Police report finding dead bodies of two females in concealed freezer during investigation of Oklahoma disagreement over custody.
Affidavits relating to the case reveal that the remains of Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39 were found when authorities were examining a recently dug pile of soil on property belonging to Tad Cullum, one of the five accused individuals charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping, and one count of conspiring to commit first-degree murder.
Documents related to the search warrant reveal, "On April 14, 2024, a chest freezer was excavated and opened. Within the chest freezer, the bodies of Butler and Kelley were identified."
The documentary records do not divulge the manner in which Butler and Kelley were killed.
Other individuals accused in the situation are Tifany Adams, a grandmother to Butler's children that she shared custody with, and the married couple Cole Twombly, 50, and Cora Twombly, 44, along with Paul Grice, 31.
Court records claim that Adams and her significant other, Cullum, designed a scheme to kill in association with the Twomblys, who were motivated by a custody conflict between Butler and Adams, who is also the grandmother of Butler's two children.
Special Agent Jason Ott from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation testified, "All the suspects knew each other through an anti-government group with religious ties." The five suspects have not entered any pleas in regard to the case.
CNN contacted the suspects' attorneys for comment.
Missing Women's Journey to Visit Their Children
The two women were on their way from Hugoton, Kansas to Four Corners, Oklahoma for a supervised visit with Butler's kids when they went missing on March 30th, according to the affidavit.
Their vehicle was discovered abandoned near a highway in Texas County, with evidence of a severe injury found at the scene, as stated in the probable cause documents.
The affidavit notes that personal devices used by Adams allowed authorities to trace burner phones that had been obtained by her. These phones had a history of pinging in the area of the deserted car's location and near the last known location of Butler and Kelley before their disappearance.
Investigators followed the location of these burner phones to a pasture property leased by Cullum, where an excavated crater was found, containing the bodies of Butler and Kelley. The location was approximately 8.5 miles away from the deserted vehicle.
"The condition of the bodies implied that they were casualties due to foul play," the affidavits asserted. No additional information about the status of the bodies was provided.
A stun gun was found near the location, according to the affidavit.
In their arguments for denying the suspects' bail release, prosecutors stated that the killings entailed "a complex planning process," and that some of the suspects possessed the resources to flee if the opportunity arose, presenting a potential threat to witnesses and the community.
Over two weeks after Butler and Kelley went missing, a search warrant reveals that Grice inquired, "How long does DNA last in soil?" and on clothing to an acquaintance, according to the warrant. Earlier, an arrest affidavit showed that Grice confessed to participating in the killings and burials of the victims.
The affidavits do not disclose the method in which Butler and Kelley were killed.
All parties involved are slated for a June court hearing for a status update. They were detained in jail without bail.
CNN's Rosa Flores, Sara Weisfeldt, Eric Levenson, and Elizabeth Wolfe contributed to this report.
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The investigation revealed that Butler and Kelley, who were on their way to visit Butler's children, were last known to be near the property leased by Tad Cullum, one of the accused individuals. The US authorities arrested Cullum and others due to their involvement in the case.
Source: edition.cnn.com
