Cause of death revealed after two Kansas moms were murdered and dumped in a freezer while on their way to pick up children
Court documents have revealed how two Kansas moms whose bodies were found dumped in a freezer were allegedly killed.
Court documents have revealed how two Kansas moms whose bodies were found dumped in a freezer were allegedly killed.
Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, disappeared on March 30 during a road trip to Oklahoma to pick up their children.
Their bodies were later discovered in a cow pasture inside a chest freezer on April 14 and the car was found abandoned close to the state border.
In April and May, five suspects belonging to a creepy antigovernmental religious gang known as Gods Misfits were arrested.
Now court documents have revealed how Tifany Adams, 54, the childrens grandmother and her boyfriend, Tad Cullum, 43, Cole and Cora Twombly, 50 and 44, and Paul Grice, 31, allegedly took part in the killings.
Veronica Butler, 27, (pictured) went missing alongside Jilian Kelley on March 30 as the two were on their way to celebrate Ms Butlers six-year-old daughters birthday
Jilian Kelley, 39, also disappeared on March 30 during a road trip to Oklahoma
Paul Grice (pictured) is said to have thrown clothing with his and Ms Butlers DNA on it, a stun device and the murder weapon into the grave
The document, obtained by KSN, states that Grice stabbed Ms Butler to death and cut his hand badly in the process.
Meanwhile Cullum allegedly killed Ms Kelley and their bodies were then dumped in a freezer and taken to the burial site.
Grice is said to have thrown clothing with his and Ms Butlers DNA on it, a stun device and the murder weapon into the grave.
The document also alleges that Cullum placed his clothing, which also had Ms Kelleys DNA, into the freezer with the bodies.
Police then reportedly found accessories to the knife at the 43-year-olds home.
The Twomblys allegedly acted as lookouts while the crime was taking place, the KSN report continued.
And Adams, the document claims, was the person who bought burner phones, stun devices, yellow straps found around the freezer and the pants Cullum was wearing.
The court records also alleged that Ms Adams was involved in a custody dispute over Ms Butlers children.
The suspects face charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping and conspiracy to commit murder.
The affidavit previously revealed that Cora Twomblys teenage daughter overheard the group speak about Ms Butler, and that her own mother told her that they were involved in the womens deaths.
The unnamed teen is said to have told authorities that the group also used burner phones to communicate with each other.
Agents found that Adams purchased three pre-paid phones from a Walmart in February.
Authorities said that all three phones were discovered near Ms Butlers car around the time she and Kelley disappeared. A hole filled with hay was also discovered near the car.
The affidavit said that the groups original plan was to throw an anvil, or head of a large hammer, through Butlers car to kill her.
Pictured: Tifany Adams, 54,(right) the childrens grandmother and her boyfriend, Tad Cullum, 43 (left)
Cora and Cole Twombly (pictured) allegedly acted as lookouts while the crime was taking place
They created that plan to make it look like an accident, because anvils regularly fall off of work vehicles, records said.
The teen is also said to have informed agents that Cora and Cole told her that they would not be home the morning of March 29, a day before Ms Butler and Ms Kelley were last seen, because they were going on a mission.
The couple then told the teenager that even though the mission did not go as planned, they didnt have to worry about Butler anymore, court documents said.
The girl is understood to have told Oklahoma State Bureau Investigation agents that this was not the first time the gang set out to kill Butler.
She explained to officers that in February, the group tried to take Butlers life, but the mother wouldnt leave her home. Agents later found that Adams had searched for ways to get someone out of a house on the internet.
Butlers mother-in-law had also searched for Taser pain levels, pre-paid phones and gun shops, the affidavit said.
Agents found that in addition to buying burner phones, Adams also purchased five stun guns on March 23, according to the affidavit.
Butlers children were reportedly staying with their grandmother, Adams, as Butler and her husband, Wrangler Cole Rickman, were going through a divorce and custody battle.
On March 20, ten days before they went missing, Butler filed a petition in court that would grant her more time with her children, with her goal being full custody.
Court filings claimed that Butler and Adams were not getting along amid the custody battle.
Kelley was the wife of Pastor Heath Kelley (pictured), who serves at two churches in Kansas and Nebraska
Butler had weekly, court-mandated visits every Saturday with the kids, while Kelley, one of four people listed, supervised the visits.
They had made the 45-minute drive from Hugoton to a gas station in Eva, located near the Four Corners section of Oklahoma, but disappeared, with the car found just three miles from where they were supposed to meet.
It was Ms Butlers six-year-old daughters birthday and they were planning to celebrate.
Multiple puddles of blood were found near the vehicle in the desolate Oklahoma panhandle, which was found 1,000 feet off of Oklahoma State Highway 95, near a school Butler attended and graduated from in 2015.
Ms Kelley was the wife of Pastor Heath Kelley, who serves at two churches in Kansas and Nebraska.
On April 3, Kelleys Willow Christian Church in Nebraska posted to Facebook: We ask that you continue to pray for Jilian and Veronica and their families as the search and investigation continue.
Pray for strength, wisdom and faith for everyone involved. We appreciate everyone who has shared the prayer requests. We are getting messages from all over the country of people praying for these two women and their families.
