Top: Tad Bert Cullum and Tifany Machel Adams; Bottom: Cole Earl Twombly and Cora Twombly. The four are facing murder and kidnapping charges in the disappearance of Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley in rural Oklahoma. (Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation)
Cops in Oklahoma have arrested four people in the mysterious disappearance of two mothers reported missing two weeks ago and believed to be dead.
Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, were traveling on March 30 from southern Kansas to pick up children in rural Oklahoma but never made it, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. Authorities found their abandoned car along Highway 95 and Road L in Texas County, Oklahoma, near the border with Kansas. The disappearance was considered suspicious and evidence indicated foul play.
NewsNation, citing unnamed sources, reported cops found the car about 1,000 feet off the road. The car had a small amount of blood in it and there were “puddles of blood” outside the vehicle. Butler and Kelley, who were on their way to pick up Buter’s kids, are believed to have been shot, the outlet reported. A large scale search has yet to find Buter and Kelley’s bodies.
On Saturday, police arrested 43-year-old Tad Bert Cullum, 54-year-old Tifany Machel Adams, 50-year-old Cole Earl Twombly, and 44-year-old Cora Twombly. They are all facing two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping, and one count of conspiracy to commit murder in the first-degree, authorities said.
NewsNation reports Adams is the paternal grandmother of Butler’s kids and Cullum is Adams’ boyfriend. The outlet also reported that Buter and the kids’ father were in a custody dispute and she had filed a petition with the court to have more visitation with the children.
The search for Butler and Kelley continues. Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact the OSBI at [email protected] or 1-800-522-8017.
Veronica Butler, left, and Jilian Kelley were reported missing March 30 in Texas County, Oklahoma, when they were on their way to pick up Butler’s kids. Four people are facing murder and kidnapping charges. (Texas County Sheriff’s Office)
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
