Tifany Machel Adams is the grandmother of Butler's children(Image: Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation)

Four people believed to be involved in disappearance of mums who vanished on way to pick up kids

Veronica Butler, 27 and Jilian Kelley, 39, of Hugoton, Kansas, were driving to pick up Butler’s children for a March 30 birthday party in Kansas but never showed up with the car later found abandoned

by · The Mirror

Four people have been arrested and charged with murder and kidnapping in connection with the disappearances of two Oklahoma women.

The suspects include the grandmother of one of the women's children. Veronica Butler, 27; and Jilian Kelley, 39, of Hugoton, Kansas, were driving through the Oklahoma panhandle to pick up Butler’s children for a March 30 birthday party in Kansas but never showed up.

Their vehicle was later found abandoned on a rural highway in Texas County, Oklahoma, about 11 miles (18 km) south of Elkhart, Kansas, on the Oklahoma-Kansas state line. Tad Bert Cullum, 43, Tifany Machel Adams, 54, Cole Earl Twombly, 50, and Cora Twombly, 44, were taken into custody on Saturday, according to an announcement by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

Read more: Unanswered questions as mums mysteriously vanish in Oklahoma on way to pick up kids

Jilian Kelley, 39, has been missing since March 30 as four people are arrested on suspicion of murder( Image: Jillian Kelley/ Facebook)
Veronica Butler (PICTURED) 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, were traveling together to pick up Butler's children, ages 6 and 8, on March 30.( Image: Veronica Butler / Facebook)

The quartet are suspected of kidnapping and murdering Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, who disappeared on March 30. Butler and Kelley were known to each other, with Kelley overseeing Butler's visits with her children.

The mothers were en route to Eva, Oklahoma, to collect Butler's children who have been residing with their paternal grandfather, as reported by NewsNation. Their disappearance was only reported when the vehicle they were travelling in was discovered.

Tad Bert Cullum is the boyfriend of Adams( Image: Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation)

All four suspects face charges of two counts of First-Degree Murder, two counts of Kidnapping, and one count of Conspiracy to Commit Murder in the First Degree. They were subsequently detained at the Texas County Jail.

Adams is the grandmother of Butler's children, and Cullum is her partner, reports NewsNation. Cole and Cora Twombly have been in a relationship for eight years and are Facebook friends with Adams.

Cora Twombly was among the four arrested on Saturday in Oklahoma( Image: Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation)

Several law enforcement agencies were present at properties in Cimmaron and Texas Counties on Saturday, including at Adams' residence. One individual was apprehended in Cimmaron County while the other three were detained in Texas County. Butler and Kelley remain missing as police suspect foul play in their disappearances.

It is alleged that separate pools of blood were discovered outside the vehicle along with splatters of blood inside. Butler was embroiled in a contentious custody dispute with her children's father, seeking increased visitation rights, while pursuing full custody of the children.

Cole Earl Twombly and the other three were charged with two counts of First-Degree Murder, two counts of Kidnapping, and one count of Conspiracy to Commit Murder in the First Degree( Image: Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation)

The pursuit of full custody by Butler reportedly caused friction between her and Adams, the children's paternal grandmother. At the time of Butler's disappearance, Adams is believed to have had custody of the children, as reported by KFOR.

A convoy of 20 police vehicles and SWAT trucks was seen stopping at the Oklahoma home of Tifany Machel Adams, 54, near the panhandle location where the car was found abandoned. Adams is the mother of Butler's estranged husband Wrangler Cole Rickman.

SWAT trucks were seen stopping at the Oklahoma home of Tifany Machel Adams, 54, near the panhandle location where the car was found abandoned( Image: X / NancyLoo / NewsNation)

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Veronica is 5' 4" tall with red hair and green eyes and was last seen wearing a blue short sleeve shirt, denim shorts, and Heydude shoes - she also has several tattoos, including "a Chinese symbol on her left forearm and sunflower on her left shoulder." While Jilian has brown hair and blue eyes and was last seen wearing whitewashed blue jeans, a long sleeve shirt, and tan-colored shoes - she also has a butterfly tattooed on her left forearm.