(LibertySociety.com) – The bodies of two missing women from Kansas were found buried in an Oklahoma cattle pasture on April 14. Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, were traveling to Oklahoma on March 30 to pick up Butler’s children for a birthday party, but never showed up.
Butler was involved in a custody battle with her children’s grandmother, Tifany Machel Adams, and was only allowed to see her children on Saturdays with Kelley, a court-ordered supervisor. According to Butler’s attorney, she was likely going to be allowed unsupervised visits with her children at the next hearing in the custody battle.
Butler’s family found her abandoned vehicle a few miles from where she normally met up with Adams. They called the police after finding a massive amount of blood inside the vehicle and on the roadway. A spokesperson for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said that during the 14 days of its investigation, they had “constantly received several tips” that led them to find Butler and Kelley. Four individuals were arrested and charged with first-degree murder after the women’s bodies were located on property rented by Adams’s boyfriend, 43-year-old Tad Bert Cullum.
According to the charging documents, Adams, Cullum, and a married couple named Cora Gayle Twombly, 44, and Cole Earl Twombly, 50, conspired to kill Butler. The suspects are also facing kidnapping and conspiracy charges. According to investigators, they were involved in a religious anti-government group called “God’s Misfits.” Data from two of the three burner phones purchased by Adams helped authorities locate the women’s bodies.
The search history on Adams’s phone also showed that she had been shopping for tasers, guns, and prepaid phones. According to the charging documents, Adams bought five stun guns during a short period before the women went missing. On April 17, the defendants were denied bail after prosecutors argued they had the means to flee if they had the chance. The judge agreed and denied their bail. Authorities also said that the group initially attempted to kill Butler in February.
Copyright 2024, LibertySociety.com