Current:Home > FinanceThe bodies of two Kansas women who disappeared in Oklahoma were found in a buried freezer -GrowthInsight
The bodies of two Kansas women who disappeared in Oklahoma were found in a buried freezer
View
Date:2025-04-12 13:59:25
The bodies of two Kansas women who disappeared in Oklahoma were found in a buried freezer, according to recently unsealed court documents.
The bodies of Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, both of Hugoton, Kansas, were found April 14 buried on land in rural Texas County and rented by Tad Cullum, who is among five people charged with kidnapping and killing the two women, according to the documents unsealed March 15.
Also found on the land, which Cullum rented for cattle grazing, were articles of clothing, duct tape and a knife, each “with possible blood on them,” in addition to black tape, electrical cord and a combination stun gun/flashlight, according to the documents.
Cullum, 43, his girlfriend Tifany Adams, 54, both of Keyes, Oklahoma; husband and wife Cole Twombly, 50, and Cora Twombly, 44, of Texhoma, Oklahoma; and Paul Grice, 31, are each charged with two counts of murder, two counts of kidnapping and a single count of conspiracy to commit murder.
All are being held without bail and a gag order in the case prohibits attorneys from commenting on the case.
Investigators have said Butler and Adams were in a bitter child dispute over custody of Butler’s children, who are Adams’ grandchildren.
Butler’s attorney told investigators that Butler was likely to be granted unsupervised visitation during a hearing scheduled just more than two weeks after the two disappeared, the documents state.
Butler and Kelley, who was to supervise a visitation with Butler and her children, disappeared March 30 while driving to pick up Butler’s two children from Adams for a birthday party.
The women’s car was found near the rural highway intersection about 260 miles (418 kilometers) from where Butler was to pick up her son and daughter. Butler’s glasses were found near the car and blood was found on the roadway, according to an arrest affidavit.
The buried freezer with the bodies inside was found about 8.5 miles (14 kilometers) from where the car was found and in the area where prepaid cell phones purchased by Adams were traced, according to the court documents.
A witness also told an investigator the Grice had asked him shortly after the bodies were found how long it would take the state lab to process DNA evidence, how long DNA would tast in dirt, how long DNA would last on clothing in dirt in a 15 feet deep hole and if he knew how to get a “guy and his family” into Mexico, according to documents.
The witness told the investigator that Grice said he was concerned about his DNA being in the hole where the bodies were found “because he had been to the Twombly residence.”
Another witness told Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agents that all five suspects were part of “an anti-government group that had a religious affiliation” known as “God’s Misfits” according to an affidavit.
veryGood! (39)
Related
- Jury finds man guilty of sending 17-year-old son to rob and kill rapper PnB Rock
- Authorities say Puerto Rico policeman suspected in slaying of elderly couple has killed himself
- General Motors, the lone holdout among Detroit Three, faces rising pressure and risks from strike
- Oregon surges in top 10, while Georgia remains No.1 in US LBM Coaches Poll after Week 9
- Man charged with murder in death of beloved Detroit-area neurosurgeon
- New Slovakia’s government announces a massive deployment at the Hungarian border to curb migration
- Israel expands ground assault into Gaza as fears rise over airstrikes near crowded hospitals
- FIFA bans Spain's Luis Rubiales for 3 years for unwanted kiss at World Cup
- Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
- Israel opens new phase in war against Hamas, Netanyahu says, as Gaza ground operation expands
Ranking
- Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
- Shop Like RHOC's Emily Simpson With Date Night Beauty Faves From $14
- 5 dead as construction workers fall from scaffolding at a building site in Hamburg
- How does 'Billions' end? Axe falls on a rival. Your guide to the dramatic series finale
- Kourtney Kardashian Cradles 9-Month-Old Son Rocky in New Photo
- Mass shootings over Halloween weekend leave at least 11 dead across US
- Ukrainian officials say Russian shelling killed a 91-year-old woman in a ‘terrifying night’
- More than 70 people are missing after the latest deadly boat accident in Nigeria’s north
Recommendation
Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
Thanks, Neanderthals: How our ancient relatives could help find new antibiotics
How to download movies and TV shows on Netflix to watch offline anytime, anywhere
China Evergrande winding-up hearing adjourned to Dec. 4 by Hong Kong court
FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
Alice McDermott's 'Absolution' transports her signature characters to Vietnam
Vigil for Maine mass shooting victims draws more than 1,000 in Lewiston
China fetes American veterans of World War II known as ‘Flying Tigers’ in a bid to improve ties