Published July 2, 2026
By: Elizabeth Dzina
Bryan, TX (FOX 44) – A new donation is helping ensure sexual assault survivors in Brazos County receive comfort and dignity during one of the most difficult moments of their lives.
The Brazos County Sheriff’s Office is partnering with Project Beloved: The Molly Jane Mission to provide care bundles for survivors after a forensic exam.
President and founder of Project Beloved Tracy Matheson says the nonprofit was created after her daughter, Molly Jane, was raped and murdered in 2017 by a known serial rapist who had been investigated multiple times.
“My response to this unthinkable tragedy was, ‘I’ll start a nonprofit,'” Tracy said. “So, Project Beloved was what came of that. And our mission is that we strive to educate, advocate, and collaborate to change the conversation about sexual assault and empower survivors to find their voices.”
Matheson’s daughter, Molly Jane, was one of four siblings and the only daughter. She was 22 when she was killed, and is remembered for her sense of humor and fun personality.
“She was this ray of light that just would go out of her way to make a person smile,” Matheson expressed. “She was a friend to so many and really believed in the good of people, and just hoped to become a social worker. She wanted to work with troubled youth; she was going to be really good at it because of her ability to relate and connect to people.”
Matheson says survivors undergoing forensic exams are often asked to turn over their clothing as evidence, which helped lead to the creation of the beloved bundles.
“Sometimes the situation might be that there’s nothing for the victim to change into,” Matheson explained. “So we thought, ‘Well, we can solve that with what we call the Beloved Bundle.’ It has a hygiene kit, a pair of socks, a coloring book, and colored pencils. Everything so that the victim can take a shower, wash their hair, brush their teeth, comb their hair, get dressed in new clean clothes, and walk away with dignity.”
Matheson says even simple items like clean clothing and hygiene products can support a survivor’s healing journey, and one experience stuck with her.
“In my own mind, I imagine that they would go home, they would take off whatever they got in the bundle, and they would throw it in the trash, or they would burn it,” Matheson explained. “One in particular said to me she received a bundle, and the sweatpants are her most favorite, and she wears them every day. And I was really shocked by that. But it helped me to understand that these items in this bundle represent something positive.”
Matheson says she hopes survivors receive the message that they are “beloved” and that what happened to them was wrong, even if it’s never said directly.
“It has nothing to do with anything that they did or did not do, that you don’t become a victim because of your own fault,” Matheson said. “You become a victim because of what a rapist has done.”
Matheson says she believes her daughter Molly would fully support the work being done in her honor, and that it was important the effort remain authentic to who Molly was.
“I do believe that she would be right here doing this work with us,” Matheson expressed. “In a lot of ways, it does feel like she is, as we get these little glimmers of, ‘Oh, the bundle meant so much to me’. And it’s sort of like a little hug for Molly, saying, ‘Okay, good job, keep going.'”
The Brazos County Sheriff’s Office’s victim services coordinator partnered with Project Beloved to provide comfort bundles for sexual assault survivors.
“We received about 70 bundles. And they are for males, females, and children, as well,” Public Information Deputy Nathan Dennis said.
Dennis says sexual assault is a traumatic experience, and the forensic exam that follows can be overwhelming for survivors, which is why he says the bundles are meant to provide a small source of comfort.
“While these bundles can’t take away what happened, it’s just something that can hopefully be positive to remind survivors that they’re not alone and that there are folks out there that care and are here for them,” Dennis expressed.
Dennis says the bundles can be made available to survivors wherever they need them.
“The great part about this is that these bundles were given to the Sheriff’s Office, and so, it doesn’t have to be a survivor who went to a hospital to make a report,” Dennis stated. “These resources can be made available wherever they need to be.”
Dennis says Project Beloved also helped transform an interview room at the Sheriff’s Office into a more supportive environment for survivors meeting with investigators and victim services staff.
“This is a space that we hope that they can come in and feel a little bit more comfortable, and we’re not adding even more trauma onto them,” Dennis said.
Dennis says the Sheriff’s Office is grateful for Project Beloved and encourages the community to continue supporting its mission in other ways.
“They are on social media accounts and platforms,” Dennis said. “You can reach out to them and see how you can contribute to help their mission. We, as the Sheriff’s Office, are very thankful for all the organizations available to survivors and victims as they take that next step in the healing process.”