Oklahoma Detective: The Cruelty of a Woman’s Murder ‘Will Stay With Me Forever’

Investigation Overview

Lt. Dakota Black, a trained tracker and lead detective with the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office in Shawnee, Oklahoma, led the investigation into the disappearance and death of 28-year-old Makayla Meave of Macomb, Oklahoma. Working with her therapy dog, Deputy Haven, and a multi-agency team, Black pursued tips and evidence after Makayla was reported missing on Sept. 16, 2023.

Initial Report and Search

Makayla was last reliably heard from on the morning of Sept. 15, when she called her sister, Andria. The following morning her husband, Frank Byers, reported she had not returned after a Friday-night outing. At the time the couple were separated and living on the same 10-acre property in separate structures.

Deputy Dustin Richardson responded with his body camera. He observed what appeared to be empty .22-caliber shell casings in Makayla’s small dwelling and recovered a firearm from Byers’ home that appeared recently fired. Community volunteers and law enforcement launched wide searches; flyers and social media alerts spread across the area.

Turning Points in the Investigation

Investigators quickly focused on Byers because of inconsistencies in his statements and his absence from search efforts. Security images later recovered from Byers’ phone showed Makayla entering his home on Sept. 15 and leaving 14 minutes later — the last images of her alive. Detectives believe Byers then went to Makayla’s residence and shot her.

Five days after Makayla was reported missing, a cousin and a friend searching near Hamilton Road followed a strong odor into a drainage culvert (a local “tinhorn”) and found Makayla’s body wrapped in carpet. She had been placed in a pipe under the roadway. The discovery devastated her family and the investigators on the scene. Black said the cruelty of the crime would remain with her forever.

Evidence and Forensics

Detectives built a circumstantial and forensic case over several weeks. Key pieces of evidence included:

• Shell casings found inside Makayla’s home and a projectile recovered from a two-by-four in her bedroom;
• The carpet used to wrap the body matched one a neighbor had given the couple;
• Security-camera images and a dated Walmart receipt showing a cart with cleaning supplies (bleach, ammonia and a mop) consistent with an attempt at cleanup;
• Makayla’s phones were recovered from Byers’ bedroom. Investigators concluded he swapped SIM cards to impersonate her in messages;
• Substance on Byers’ work boots tested positive as Makayla’s blood — the forensic result investigators described as the turning point prompting arrest.

Arrest, Charges and Outcome

Thirty-eight days after Makayla vanished, Lt. Black and a special operations team arrested Frank Byers near midnight. He was charged with first-degree murder and originally faced the prospect of the death penalty. Fifteen months after his arrest, Byers agreed to a guilty plea and was sentenced to life without parole.

Family Response and Ongoing Questions

Makayla’s mother, Barbara Harper, called the plea deal a “cop out” and remains convinced Byers may have had assistance; family members and some investigators say they are open to any credible evidence of additional involvement. The family has sought to turn grief into action: Harper is launching Makayla’s Purple Butterfly, a foundation to raise awareness and fight domestic violence.

About the Victim

Makayla Meave worked as a teacher’s aide and devoted much of her life to caring for children. She had fostered and adopted two siblings and was beloved in her small rural community. Her sister Andria remembers her as compassionate and bright — “like sunflowers,” she said.

Detective’s Reflection

Lt. Dakota Black described the investigation as one of the most harrowing of her career. She remained on the case, working long hours to ensure evidence was thoroughly developed before charges, and said the memory of Makayla and the case’s cruelty will stay with her.

Resources

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence in the U.S., contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.

Produced by reporters and investigators; names and details are presented as gathered during the official investigation and subsequent reporting.