Women’s bodies found in freezer, ‘unhinged’ grandmother accused in US

23 May, 2024 11:51 PM3 mins to read

Tifany Adams, 54, accused of murdering her daughter-in-law and another woman, is said to be an ‘unhinged’ conspiracy theorist. Photo / Facebook

The bodies of two Kansas women who disappeared in Oklahoma were found in a buried freezer, according to recently unsealed court documents.

The bodies of Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, both of Hugoton, Kansas, were found on April 14 buried on land in rural Texas County rented by Tad Cullum, who is among five people charged with kidnapping and killing the two women, according to the documents.

Also found on the land, which Cullum rented for cattle grazing, were clothing, duct tape and a knife, each “with possible blood on them,” in addition to black tape, electrical cord and a combination stun gun/flashlight, according to the documents.

Cullum, 43, his girlfriend Tifany Adams, 54, both of Keyes, Oklahoma; husband and wife Cole Twombly, 50, and Cora Twombly, 44, of Texhoma, Oklahoma; and Paul Grice, 31, are each charged with two counts of murder, two counts of kidnapping and a single count of conspiracy to commit murder.

Cora and Cole Twombly allegedly ordered their daughter to clean the inside of their Chevrolet truck after the killings. Photo / Facebook

All are being held without bail. A gag order in the case prohibits attorneys from commenting on the case.

Investigators have said Butler and Adams were in a bitter child dispute over custody of Butler’s children, who are Adams’ grandchildren.

Butler’s attorney told investigators that Butler was likely to be granted unsupervised visitation during a hearing scheduled just more than two weeks after the two disappeared, the documents state.

Butler and Kelley, who was to supervise a visitation with Butler and her children, disappeared on March 30 while driving to pick up Butler’s two children from Adams for a birthday party.

The woman’s car was found near the rural highway intersection about 418 kilometres from where Butler was to pick up her son and daughter. Butler’s glasses were found near the car and blood was found on the roadway, according to an arrest affidavit.

Veronica Butler filed a motion to grant her more visitation time with her children. Photo / Facebook / Veronica Butler

The buried freezer with the bodies inside was found about 14 kilometres from where the car was found and in the area where prepaid cell phones purchased by Adams were traced, according to the court documents.

A witness also told an investigator that Grice had asked him shortly after the bodies were found, how long it would take the state lab to process DNA evidence, how long DNA would last in dirt, how long DNA would last on clothing in dirt in a 4.5m deep hole and if he knew how to get a “guy and his family” into Mexico, according to documents.

Jilian Kelley, with her pastor husband Heath Kelley, was not the regular supervisor of Butler’s visits. Photo / Facebook / Jilian Kelley

The witness told the investigator that Grice said he was concerned about his DNA being in the hole where the bodies were found “because he had been to the Twombly residence”.

Adams and Cullum had plotted to kill Butler previously in February, according to a witness. Photo / KFDA News Channel 10

Another witness told Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agents that all five suspects were part of “an anti-government group that had a religious affiliation” known as “God’s Misfits” according to an affidavit.

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