silver 2011 Ford Fusion was discovered abandoned in late September 2020 near Desert Inn and Boulder Highway.
The investigation into Cherl's whereabouts took a dark turn as her two older children, who were eleven and fourteen at the time, came forward with disturbing accounts of abuse. They disclosed that O'Reilly had been physically abusive towards both them and their mother, even whipping her with a dog leash. On the day she was last seen, her children witnessed her beaten and bloody at their home. This horrifying testimony, coupled with O'Reilly's confession to his adopted sister that he might have killed Cherl, led to his arrest. In September 2021, Phillip O'Reilly was officially charged with her murder. The investigation also uncovered that Cherl's Facebook account had been accessed and later deleted in August 2020, with the IP address traced back to a location where O'Reilly was staying.
While awaiting trial, the case took another sinister turn when O'Reilly allegedly attempted to hire a fellow inmate to murder four witnesses in his case, including Cherl's own children. Faced with the possibility of a death sentence, O'Reilly pleaded guilty to murder in April 2023. He admitted to torturing Cherl to death, dismembering her body, and disposing of her remains in various dumpsters throughout the southeast Las Vegas Valley. As a result of his plea agreement, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Despite his confession, Cherl Beardall's body has never been found. The case, which began as a missing person investigation, tragically concluded with a murder conviction, yet the absence of her remains leaves a painful void for her family, who continue to seek closure.Last Seen: Jul 19, 2020
