Among the four suspects is the grandmother of Veronica Butler’s children, Tifany Machel Adams, according to published reports.
Two bodies were found in Texas County, Oklahoma, as four people were charged in connection to the disappearance of two missing Kansas mothers, according to authorities.
Veronica Butler, 27, was driving to pick up her two children at their grandmother’s house with her friend Jillian Kelley, 39, when they disappeared in a rural area of Oklahoma near the Kansas border on March 30. The Texas County Sheriff’s Office requested the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to investigate the disappearance.
In an update to the case, authorities say they recovered two bodies on April 14 and they will be transported to the Office of the Oklahoma Chief Medical Examiner to determine identification and cause and manner of death.
On April 13, Tad Bert Cullum, 43, Tifany Machel Adams, 54, Cole Earl Twombly, 50, and Cora Twombly, 44, were arrested in Texas and Cimarron counties, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said in a news release. All four were charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping, and one count of conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree, authorities say.
Adams is the grandmother of Butler’s children and Cullum is Adams’ boyfriend, according to NewsNation.
Investigators say the vehicle Butler and Kelley were traveling in was found abandoned. Agents who investigated the car determined there was evidence to indicate foul play.
In a press conference Monday, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokesperson Hunter McKee said the evidence found in the vehicle cannot be revealed as the investigation is still ongoing.
The arrests were made “without incident,” McKee said. It is unclear when the four suspects will be arraigned.
According to court documents, the father of Butler’s children had been in prison for possession of a firearm and was released in late March. Kelley had reportedly traveled with Butler, who had been in the midst of a custody dispute with her ex, to support her.
McKee said he could not confirm if the custody battle played a role in the case.
“On behalf of the entire FBI, I want to express our sincerest condolences to the family and loved ones of Veronica and Jillian,” Sonya Garcia, acting FBI special agent in charge for the Oklahoma City field office said in a press conference.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol canceled their Endangered Missing Advisory alert for Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley on Saturday night.
