Two Kansas women who vanished as they tried to pick up children for a birthday party two weeks ago were killed over a custody dispute involving a group of anti-government Oklahomans calling themselves Gods Misfits, authorities said Monday.
Their vehicle was found March 30 along a rural Oklahoma highway with ample evidence of a bloody confrontation, setting off a multi-agency effort to secure the childrens safety while searching for the women and avoiding more violence.
Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, of Hugoton, Kansas, had arranged with the grandmother of Butlers two children to meet at a highway intersection on the morning of March 30 and pick up the 6- and 8-year-old. 6 Veronica Butler was last seen on March 30, as her vehicle was found abandoned near a highway. Facebook/Amanda Dean Verner
This case did not end the way we had hoped. Its certainly been a tragedy for everyone involved, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Director Aungela Spurlock said.
The four people arrested Saturday on charges of kidnapping and first-degree murder are the grandmother, Tifany Adams, 54; her boyfriend Tad Cullum, 43; Cora Twombly, 44; and her husband Cole Twombly, 50. All meet regularly with several others in a group they call Gods Misfits, their arrest affidavits said.
Relatives of Tad Cullum and the Twomblys did not immediately return phone messages seeking comment.
Tifany Adams stepmother, Elise Adams, said she had no information on the case.
Butlers family found the vehicle just a few miles from the meet-up spot after the women missed the party in Kansas. It was a gruesome scene. 6 Jilian Kelley and Veronica Butler had arranged with the grandmother of Butlers two children to meet at a highway intersection on the morning of March 30. Facebook/Jillian Kelley
Blood was found on the roadway and the edge of the roadway. Butlers glasses were also found in the roadway south of the vehicle, near a broken hammer. A pistol magazine was found inside Kelleys purse at the scene, but no pistol was found, the affidavits said.
Investigators gathered evidence that the killings were planned, with Adams buying pre-paid burner cellphones to communicate and five stun guns at a nearby store. Her internet searches included asking about pain levels using the weapons, the affidavits said.
A teenage witness told authorities that Cora Twombly said that at one point, the plan was to throw an anvil through Butlers windshield while driving, making it look like an accident because anvils regularly fall off of work vehicles. 6 This booking photo provided by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation shows Cole Earl Twombly. AP 6 Tifany Adams was among four people arrested on charges of kidnapping and first-degree murder. AP
The affidavits said Butler and Adams were in a problematic custody battle. Adams son was in a rehabilitation facility hours away in Oklahoma City, and Butler was allowed only supervised visits each Saturday.
Kelley, the wife of a pastor in Hugoton, was Butlers court-authorized choice to supervise visitations. Start your day with all you need to know
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The Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals had directed a trial judge in 2022 to give the childrens parents shared custody.
The ruling described them as very young and immature parents who accused each other of inappropriate behavior and choices, but said the children are nurtured and comforted by Mother and happy and excited to be with Father.
Butlers request for more time with her children and unsupervised visitation was likely to be granted at a hearing in April, Butlers attorney told investigators. 6 A witness told authorities that Cora Twombly said at one point, “the plan was to throw an anvil through Butler’s windshield while driving, making it look like an accident because anvils regularly fall off of work vehicles.” AP
On March 23, with a court date looming, Adams bought the stun guns. On March 29, Cullum used heavy equipment to dig a hole in a pasture he rented, not far from the meet-up site, the affidavits said.
Authorities wouldnt say at Mondays news conference where the bodies were found, but the affidavits said some of the burner phones stopped transmitting that morning in the vicinity of the pasture, where a hole had been dug and filled back in and then covered with hay.
It wasnt entirely clear where the children were during the search. Adams told investigators that she had left them in the care of another couple on March 29 and 30; the affidavits said that couple regularly hosted the Gods Misfits meetings. 6 This booking photo provided by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation shows Tad Bert Cullum. AP
Authorities said the affidavits werent unsealed until after the childrens safety was assured. We were successful. No shots were fired and the children were kept out of harms way, said District Attorney George Leach III.
The four people charged are being held without bond in the Texas County Jail pending court appearances Wednesday, said Texas County Court Clerk Renee Ellis. Court records dont indicate whether any have an attorney speak on their behalf.
I dont know a thing about her business, Elise Adams said when asked about Tifany Adams. All I can tell you about her is she was a wonderful step-daughter to me.
OSBI spokesman Hunter McKee said the bodies identities and causes of death are pending a medical examiners report.
This case is tragic, McKee said. You have two people who are dead and four people who committed an absolutely brutal crime.
