An Elk City husband and wife have been released from the Beckham County Detention Center after being charged with child neglect.
Matthew Don Dyer, 43, and Tara Dyer, 38, were both charged in the case.
The investigation began on December 10 when the Beckham County Sheriff’s Office received a report on allegations about alleged child abuse and neglect, according to the report.
The allegations stemmed from alleged malnutrition and physiological abuse.
TARA DYER
MATTHEW DYER
The alleged victim, a minor, was brought to the OU Medical Center on November 25 by his father, Matt Dyer, with the “chief complaint of bulimia, fatigue, and lethargy.”
The alleged victim was admitted to the hospital.
Once the child was admitted, Matt Dyer and Tara Dyer, the alleged victim’s stepmother, reportedly only called in the evenings to check on him.
The alleged victim weighed 90.2 pounds at the time.
By December 18, the alleged victim weighed 118.7 pounds, the report states.
To protect the alleged victim’s privacy, many details from the public record are being omitted.
The report does detail the alleged victim reportedly being forced to sleep in ditches, barns, tents, the cellar and a red truck multiple times.
The alleged victim was also reportedly locked in his room by the two suspects. He also reportedly only was allowed to shower once weekly.
At one point, the child reportedly weighed 140 pounds.
