Husband lied about open marriage to hide murder

When Makayla Meave disappeared, her 'date' was the prime suspect, but her husband had invented him to mislead the investigators

-  GAIL SHORTLAND

Makayla Meave couldn't have children of her own, but that wasn't going to stop the teaching assistant from being a mother. Growing up, her mum had run a daycare centre and Makayla had loved spending time with the babies. When Makayla was in her early twenties, she fostered and eventually adopted two teenagers - a brother and a sister. She was a natural and poured all her love into her new family.

A few years later, she connected with Frank Byers on Facebook. They'd been at school together. Byers was divorced and had custody of his four young daughters. They started dating and Makayla adored her big, blended family.

The couple married in June 2022 and lived on a remote 10-acre property in the very small community of Macomb, Oklahoma. Makayla's family had never seen her so happy as she lived her dream as a mum-of-six. She was studying at college for her teaching degree while working at a local school and even looked out for children in need there.

But by 2023, her marriage was in trouble. Byers was on the road a lot with his job for an environmental clean-up company and while he was away, he was unfaithful several times. Makayla was devastated but she adored her four stepchildren so she forgave him. But Byers continued to cheat.

In July that year, Makayla packed her bags and went to stay with her sister Andria. She missed Byers' children so it wasn't long before she returned, but she moved into a shed-style structure on the land behind the main house and told her husband their marriage was over.

On the morning of 15 September 2023, Makayla called Andria at 7am, like she did most days. At the end of the call they said “I love you” to each other.

The next morning, Andria’s phone rang around the same time, but it wasn’t Makayla. It was Byers crying and shouting. He said Makayla hadn’t come home. He said she had gone on a date the night before with a bald man in a white truck with tinted windows.