Authorities are investigating the disappearance of two women in western Oklahoma who were last seen together in a vehicle found abandoned in a rural area near the interstate. Law enforcement said Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, disappeared under “suspicious” circumstances.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation announced Sunday its involvement in the investigation at the request of the Texas County Sheriff’s Department, whose jurisdiction includes the isolated portion of the Oklahoma panhandle where the women’s car was discovered.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol issued an endangered missing person advisory for Butler and Kelley on Saturday, on behalf of the Sheriff’s Department. That alert deemed both women “at risk,” even though few details were shared publicly about the events leading to their disappearance.
Butler and Kelley “were traveling to pick up children” before disappearing, according to the missing persons alert, which noted that neither “arrived at the pick-up location.” Their car was found abandoned on the side of the road near Oklahoma State Highway 95, just south of Elkhart, Kansas, just across the Oklahoma border.
Highway Patrol released images of Butler and Kelley along with written descriptions of the women. Butler is 5 feet 4 inches tall, has red hair and green eyes, and she was wearing a blue short-sleeve shirt, denim shorts and Hey Dude brand shoes when she went missing, according to the alert. She also has several tattoos, including a Chinese symbol on her left forearm and a sunflower on her left shoulder.
Kelley has brown hair and blue eyes, and she was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, whitewashed blue jeans and tan or tan shoes when she disappeared. Kelley has a butterfly tattoo on her left forearm.
State investigators said they were working with local law enforcement to find Butler and Kelley. They asked anyone with information about the women’s plight to contact the office.
CBS News reached out to the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation for more information on the women’s disappearance and the missing persons case, but did not receive an immediate response.
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