Jilian Delores Kelley, a 39-year-old Caucasian woman from Hugoton, Kansas, was tragically killed on March 30, 2024, near Eva, Oklahoma. On that day, Kelley was accompanying her friend, 27-year-old Veronica Butler, to pick up Butler's children for a birthday party. The two women never arrived at their destination, and their vehicle was later found abandoned in a rural area of Texas County, Oklahoma, near the Kansas border.
The scene around the car suggested a violent struggle, with evidence of a severe injury and blood on the road.
An extensive search for the two women was launched, and on April 14, 2024, their bodies were discovered buried in a chest freezer on a rural property in Texas County. An autopsy later revealed that Jilian Kelley had suffered numerous sharp force injuries. The medical examiner's report detailed that her death was rapid due to a devastating injury to her spinal cord. There was also evidence of defensive wounds on her hands, suggesting she fought back against her attackers.
The investigation into their disappearance and murders led to the arrest of five individuals: Tifany Machel Adams, her boyfriend Tad Bert Cullum, Cole Earl Twombly, his wife Cora Twombly, and Paul Grice. All five suspects were charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping, and one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. Investigators believe the motive for the murders was a bitter custody dispute between Veronica Butler and Tifany Adams, who is the paternal grandmother of Butler's children. The suspects are allegedly members of an anti-government group called 'God's Misfits' and had reportedly plotted the abduction and murder. Evidence suggested the group had made preparations for the crime, including purchasing stun guns and burner phones.
