Account
Nov 24, 2021
May 22, 2024
Tamera
Banks
46
43
63 inches
140 lbs
150 lbs
White / Caucasian
Female
In the autumn of 2021, the community of Haskell, Oklahoma, was unsettled by the disappearance of 43-year-old Tamera Lynn Banks. Known also as Tamera L. Ellison, she was last seen on November 15, 2021, at her home located off Highway 64 in Muskogee County. Concern for her welfare grew when she failed to appear for a court hearing on November 16, 2021, regarding a protective order she had filed against her husband. Investigators visiting her residence found a troubling scene: her dog was without food and water, and her vehicle, phone, and medications were all left behind. This was particularly uncharacteristic, as family members emphasized her deep attachment to her horses, stating she would never have willingly left them uncared for or without notifying someone. The investigation into Tamera's disappearance soon uncovered a history of domestic turmoil. Just weeks before she went missing, on October 25, 2021, Tamera had sought and obtained an emergency protective order against her husband, Dayan Banks. Following this, he was charged with domestic assault, feloniously pointing a firearm, and disrupting an emergency telephone call. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI), assisting the Muskogee County Sheriff's Office, began to piece together the events leading up to her disappearance. The focus of the investigation quickly centered on Dayan Banks, with prosecutors alleging that he had killed his wife on or around the day she was last seen. The case took a grim turn when details emerged suggesting a brutal end to Tamera's life. Dayan Banks was accused of not only murdering his wife but also of desecrating her body in an attempt to conceal the crime. Court documents revealed that he was allegedly having an affair at the time of his wife's disappearance. His girlfriend later provided a harrowing account to investigators, claiming that Dayan Banks shot Tamera, placed her body in a horse trough, and then burned her remains on a relative's property. She further alleged that he transported the remains in a plastic tote and left them in an abandoned house. Although Tamera's body has never been found, the evidence against her husband was substantial. In January 2024, a jury convicted Dayan Banks of first-degree murder and desecration of a human corpse. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder, with an additional seven years for the desecration charge. The investigation revealed a deeply disturbing sequence of events, bringing a tragic conclusion to the search for Tamera Banks, a woman whose disappearance highlighted the devastating impact of domestic violence.
Nov 15, 2021
Haskell
Oklahoma
Muskogee County
Yes
110122
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation - Northeast Investigative Regional Office
Tulsa
Oklahoma
Tulsa County
74119
Brandon Lane
Special Agent
125 West 15th Street #100, Tulsa, OK 74119, Oklahoma
9185829075
State
Law Enforcement
2021-1082
2021-11-16
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation - Northeast Investigative Regional Office
5108
Brown
Blue
Blue
06/18/2026
