Man Charged With Murdering His Wife, Burning Her Body In Muskogee County

Muskogee County prosecutors charged a man with murdering his wife and desecrating her body.

Dayan Banks is accused of shooting Tamera Banks, then burning her body.

Investigators haven't found the body, but believe they have enough evidence to move forward.

The affidavit includes statements given by the woman Dayan Banks having an affair with, along with texts, phone records, and witness statements.

"I've never prosecuted a case without a body. So, it's very unique," said District Attorney Larry Edwards, Muskogee County.

District Attorney Larry Edwards said the 10-page affidavit in the murder case against Dayan Banks speaks for itself.

Court documents said Tamera Banks didn't show up for a protective order hearing on November 16, 2021, and was reported missing shortly after.

Documents said Tamera was last seen at her home in Haskell the day before.

"One of the things that really tipped us off, she had a dog that she was always with and when we ultimately went to her house and she was missing, we found the dog in her house with no food or water," said Edwards.

Deputies also found her phone, suitcase, medications, and vehicle at her home.

"We did a lot of this on phone tracking. That's extremely helpful for prosecution," said Edwards.

Documents said Dayan had been having an affair with a woman for years, and said the woman told detectives Dayan confronted Tamera about selling his lawnmower.

Documents said the woman told investigators Tamera pulled a gun on Dayan, who then took the gun and shot Tamera before putting her body to a horse trough, bringing it to a relative's property in Okmulgee, and burning it in front of his brother.

The woman told investigators Dayan then placed the remains in a plastic tote container in his truck and hid the trough in an abandoned house in Muskogee.

The affidavit said Dayan again burned and disposed of some remains at a campground.

"We feel at this point we can move forward with a witness we have and the forensic evidence that OSBI and other agencies have gotten for us," said Edwards.