DETROIT LAKES, Minn. — The family of the northwestern Minnesota man slain in Africa while working as a missionary is seeking help in finding information about his death. Authorities in Angola say Beau Shroyer was killed last month in an alleged murder-for-hire plot orchestrated by his wife, Jackie.

Nearly three weeks later, Marina Roering, Beau Shroyer’s sister, said the family has had limited contact with the U.S. Embassy in Angola and very few answers.

Roering said she was notified of her 44-year-old brother’s death at about 3 a.m. Oct. 26, the day following his killing, but did not want to say who notified her. However, she said her father was first contacted by the U.S. Embassy in Angola a little over a week after Shroyer was killed.

According to Roering, the duty officer at the embassy gave the family their name, phone number, office hours and information about who was caring for the Shroyers’ five young children, who had been living with the Shroyers in Angola.

Roering did not want to disclose where the children are, but said, “I know the children are being cared for by people they know, love and trust. We are not concerned with the safety and well-being of the children, outside of the grief and trauma they’re experiencing right now.”

Aside from knowing the children are safe, Roering says their family knows little else. The duty officer from the embassy also gave them the phone number and name of the case’s lead investigator in Angola, but Roering says the investigator only spoke Portuguese, leaving the family without answers.

“So that was our extent of contact with the embassy, which has been very frustrating,” Roering said.

Jackie Shroyer, 44, was arrested by Angolan authorities in connection to her husband’s fatal stabbing, along with two of three other suspects.

Roering said the family spoke to Jackie prior to her being taken into custody, as well as Jackie’s family members and SIM USA, the global missionary group the Shroyers were working with. Roering said her family has two points of contact with SIM USA. She also noted that U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach’s office has offered to assist with various paperwork.

Jackie and Beau Shroyer (center) and children (from left) Avery, Oakley, Iva, Eden and Bella. (Detroit Lakes Tribune file photo)

Last week, the embassy did reach out to Roering’s father about the repatriation of Shroyer’s body and information about a will. SIM USA is handling repatriation on the African side, she said.

The family has asked for a death report, death certificate and other documents related to the crime but has so far received nothing, according to Roering, who says she was told by the embassy official that information would be given to SIM once it’s completed, with the idea that SIM would then pass it along to family.

On Tuesday, Roering asked the embassy duty officer for the email address of the lead investigator. Roering asked again on Wednesday and didn’t receive a response. Late Thursday, she says she sent another email and received a response stating that they’re still working on getting the investigator’s email address.

Roering says the family has learned about the details of Shroyer’s death through Angolan media, but the family cannot be sure what they’re reading is completely accurate.

“We don’t even know what’s real and reliable out of those stories because, for one, how much gets lost in translation (from Portuguese to English), and for two, I don’t know how trustworthy the press is over there. We’ve been told there is a lot of government corruption — that ties into it as well,” Roering said. “We just want accurate information.”

Angolan media reports say that Jackie Shroyer has been accused by authorities of being the “mastermind” in the murder-for-hire plot and remains jailed.

Manuel Halaiwa, a spokesperson for Angola’s Criminal Investigation Service, said three men in their early 20s are suspected in Shroyer’s death, according to a story from the Angolan Press Agency ANGOP.

Angolan authorities accuse Jackie Shroyer of being involved in a romantic relationship with one of the men, Bernardino Elias, 24, who worked as a security guard for her family. The two other men are Isalino Kayoo, 23, and Gelson Ramos, 22.

“We sit here not knowing more than what anybody else knows, and it just seems wrong,” Roering said.

She also pointed to inaccuracies in U.S. media that make them question the reliability of the information that’s been made public.

“The first reports that came out mentioned that Beau was a pastor, he was never a pastor,” she said. “Even on the U.S. side, we know there are inaccuracies. It seems like there’s a story here and people want to know, but there’s just such little information, so there’s a lot of speculation being printed, and that’s been frustrating.”

Roering says the family is also frustrated by the lack of guidance and resources. She says she doesn’t want to finger-point or blame anyone; she says she and the rest of the family just want answers.

“We don’t know who to turn to. There’s so many factors — a language barrier, a time difference, and just not knowing how their legal system works,” Roering said. “No one has been able to connect us to any resource to help get some clarity of answers.”

And while the family is trying to track down reliable information, they’re also processing what happened to Shroyer.

“We are just flipping through all of the stages of grief on repeat,” she said. “My mom and dad, I think, are probably having the hardest time, understandably, but mostly we’re all OK.”

Still, there have been some bright spots in their grief.

Roering says the number of people who have reached out to offer their condolences has been heartwarming, and she has enjoyed reading Facebook posts about the impact Shroyer had on people’s lives.

“I love to see all these things about Beau the missionary who passed away, but he was also so many other, different versions of Beau to so many people, and I do think that’s important to say, yes, he was a truly genuine person,” Roering said. “He was a friend to anybody that needed a friend. He was dependable. He was trustworthy. He had a servant’s heart. He loved his wife, children and all of our family, deeply. You can’t say enough good things about him.”

Roering said when her brother told family members about the plan to move to Angola for long-term mission work, there was some worry at first.

“There were some people who had concerns and expressed concerns, but ultimately, we all supported their decision,” she said. “We knew that they weren’t entering into it lightly, and we knew that every single one of them was on board. It was something they all felt very strongly and passionately about.”

Previously, Shroyer joined the Detroit Lakes Police Department in 2013 before becoming a real estate agent in the area. In 2021, he and his family moved to southern Africa to become missionaries.

Roering has established a GoFundMe to assist with costs associated with Shroyer’s final arrangements and legal fees.

The family is planning Shroyer’s final arrangements, which Roering says has been challenging because they are unsure if he has a will.

“We don’t know really, truly, what his wishes were, unfortunately, and we’re unable to speak to Jackie about any of that,” Roering said. “We’re kind of just moving forward with what we feel is best … financial contributions to help the family with that cost are amazing.”

Roering says the plan is to hold a memorial service that is open to the public in Grey Eagle, Minn., where Shroyer spent most of his teenage years, and where family members still live.

In the meantime, the Shroyer family continues its quest for answers.

“If anybody knows of any resources or how to move us along in the right direction — we feel lost and helpless — we’re looking for any resources we can get to get us connected to people who can get us accurate, true information,” Roering said.

A State Department spokesperson said in a Friday email to the Forum News Service that the agency has “has been in touch with the family and are providing consular assistance.”

The spokesperson said when a U.S. citizen dies in a foreign country, local authorities are in charge of determining the cause of death and fact-finding.

The spokesperson declined to share any additional details about the case.

“Out of respect for the privacy of the family and loved ones during this difficult time, we have no further comment,” the spokesperson said.

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