Current:Home > reviewsRemains identified as 2 missing Kansas women at center of Oklahoma murder case -MarketLink
Remains identified as 2 missing Kansas women at center of Oklahoma murder case
View
Date:2025-04-12 17:46:40
Remains found over the weekend in Oklahoma have been identified as two Kansas women who went missing last month, authorities confirmed Tuesday. Their disappearance prompted a murder investigation that has led to four arrests.
The victims were identified by the state medical examiner as 27-year-old Veronica Butler and 39-year-old Jilian Kelley, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said Tuesday on social media. Official causes of death were not immediately given.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with their loved ones, along with everyone throughout their community," the agency said.
Butler and Kelley were reported missing March 30 under suspicious circumstances, OSBI said, when the vehicle they had been traveling in that day was found abandoned on a highway in Texas County, Oklahoma, just south of the Oklahoma-Kansas border.
At the time, a missing persons alert from Oklahoma Highway Patrol stated that Butler and Kelley had been "traveling to pick up children" before they vanished.
On Saturday, 43-year-old Tad Bert Cullum, 54-year-old Tifany Machel Adams, 50-year-old Cole Earl Twombly and 44-year-old Cora Twombly were all arrested on first-degree murder charges in the deaths of Butler and Kelley.
The bodies of Butler and Kelley were found a day later in rural Texas County, OSBI disclosed.
According to an unsealed affidavit, Adams is the paternal grandmother of Butler's children and the two were involved in a custody battle. Callum and Adams were in a relationship, the affidavit said.
According to authorities, all four suspects belong to an anti-government group called "God's Misfits" that regularly met at the Twomblys' home and other locations, and they had allegedly tried to kill Butler before, according to a teenage witness who spoke to investigators.
Adams, who had allegedly searched the internet for gun stores and "taser pain level," purchased five stun guns at a local gun shop a week before the two women disappeared, the affidavit said. Investigators also found that Adams had bought several "burner" phones and "all three phones were at the area where Butler's car was located and the last known location of Butler and Kelley," the affidavit read.
Blood and a broken hammer were found near the abandoned vehicle, the affidavit stated.
- In:
- Oklahoma
- Murder
Jordan Freiman is an editor and writer for CBSNews.com. He covers breaking news, trending stories, sports and crime. Jordan has previously worked at Spin and Death and Taxes.
veryGood! (7952)
Related
- Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
- Weekly news quiz: From 'no kill' meat to *that* billionaire cage match
- Ice-T Reveals Whether He and Coco Austin Will Have Another Baby
- Mitch Landrieu is Biden's man to rebuild America and deliver broadband to millions
- Megan Fox's ex Brian Austin Green tells Machine Gun Kelly to 'grow up'
- In 'Star Wars Jedi: Survivor,' it's you against the entire galaxy far, far away
- Colombian president retracts claim 4 missing Indigenous children found alive in Amazon after plane crash
- Astronomers have some big gravitational wave news
- Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
- Andy Cohen Teases “Really Confrontational” Vanderpump Reunion With Ariana Madix in “Revenge Dress”
Ranking
- Will the 'Yellowstone' finale be the last episode? What we know about Season 6, spinoffs
- Prince Harry loses legal bid to regain special police protection in U.K., even at his own expense
- As U.S. abortion laws tighten, more Americans are looking overseas for access. Here's what's happening.
- Amazon Reviewers Call These On-Sale Wrist Towels a Must-Have Beauty Hack
- Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
- Behati Prinsloo Shares First Photo of Baby No. 3 With Adam Levine as Family Supports Singer in Vegas
- Transcript: Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick and Josh Gottheimer on Face the Nation, May 21, 2023
- The 42 Best Amazon Sales and Deals to Shop Right Now: Blenders, Air Mattresses, Skincare, and More
Recommendation
Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
Nordstrom Rack's Amazing Clear the Rack Sale Has $8 Skirts, $5 Bralettes & More 80% Off Deals
Grimes invites fans to make songs with an AI-generated version of her voice
Bear attack suspected after fisherman vanishes, human head found near lake in Japan
EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
Lyft is the latest tech company to cut jobs
Dresden museum jewel heist thieves jailed for years over robbery that shocked Germany
Transcript: Dr. Scott Gottlieb on Face the Nation, May 21, 2023