Two Kansas mothers were found dead inside a chest freezer in a cow pasture in rural Oklahoma in April.
Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, went on a road trip to Oklahoma earlier this year. However, they went missing March 30 after driving to the Oklahoma panhandle to pick up Butler’s children — ages 6 and 8. They didn’t make it that far.
The group’s initial plan was to ‘throw an anvil through Butler’s windshield while driving, making it look like an accident because anvils regularly fall off work vehicles.’
Authorities found their car abandoned near the Oklahoma-Kansas border.
Law enforcement suspected foul play after allegedly finding “evidence of a severe injury” and several puddles of blood near the abandoned vehicle in the desolate Oklahoma panhandle.
On April 13, investigators discovered Butler and Kelley’s remains inside a chest freezer that had been buried in a cow pasture, according to affidavits. The freezer reportedly was inside a hole filled with dirt and concrete.
The Daily Mail reported that the mothers were found dead in “pools of blood” inside the freezer.
Investigators discovered that the farming property had ties to the grandmother of one of the women’s children, court documents say.
The property owner told authorities that 43-year-old Tad Bert Cullum — who reportedly rented time on the cow pasture for cattle grazing — asked him on March 28 “if he could cut a tree down, remove a stump, [and] bury some concrete” in an area below the dam where a concrete pile had been sitting above ground. The property owner said Cullum completed the project in the next day or two.
Cullum was the boyfriend of 54-year-old Tifany Adams — the paternal grandmother of Butler’s children.
Court records revealed that Adams’ son — Wrangler Rickman — had been in a custody battle with Butler over their children. The couple also allegedly were going through a divorce. At the time, Rickman reportedly was in an Oklahoma rehabilitation center.
The Daily Mail reported that Butler had court-mandated, supervised visits every Saturday with her children, and Kelley was one of four people listed to supervise the visits.
The outlet added that Butler filed a petition in court March 20 that would grant her more time with her children, with her goal being receiving full custody.
“Adams hated and despised Butler and wanted her dead,” court documents said.
In April, Callum, Adams, 31-year-old Paul Grice, 44-year-old Cora Twombly, and 50-year-old Cole Twombly were arrested in connection with the deaths of the two mothers.
All five suspects are facing two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping, and one count of conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree.
The filing said Adams allegedly purchased three burner phones, stun devices, yellow straps found around the freezer, and the pants that Cullum wore and buried with the victims.
CNN reported that Cora Twombly told her 16-year-old daughter that she was going on a “mission” with Cole Twombly, the girl’s stepfather. The teen said her mother and stepfather told her they would “not have to worry about [Butler] again,” according to Fox News.
The group’s initial plan was to “throw an anvil through Butler’s windshield while driving, making it look like an accident because anvils regularly fall off work vehicles,” Cora Twombly allegedly told her daughter.
‘God’s Misfits is about spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, not about hate and murder.’
Citing court documents, KSNT-TV reported that the Twomblys “served as lookouts on the day of the murder.”
Court documents accuse Grice of stabbing Butler to death while Cullum allegedly killed Kelley — the wife of a pastor.
Grice severely cut his hand in the process of killing Butler, the documents state.
Grice reportedly tossed a stun device and the murder weapon into the grave, along with the clothing he was wearing when he killed Butler. Investigators said the clothing recovered from the grave contained DNA evidence from Grice and Butler.
A preliminary autopsy report was released this week that revealed the cause of death of the two mothers.
The report from the Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said Butler and Kelley were killed from multiple sharp-force trauma, which could be caused by a knife, glass, or anything with a cutting edge.
The Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is expected to release the full report on Nov. 15.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said the five suspects were members of a group called God’s Misfits — reportedly a self-proclaimed anti-government group with a religious affiliation.
In April, the supposed founder of God’s Misfits distanced himself from the suspects.
“Someway, people think they are part of us. Nothing could be more wrong,” the founder posted on Facebook. “God’s Misfits is about spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, not about hate and murder.”
The preliminary hearings are scheduled to begin Dec. 17.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Murder, Cults, Homicide, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma crime, Crime, Mothers, God’s misfits