Missing Kansas women dead, 4 facing charges: Oklahoma authorities

WICHITA, Kan. ( KSNW ) — Two bodies have been recovered in rural Oklahoma, a day after authorities confirmed four people had been arrested in the disappearance of two Kansas women.

Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39 , both of Hugoton, Kansas, have been missing since late March. The Texas County Sheriff’s Department in Oklahoma said the women were traveling to pick up children but never arrived at their destination.

Sunday night, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) said two bodies had been recovered in rural Texas County, the same area they had been searching for Butler and Kelley.

During a press conference Monday, authorities reiterated the bodies were transported to the medical examiner’s office to determine their identification, as well as the manner of death. Various agencies expressed their condolences to the families of Butler and Kelley in the press conference.

When asked by reporters if there was any chance Butler and Kelley were still alive, Hunter McKee, the public information officer for OSBI, responded, “No.” Authorities also said there are no suspects at large, and they believe they have arrested the four people responsible in this case.

On Saturday, the OSBI posted on Facebook that four people had been arrested. All four — Tifany Adams, 54; Tad Cullum, 43; Cole Twombly, 50; and Cora Twombly, 44 — were taken into custody on suspicion of two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping, and one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.

Nexstar’s NewsNation reported Adams is the grandmother of Butler’s children, and Cullum is Adams’ boyfriend. Authorities have yet to confirm any connection between those arrested and Butler and Kelley.

The two women haven’t been seen since late March. Butler’s family had told police the two women were traveling together to Eva, Oklahoma, to pick up Butler’s two children, according to NewsNation . Kelley was the supervisor of the childhood visits for Butler, the report added.

Butler’s fiancé was the one who became worried and started looking for the vehicle, NewsNation’s Laura Ingle reported. Investigators and family members have not indicated whether the grandmother — who has custody of the children — showed up at the gas station on March 30, the day they went missing.

Authorities said Monday the children are safe, but did not provide additional details.

The vehicle Butler and Kelley had been traveling in was previously found abandoned near a highway outside Elkhart, Kansas. NewsNation reported last week, according to sources, police believed Butler and Kelley had been shot , and blood was found near their abandoned vehicle. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation previously reported, based on the information investigators had obtained from the vehicle, they believed “there was evidence to indicate foul play .”

While details were limited, authorities reiterated Monday the evidence they found and witness statements contributed to the arrests of the four people mentioned above.

All four suspects are being held without bond in the Texas County Jail and are scheduled to make an initial court appearance Wednesday morning, said Texas County Court Clerk Renee Ellis.

NewsNation and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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