Four people have been arrested in connection to the death of two Kansas women. One of the women who was killed was in a custody battle with one of the suspects, reported the Associated Press, and all of the suspects were part of an anti-government group called God’s Misfits. Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, went missing on March 30. Their vehicle was found along an Oklahoma highway with blood on the road nearby, reported Fox 59. The outlet noted that Butler's glasses and a broken hammer were also found at the scene.
The four people arrested on Saturday, April 13 were Tifany Adams, 54; her boyfriend Tad Cullum, 43; Cora Twombly, 44; and her husband Cole Twombly, 50.
Tifany Adams is the grandmother of Butler's children. Every Saturday, Butler was allowed to have supervised visits with her children, who are 6 and 8 years old.
The children's father, Wrangler Rickman, has legal custody, according to ABC7, but he was at a rehabilitation facility in Oklahoma City on the day that Butler and Kelley went missing.
Fox59 also reported that Adams “refused to let Rickman have his children” at times.
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The outlet reported that Adams had specific requirements when it came to who supervised Butler's visits with the kids, and she was ordered to pay for the supervisor she chose. Her usual supervisor was allegedly not available on the day Butler went missing, so Kelley filled in for her.
According to Fox59, although Adams said the usual supervisor was not available on March 30, that supervisor told investigators that Adams actually asked her to take time off.
Butler and Kelley made an arrangement with Adams and planned to pick up the children on March 30 at a highway intersection, according to KWCH. When Butler never showed up at a birthday party she was supposed to go to, family members became concerned.
Butler and Adams had reportedly been involved in a "problematic custody battle" since 2019, reported ABC7.
The outlet also reported that previous child custody case recordings revealed that Adams and her boyfriend, Cullum, had allegedly made death threats before.
All of the suspects are members of the group God’s Misfits and Adams was the chair of Oklahoma's Cimarron County GOP, reported the Des Moines Register. The suspects were arrested and charged with crimes related to kidnapping and murder.
On March 23, Adams purchased five stun guns. In February, she bought three prepaid cellphones. Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agents say that Adams also used her phone to search Taser pain level, gun shops, prepaid cellular phones, and "how to get someone out of their house."
The teen daughter of suspect Cora Twombly was reportedly interviewed by investigators, and revealed that she "overheard" Cora Twombly speaking about Butler, reported Fox25.
The outlet also reported that the teenager asked Cora Twombly why Kelley had to die, and Cora Twombly allegedly told her that "she wasn't innocent either, as she had supported Butler."
"It has certainly been a tragedy for everybody involved. Our condolences go out to the family," said OSBI Director Aungela Spurlock.
