The shocking killings of two Kansas mothers were motivated by a contentious custody battle, according to court documents released Monday.
Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, disappeared on March 30 in the Oklahoma panhandle while traveling to pick up Butler’s two children for a birthday party.
The children, ages 6 and 8, were subjects of an intense custody battle between Butler and Tifany Adams. Adams is the mother of the children’s father, and she was one of four suspects arrested Saturday.
The father, Wrangler Rickman, was at a rehab facility in Oklahoma City when Butler and Kelley disappeared, according to police.
Butler and Rickman began fighting over custody of their children in February 2019, according to Oklahoma City ABC affiliate KOCO. In 2022, an Oklahoma judge approved a shared custody agreement and called Butler and Rickman “very young and immature parents.”
The deal gave Rickman custody and allowed Butler to have supervised visits on Saturdays. Kelley was traveling with Butler on March 30 as her court-approved supervisor, according to investigators.
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation via AP
This combination of booking photo provided by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation shows Tad Bert Cullum, top left, Cora Twombly, top right, Tifany Machel Adams, bottom left, and Cole Earl Twombly, bottom right. (Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation via AP)
But, according to police, the two women were walking into a trap laid by Adams; her boyfriend, Tad Cullum; and two pals, Cole and Cora Twombly. All four suspects were also part of an anti-government group calling themselves “God’s Misfits.”
Cops found Butler and Kelley’s vehicle abandoned about 11 miles south of the Kansas-Oklahoma state line. They found blood on the road, a busted hammer lying in the street next to Butler’s glasses, and a pistol magazine in Kelley’s purse, according to police. No pistol was located at the scene.
A relative of the Twomblys told police that Cora Twombly bragged about the kidnapping and murder operation, stating they would “not have to worry about [Butler] again,” KOCO reported.
The four suspects were arrested Saturday, and two bodies were found Sunday in rural Texas County, Okla., the same county in which Butler and Kelley disappeared. Authorities said Monday that while the bodies had not been positively identified, they were confident Butler and Kelley were dead.
With News Wire Services
