Two Missing Women Found Dead in Hidden Freezer: Custody Dispute Turns Deadly!
According to recently revealed search warrants, two women who went missing while driving between Kansas and Oklahoma during a bitter custody fight were discovered dead inside a freezer hidden in a cattle pasture rented by one of the five suspects in their murders.
According to affidavits in the case, the remains of Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, were discovered while authorities were investigating a fresh pile of dirt on property leased by Tad Cullum, one of the five people charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping, and one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
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“On April 14, 2024, a chest freezer was dug and opened. Butler and Kelley’s bodies were found in the chest freezer, according to the search warrant.
The prosecution records do not explain how Butler and Kelley were slain.
Along with Cullum, police have charged Tiffany Adams, the 54-year-old grandmother of Butler’s children who shared custody with Butler; married couple Cole and Cora Twombly, 50 and 44, respectively; and Paul Grice, 31.
According to court documents, Adams and her significant other, Cullum, conspired to murder the Twomblys over a custody dispute between Butler and Adams, Butler’s grandmother.
According to Special Agent Jason Ott of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, all of the suspects met through “an anti-government group that had a religious affiliation.” The five suspects have yet to enter pleas in the case.
CNN has contacted the suspects’ attorneys for comment.
Women went missing while driving to visit children.
According to the affidavit, the two women went missing on March 30, while driving from Hugoton, Kansas, to Four Corners, Oklahoma, for Butler’s supervised visit with her children.
Their vehicle was located abandoned near a roadway in Texas County, where detectives discovered a bloody scene with “evidence of a severe injury,” according to probable cause paperwork.
According to the affidavit, Adams acquired three burner phones, all of which pinged near Butler’s car and the woman’s last known location before their disappearance.
Cell phone data from two of the burner phones led detectives to a pasture property rented by Cullum, where a hole had been dug and filled up, according to the affidavit.
According to the affidavit, two remains, later identified as Butler and Kelley, were recovered when the disturbed ground was dug. The location was approximately 8.5 miles from where the abandoned automobile was discovered.
“The condition of the bodies indicated that they died as a result of foul play,” the affidavits read. There were no further details supplied concerning the bodies’ condition.
A stun gun was also discovered near the scene, according to the affidavit.
According to the court application, prosecutors argued that the killings were “complex and involved extensive preparation” to deny the suspects bail. Prosecutors also stated that several of the accused have “resources to flee if given the opportunity” and “pose a grave danger to witnesses (and) community members.”
According to the search warrant, more than two weeks after Butler and Kelley disappeared, Grice asked an associate “how long DNA would last in the dirt” and on clothing. According to an arrest affidavit released earlier, Grice admitted to taking part in the victims’ murders and burial.
The prosecution records do not explain how Butler and Kelley were slain.
The defendants are due to return to court in June for a status hearing. They were ordered to remain in custody without bond.