In the quiet town of Baxter Springs, Kansas, the life of 22-year-old Tyler Ryan Myers, a White / Caucasian male, was tragically cut short on the evening of Friday, February 24, 2017. A heavy equipment operator in the construction industry, he was known as a friend to everybody and a loving father to his two young daughters. His passion for baseball during his school years in Baxter Springs was only surpassed by his love for fishing, an activity he enjoyed at every opportunity.
That
fateful evening, shortly after 9:00 p.m., law enforcement from the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office and the Baxter Springs Police Department were dispatched to Myers' home at 2051 South Military Avenue. Outside the residence, they discovered his body, bearing injuries consistent with gunshot wounds. The preliminary investigation into the shooting moved swiftly, leading to the immediate arrest of two individuals at the scene.
The suspects were identified as Wesley Thomas Smith, age 20, and Mindy Butterfield, also 20, both from the nearby city of Joplin, Missouri. Smith was taken into custody on allegations of voluntary manslaughter and was held in the Cherokee County Jail without bond. Butterfield faced a charge related to the distribution of marijuana and was later released after posting bond. While the investigation remained ongoing, authorities stated at the time that they did not anticipate further arrests in connection with the case.
In the years that followed, the legal proceedings in the case unfolded. Wesley Thomas Smith eventually accepted a plea deal in connection with Tyler Myers' death. The agreement, which detailed the circumstances surrounding the fatal incident, was signed on October 7, 2021. The Cherokee County Attorney's Office was expected to file formal charges in the week following the initial arrests.
