E-Paper
Bodies found after disappearance of two Kansas moms, 4 arrested and charged with murder
The vehicle Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, were last spotted in was later found in a rural part of Texas County, Oklahoma, abandoned by the highway
As many as four people have been arrested and charged in connection to the disappearance of two Kansas women. The two mothers were last seen driving through the Oklahoma panhandle last month. They had been accompanied by the grandmother of one of the women’s children.
The vehicle Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, were last spotted in was later found in a rural part of Texas County, Oklahoma, abandoned by the highway. The remains of the two women have now also been found, but have yet to be identified, according to CBS News. In a Facebook post, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation wrote, “On April 14, the OSBI, FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigation, Texas County Sheriff's Department, and the Office of the Oklahoma Chief Medical Examiner recovered two deceased persons in rural Texas County. Both individuals will be transported to the Medical Examiner’s Office to determine identification, as well as cause and manner of death. This is still an ongoing investigation.”
Tad Bert Cullum, 43, Tifany Machel Adams, 54, Cole Earl Twombly, 50, and Cora Twombly, 44, were arrested and charged with two counts each of first-degree murder and kidnapping and one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. Authorities have yet to provide more information, including what the suspects’ motive could have been, their connections to the victims, or what evidence led to their arrest. They are suspected to have kidnapped and murdered Butler and Kelley, according to New York Post. The moms went missing on March 30.
How were the suspects and the victims linked?
NewsNation reported that the women were travelling to Oklahoma to pick up Butler’s children, who were living with their paternal grandfather. While Adams is the grandmother of Butler’s children, Cullum was her boyfriend. Cole and Cora Twombly, who have been in a relationship for eight years, are friends with Adams on Facebook.
Separate puddles of blood were reportedly found outside the car. Splatters of blood were also discovered inside.
It has also been reported that Butler was going through a bitter divorce with her husband and the father of her kids. She was seeking full custody of the children, as well as more visitation time.
As Butler sought full custody, the situation between her and Adams began to get tense. At the time of Butler’s disappearance, Adams had custody of the children, according to KFOR.
