Child found her mother stabbed to death in 2017. Father gets life in prison for murder
A Jackson County judge sentenced a 46-year-old Kansas City man to life in prison on Friday for the stabbing death of Melissa Byers, whose body was found by her young daughter in 2017.
Benjamin H. Byers was convicted of first-degree murder, armed criminal action and child endangerment in connection to the killing following a trial in March.
The murder charge was filed after the child told a school counselor on Nov. 29, 2017, that she saw her mother’s body in the basement of the family’s home in the 2400 block of College Avenue.
Police went to the home and talked to Benjamin Byers, who told police he didn’t know where his wife was and and that he’d last seen her going to work on Nov. 27.
Police followed a trail of blood drops throughout the house and into the basement. Melissa Byers’ body was there, wrapped in carpeting, plastic, sheets and clothing, court records said.
The medical examiner’s office said Melissa Byers, 47, died as a result of multiple stab wounds.
Police also noted what appeared to be attempts to clean the dining room, living room, kitchen and bathroom.
In an interview, the child told police her father had been acting “weird” and indicated he had been drinking when he picked her up from school on Nov. 28. She also described seeing “lots of blood” in the home and seeing the body in the basement with what she thought was a stab in the back.
In fear of her life, court records said, the child didn’t speak of what she saw until the next day at school.
Benjamin Byers was taken into custody and was facing charges of second-degree murder, armed criminal action, abandonment of a corpse and endangering the welfare of a child.
Court records show the charges were later amended.
This story was originally published April 26, 2019 at 9:48 PM with the headline "Child found her mother stabbed to death in 2017. Father gets life in prison for murder."
