By Investigative Reporter Tammy Rose
FREEPORT, Texas — Less than a month before Rebecca “Becky” Beard disappeared in March 1986, a Harris County prosecutor contacted her about testifying in a criminal case against three Houston police officers.
Newly examined records reveal that Beard gave a sworn statement in September 1985. She described witnessing officers mistreat two women during a Houston traffic stop.
The records also include a February 5, 1986, letter from prosecutor Donald A. Smyth. He informed Beard that the officers would face trial on March 31, 1986.
Beard disappeared before that scheduled trial date.
The documents establish her potential role as a prosecution witness. However, they do not establish any connection between the criminal case and her disappearance.
Prosecutor contacted Becky Beard weeks before disappearance
Donald A. Smyth, chief of the Harris County District Attorney’s Civil Rights Division, wrote to Beard on February 5, 1986.
The letter identified three defendants: D. M. Prince, B. D. Franklin and L. J. Bradley.
Smyth described a criminal case involving the alleged beating of two young women in city jail custody on September 5, 1985.
He also identified three defense attorneys: Kent Schaffer, Wendell Odom and Reid Walker.
Smyth warned Beard that defense attorneys or private investigators might contact her about the case.
He explained that she did not have to speak with them or provide a written or recorded statement.
Smyth also asked Beard to call his office to discuss her appearance at trial.
The prosecutor thanked her for her courage and cooperation.
The letter confirms that prosecutors considered Beard an important witness. However, it does not establish whether the court formally subpoenaed her.
Becky Beard described disturbing Houston traffic stop
Beard provided a sworn affidavit on September 10, 1985.
She described an encounter that began after an evening with Tammy McColskey and Julie Turcola.
According to her statement, the women visited a Houston nightclub called Fizz on Richmond Avenue.
Beard said she drove because she had consumed little alcohol.
Around 1:30 a.m., the women left the nightclub. Beard drove toward Westheimer Road.
A police vehicle followed them.
Officers stopped the car near Hillcroft and Westheimer.
Beard said an officer requested her driver’s license and proof of insurance. Meanwhile, another officer questioned the passengers about drinking and drug use.
The encounter soon escalated.
Witness said officer pulled handcuffed woman from patrol car
In her affidavit, Beard described watching an officer handcuff McColskey and place her inside a patrol car.
She said McColskey later banged on the vehicle’s window and asked the officer to loosen the handcuffs.
Beard then described what happened next.
“The white officer pulled her out of the car,” Beard stated.
According to Beard, McColskey fell face-first onto the pavement.
Beard also said the woman’s dress slipped down while officers stood nearby laughing.
“She was crying,” Beard wrote.
The officer conducting Beard’s traffic investigation instructed her to look only at him.
However, Beard said she glanced back toward the patrol vehicles.
She then saw officers move McColskey into another police car.
Beard described McColskey lying with her head on the vehicle’s floor.
Officers eventually released Beard after issuing citations for driving without proof of insurance and without her driver’s license.
Sworn statement became part of police misconduct investigation
Beard signed her two-page affidavit before a notary on September 10, 1985.
She submitted the statement to Sergeant M. Angel of the Internal Affairs Division.
Her account described what she personally witnessed during the roadside encounter.
However, Beard did not describe witnessing the alleged beating inside the city jail.
That distinction matters because the prosecutor’s letter referred to criminal charges involving the treatment of two female prisoners at the jail.
The documents establish that Beard witnessed part of the encounter that preceded the women’s detention.
They do not establish that she witnessed every incident underlying the charges.
Police officers faced scheduled March 1986 trial
The February 1986 letter placed the officers’ trial on the calendar for March 31.
Smyth asked Beard to verify her address and telephone number. He also told her that prosecutors would contact her about appearing in court.
He explained that Beard would not need to attend unless the case proceeded to trial.
The documents do not establish whether the trial began on schedule or how the criminal charges ended.
Additional court records would help clarify the outcome.
New documents add another chapter to Becky Beard investigation
Beard disappeared from the Freeport area in early March 1986. She was 22 years old.
Her remains have never been recovered.
The discovery of her sworn affidavit and the prosecutor’s letter adds another documented event to the weeks leading up to her disappearance.
The records show that Beard had reported alleged police misconduct. They also show that prosecutors expected her cooperation in a criminal proceeding.
However, the documents contain no evidence that the officers threatened Beard or played any role in her disappearance.
Investigators have pursued the Beard case for decades. Paul Taylor Jr. received a life sentence in 1995 in connection with her murder.
A recent search near a Brazoria County cemetery failed to locate her remains.
The newly examined court documents raise additional questions about Beard’s activities before she vanished. They do not establish a new motive or identify another suspect.
ChopperRose.com continues examining records and interviewing witnesses in the nearly 41-year-old case.
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