2 bodies recovered amid missing Kansas moms Veronica Butler, Jillian Kelley, investigation

Two bodies have been discovered in a rural Oklahoma area as part of an investigation into the disappearance of two Kansas mothers who went missing in late March.

The remains were found Sunday in the rural Texas county and will be “transported to the Oklahoma Chief Medical Examiner to determine identification, cause and manner of death,” the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation said. Oklahoma State in an article on X.

Veronica Butler, 27, and Jillian Kelley, 39, both from Hugoton, Kansas, have been missing since March 30. The two moms were driving to Oklahoma to pick up Butler’s children for a birthday party in Kansas, ABC News reported.

Both women were considered acquaintances, as Kelley supervised Butler’s visits with her children – who lived with their paternal grandparent in Eva, Oklahoma.

Authorities said both mothers were reported missing that day and their blood-soaked vehicle was found abandoned in rural Oklahoma near the Kansas border, but both mothers were nowhere to be found. .

The day before the bodies were discovered, four people were arrested and charged in connection with their disappearance.

Tad Bert Cullum, 43; Tiffany Machel Adams, 54; Cole Earl Twombly, 50; and Cora Twombly, 44, were arrested Saturday and booked into the Texas County Jail.

All four suspects were charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping and one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.

Adams is the paternal grandmother of Butler’s children and Cullum is her boyfriend, according to NewsNation.

Cole and Cora Twombly have been in a relationship for eight years and are friends with Adams on Facebook.

Several law enforcement officers were at properties in Cimmaron and Texas counties Saturday, including Adams’ home.

One person was arrested in Cimmaron County while the other three were charged in Texas County.

Butler was reportedly in the middle of a bitter custody battle with the father of her children and requested more visitation time, as she sought full custody.

Adams reportedly had custody of the children at the time of Butler’s disappearance, KFOR reported.