Husband arrested after missing mom of 6’s body found hidden in culvert, Oklahoma cops say

More than a month after the body of a missing Oklahoma mother was found wrapped in carpet, her husband has been arrested, authorities say.

Frank Byers, who said he was innocent in a Facebook post weeks before his arrest, was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Makayla Fay Meave-Byers, according to the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office.

Meave-Byers was last seen alive Sept. 15 leaving her home in the town of Macomb, the sheriff’s office said. She got into a pickup truck being driven by a balding and bearded man, deputies said.

Five days later, the sheriff’s office said her body was found wrapped in carpet and hidden inside a culvert, McClatchy News reported in September.

In an exclusive interview with KOKH, Byers said he and his wife were in an open marriage. He told the station she left to go on a date with another man.

Evidence eventually tied Byers to his wife’s death. His work boots “had a blood-like substance on them,” which came back as a positive DNA match to Meave-Byers, according to court records obtained by KFOR.

Investigators believe Byers killed Meave-Byers so he could begin a relationship with another woman, KFOR reported, citing the court records.

Meave-Byers was shot twice in the head, according to an arrest warrant obtained by KOTV. Byers is then accused of placing her body in the culvert about 2,000 feet away from her home.

The sheriff’s office announced Wednesday, Oct. 25, it had arrested Byers on the murder charge. He also faces charges of unauthorized removal of a dead body and desecration of a human corpse.

“It’s a little bit of a sigh of relief,” Barbara Harper, Meave-Byers’ mother, told KFOR. “To us, it feels like it’s been 10 years even though it’s just been a few weeks.”

Harper told the station she never thought her son-in-law “would do something like this.” She said she hopes Byers receives the death penalty.

Three weeks before he was arrested, Byers said in a Facebook post he had been receiving death threats.

“I’m tired of the threats. I’m tired of the harassment,” he said in the Oct. 4 post. “I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere. Because I am innocent, and everything will come out.”

Meave-Byers was an adopted mother to two children and a stepmom to four young girls, according to a GoFundMe.

She was described as a “vibrant soul” who loved music and singing, an obituary says. She worked within Macomb Public Schools and was involved in the after-school program.

“She was always the person to walk up to anybody with open arms and give them a hug, even if she didn’t know you,” family friend Annie Gonzales told KOKH.

Macomb is about 50 miles southeast of Oklahoma City.

This story was originally published October 26, 2023 at 10:31 AM with the headline "Husband arrested after missing mom of 6’s body found hidden in culvert, Oklahoma cops say."