Two Kansas women who vanished while attempting to pick up children for a birthday party two weeks ago were killed in a custody battle involving a group of anti-government Oklahomans known as “God’s Misfits,” authorities claimed Monday.
Their vehicle was discovered on March 30 along a rural Oklahoma highway with abundant evidence of a bloody confrontation, sparking a multi-agency effort to ensure the children’s protection while hunting for the ladies and preventing more harm.
Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, of Hugoton, Kansas, had agreed with the grandmother of Butler’s two children to meet at a highway crossing on March 30 to pick up the 6- and 8-year-olds.
“This case did not conclude as we had intended. “It has undoubtedly been a tragedy for everyone involved,” Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Director Aungela Spurlock stated.
The grandmother, Tifany Adams, 54; her boyfriend, Tad Cullum, 43; Cora Twombly, 44; and her husband, Cole Twombly, 50, were arrested on kidnapping and first-degree murder charges Saturday. According to their arrest affidavits, all of them meet on a daily basis with others in a group known as “God’s Misfits.” Tad Cullum’s and the Twomblys’ families did not immediately return phone messages seeking comment. Tifany Adams’ stepmother, Elise Adams, stated that she knew nothing about the case.
Butler’s family discovered the vehicle just a few miles from the rendezvous point after the women missed the party in Kansas. It was a grisly spectacle.
“Blood was discovered on the pavement and along the edge of the roadway. Butler’s glasses were also discovered on the road south of the vehicle, beside a broken hammer. According to the affidavits, a firearm magazine was discovered inside Kelley’s handbag at the scene, but no pistol was located.
Investigators discovered evidence that the killings were planned, with Adams purchasing pre-paid “burner” cellphones and five shock guns from a local store. According to the affidavits, she searched the internet for information on the pain levels associated with utilizing the weapons.
A young witness told authorities that Cora Twombly once said, “The plan was to throw an anvil through Butler’s windshield while driving, making it look like an accident because anvils regularly fall off of work vehicles.”
The affidavits stated that Butler and Adams were involved in a “problematic custody battle.” Adams’ son was in a rehabilitation facility in Oklahoma City, hours away, and Butler was only permitted supervised visits on Saturdays. Butler’s court-authorized visiting supervisor was Kelley, the wife of a Hugoton preacher.
In 2022, the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals directed a trial court to grant the parents shared custody of their children. The verdict described them as “very young and immature parents” who accused one other of “inappropriate behavior and choices,” but also stated that “the children are nurtured and comforted by Mother” and are “happy and excited to be with Father.”
Butler’s attorney told investigators that her plea for extra time with her children and unsupervised visitation would most likely be approved at a hearing in April.
Adams purchased the stun guns on March 23, with a court date fast approaching. According to the affidavits, on March 29, Cullum used heavy equipment to excavate a hole in a pasture he rented near the meet-up site.
At Monday’s news conference, authorities refused to reveal where the bodies were discovered, but affidavits indicated several of the “burner phones” stopped transmitting that morning near the meadow, where “a hole had been dug, filled back in, and then covered with hay.”
It was unclear where the children were during the search. Adams told investigators that she had left them in the care of another spouse on March 29 and 30; the affidavits stated that the couple frequently held the “God’s Misfits” sessions.
Authorities stated that the affidavits were not unsealed until the children’s safety had been ensured. “We succeeded. “There were no shots fired, and the children were kept safe,” said District Attorney George Leach III.
The four people charged are being held in the Texas County Jail without release until their court hearings on Wednesday, according to Texas County Court Clerk Renee Ellis. Court records do not show whether anyone had an attorney speak on their behalf.
“I don’t know anything about her business,” Elise Adams stated when asked about Tifany Adams. “All I can tell you about her is she was a wonderful stepdaughter to me.”
According to OSBI spokesman Hunter McKee, the bodies’ names and circumstances of death are pending a medical examiner’s report.
“This case is tragic,” McKee stated. “You have two people who are dead and four people who committed an absolutely brutal crime.”