By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
DETROIT LAKES (Worthy News) – The lead pastor of a church in the U.S. state of Minnesota says he is “heartbroken” after its missionary was killed and his wife detained in connection with the murder.
Troy M. Easton wrote his church that Beau Shroyer, 44, from Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, was killed on October 25 while on a missionary trip to Angola, Africa, with his wife and their five children.
Shroyer’s parish, Lakes Area Vineyard Church, announced in a statement seen and confirmed by Worthy News that his wife, Jackie Shroyer, was arrested soon after the attack.
“Today, our grief deepened immeasurably as we’ve learned that his wife was arrested in connection with his death. I’m so sorry and simply do not have words to express about this news,” he wrote.
“I am heartbroken and in shock that I need to send this.”
Authorities in Angola have not released details about how his wife is connected to the murder.
The Lakes Area Vineyard Church, located in Minnesota, said earlier that Beau was killed in a “violent, criminal attack” on October 25 while on mission work in Angola.
CHILDREN CARED FOR
Easton stressed, however, that the couple’s five children are being “well cared for.
The Shroyers moved to the African nation in 2021 with their five children to serve as missionaries with SIM USA, a North Carolina-based Evangelical organization.
SIM USA’s Chief Personnel Officer and General Counsel Mark Bosscher said the organization “has taken steps to ensure that Jackie has appropriate legal representation.”
He added that they are “working closely” with Lakes Area Vineyard Church to “care for the Shroyers’ five children.”
The death of the missionary abruptly ended his work teaching residents “about Christianity and God’s love” in a “remote bush village” without electricity or a sewage system, his church said.
Shortly before he died, Beau Shroyer wrote on social media about meeting a young student named Mauricio, who walked long distances to attend school.
“One of the reasons that the Nyneka people, who we are serving, are among the most marginalized people groups in Angola was a lack of access to education,” he recalled. “Please pray for Mauricio and others like him who spend half their day walking to school and back.”
AGRICULTURAL EFFORTS
Another post mentioned his agricultural efforts, saying he had spent the day “spreading manure by hand over a 40×16 meter agricultural plot.”
Beau Shroyer had earlier explained during a presentation that the government of Angola had given the ministry a parcel of land next to an orange farm.
Yet he stressed it was “constantly under attack from criminals, which affected the property they were trying to develop.”
He presented supporters with a list of property needs, including building a perimeter wall and hiring more security.
The late pastor said the orange farm next to the property “of the youth ministry” installed an electrified, 10-foot (about three meters) high razor wire fence and hired “about 50 guards” to protect the farm day and night.
But they still struggled with crime in the area, something that became clear on October 25 when the missionary was killed.
With Beau Shroyer now in detention, Pastor Easton said he had no words enough to express “disbelief and sorrow.”
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
Militants allied with the Islamic State group (ISIS) are carrying out brutal attacks against Christians in central and southern Africa, including mass killings often through beheadings, as well as the destruction of churches and homes, investigators say. Advocacy groups and international officials warn of a growing crisis that they suggest is ignored by much of the world.
The Iranian judiciary announced Wednesday that it has executed Rouzbeh Vadi, a prominent nuclear scientist accused of spying for Israel and providing intelligence that led to the assassination of Iranian nuclear personnel during the 12-day war with Israel in June.
Newly released data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reveals a continued rise in anti-Jewish hate crimes in 2024, reinforcing concerns among Jewish advocacy groups and faith leaders about escalating hostility and the need for stronger government action.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has clarified Israel’s long-term strategy for the Gaza Strip, stating in two separate interviews that while Israel will take temporary military control of the territory, it has no intention of annexing or permanently governing it.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to present a sweeping new military and governance plan for the Gaza Strip to Israel’s security cabinet on Thursday, according to government sources who spoke with The Jerusalem Post. The proposal is expected to greenlight a large-scale IDF operation to occupy additional portions of the coastal enclave over a five-month period.
President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he has instructed the Department of Commerce to begin developing a new census that will explicitly exclude illegal immigrants from the population count, reigniting a constitutional debate over representation and federal funding.
American evangelist Franklin Graham has welcomed a decision by U.S. President Donald J. Trump to allow federal employees, including Christians, to openly express their faith while at work, in a move that changes decades of policies.