(NewsNation) — Two bodies were found in rural Texas County, Oklahoma, after police began searching for the remains of two Kansas moms who went missing more than two weeks ago, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) said Sunday night.
The deceased individuals will be transported to a medical examiner’s office to determine identification, as well as cause and manner of death, police said.
Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, from Hugoton, Kansas, disappeared March 30 without a trace except for an abandoned car found on the side of a road. Their car was found 1,000 feet off of Oklahoma State Highway 95 along a dirt path.
Tad Bert Cullum, 43, Tifany Machel Adams, 54, Cole Earl Twombly, 50, and Cora Twombly, 44, were arrested in Texas and Cimarron Counties, OSBI said Saturday.
All four were booked into the Texas County Jail on two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping and one count of conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree, according to police.
The OSBI, the FBI and the Texas County Sheriff’s Department found the bodies. Police have scheduled a news conference at 10 a.m. CT Monday to provide more details about the investigation.
Congregants of Hugoton First Christian Church are grieving, gathering for prayer and hymns outside the family home of Kelley following Sunday service. After two weeks of hope, two local families now know to mourn Kelley, a mother of four, and Butler, a mother of two.
“We read in the Bible that evil is in the world and some people that don’t know Jesus Christ are full of evil,” said Phil Thompson, treasurer of the Hugoton First Christian Church. “As a Christian, we should forgive, but we also have to have the laws of the government take over, too.”
NewsNation spotted an extraordinary show of law enforcement as they served the four arrest warrants.
NewsNation crew, the only network on the ground, captured exclusive footage following more than 20 SWAT and police vehicles to various locations.
Outside one compound, NewsNation heard an officer on a loudspeaker announcing, “We have a warrant for your arrest!” All officers appeared heavily armed and wary of all who approached, drawing guns to turn people back, including NewsNation crew.
NewsNation learned Adams is the paternal grandmother of Butler’s children and Cullum is Adams’ boyfriend.
NewsNation previously reported Butler and the father of her children were embroiled in a bitter custody battle, and that just 10 days before the women went missing, Butler had filed a petition in court for more visitation with her children and was seeking full custody.
A court hearing was set for Wednesday when Butler was expected to seek full custody.
OSBI is not revealing details about what happened or the actions of each suspect, but a custody dispute may be linked to a motive.
Kelley was among four court-approved supervisors for Butler’s visitations. They never made it to the usual pickup point at an abandoned gas station in Texas County.
Butler’s family says the two were traveling together to Eva, Oklahoma, to pick up Butler’s two children. NewsNation has learned Butler’s children may have been living with Adams.
No word yet on the arraignments of the four suspects. Their alleged actions have left six children without their mothers.
