Bodies of Missing Kansas Women Found in Oklahoma Pasture

The bodies of two Kansas women who disappeared in the Oklahoma Panhandle in March were found in a chest freezer buried in a cow pasture, according to court records tied to five suspects charged with murder and kidnapping.

Veronica Butler, 27, and her court supervisor in a children’s custody case, Jilian Kelley, 39, vanished on March 30. Their remains were discovered on a property in Texas County, Oklahoma, on April 14, about 10 miles from where they disappeared, according to an affidavit filed by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

Authorities located the bodies after a day of excavation, finding personal items not belonging to Butler or Kelley. The affidavit states, “A chest freezer was excavated and opened. Within the chest freezer, the bodies of Butler and Kelley were located.”

Five defendants are being held without bond at the Texas County Jail in Guymon: Tifany Adams, 54; Adams’ boyfriend, Tad Bert Cullum, 43; Cole Earl Twombly, 50, and his wife, Cora Twombly, 44; and Paul Grice, 31. They face charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and kidnapping.

The Oklahoma Indigent Defense System represents all suspects except Cullum. A State Bureau of Investigation spokesperson confirmed no additional suspects.

Cullum rented the property where the bodies were found. Butler and Adams were involved in a custody dispute over Butler’s children since February 2019. Adams is the mother of the children’s father.

Butler had recently sought extended visitation, and her lawyer anticipated she would likely receive unsupervised visitation at an April 17 court hearing. Adams’ son had mentioned death threats by Adams and Cullum, though the affidavit did not specify the target.

On the day she disappeared, Butler planned to take her daughter to a birthday party. Her abandoned car was found near Highway 95, with evidence of “severe injury” nearby. Blood, Butler’s glasses, a broken hammer, and a pistol magazine were found, but no pistol.

Texas County authorities issued an “endangered missing advisory” the day they disappeared.

The investigation revealed Adams bought three prepaid cellphones in February, all found in the area where Butler’s car was discovered. Authorities collected evidence, including clothing and materials with possible blood stains.

A 16-year-old witness told investigators the suspects were part of an “anti-government group” with a “religious affiliation” named “God’s Misfits.” The group’s Facebook page denies involvement in Oklahoma.