On the morning of December 3, 2025, authorities in Bonanza, Arkansas, discovered a tragic scene at a residence on the 1100 block of South First Avenue. Following a request for a welfare check, deputies from the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office entered the home to find the bodies of 40-year-old Charity Beallis Powell and her six-year-old twins. All three victims had sustained fatal gunshot wounds.
The discovery sent shockwaves through the small community, particularly because the grim find occurred just one day after Charity had attended a final hearing in her contentious divorce proceedings.
The timeline leading up to the deaths revealed a history of domestic turbulence. Charity had been embroiled in a difficult separation from her estranged husband, Dr. Randall Beallis, a local physician. Court records indicated that Dr. Beallis had been arrested in February 2025 after Charity reported he choked her in front of their children. He subsequently pleaded guilty to third-degree domestic battery in October 2025 and received a suspended sentence. On December 2, the day before the bodies were found, the couple had appeared in court for what was intended to be the finalization of their divorce, where Charity had been seeking sole custody of the children citing fears for their safety.
In the days following the discovery, the investigation intensified with the involvement of federal agencies, including Homeland Security and the Secret Service. A significant development occurred on December 6, when a passerby found a bag containing the family’s personal belongings—including photographs, documents bearing Charity’s name, and a necklace engraved with the twins' names—discarded in a dumpster near Chaffee Crossing, approximately 15 miles from the crime scene. Despite these leads and the execution of multiple search warrants, law enforcement officials have not publicly named an official suspect in the murders, nor have any arrests been made in direct connection to the shootings.
The aftermath of the tragedy sparked a bitter legal dispute over the victims' remains. Charity’s adult son, John Powell, fought to claim his mother's body, expressing fear that her estranged husband would control the arrangements. Dr. Beallis’s legal team filed a motion to dismiss the divorce case immediately after Charity's death, a move that would legally revert her status to his wife rather than ex-wife, potentially affecting the disposition of her estate and remains. Ultimately, a judge ruled that John Powell would receive custody of his mother’s body for burial, while the remains of the twins were released to their father. As of late December 2025, the homicide investigation remains active, with Dr. Beallis maintaining his innocence and cooperation through his attorney.
