The Oklahoma Chief Medical Examiner’s Office has released its final autopsy reports for two southwest Kansas women who were murdered in the Oklahoma panhandle earlier this year.
The victims, 27-year-old Veronica Butler and 39-year-old Jilian Kelley, both of Hugoton, disappeared in March after heading to Oklahoma to pickup Butler’s two children for a custody visit. Their bodies were found in early April after a two-week search by law enforcement, and five people are facing charges in the murders.
In the reports, the medical examiner found that both women died from multiple sharp force trauma, and the deaths are officially classified as homicides. Kelley was stabbed or cut 16 times, including at least two defensive wounds. Butler was stabbed or cut 30 times, including at least 11 defensive wounds.
The reports said both women were found inside a freezer that was buried 4 to 8 feet underground in rural Texas County, Oklahoma. Investigators also found key pieces of evidence including a stun gun, a roll of tape, and a knife.
The suspects are 42-year-old Tifany Adams, 45-year-old Tad Cullum, 50-year-old Cole Twombly, 44-year-old Cora Twombly and 47-year-old Paul Grice. They are charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy and they are scheduled for a preliminary hearing in late December.
Investigators said Adams and Butler were involved in a dispute over custody of the children. Adams’ son is the father of the children and he was in an Oklahoma City rehabilitation facility at the time of the murders.
[ photo: Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley ]
