Two Kansas women, Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley, were found dead in a chest freezer buried in a cow pasture two weeks after they went missing from the Oklahoma Panhandle. Investigators believe their disappearance and death were part of a contrived plan between five people, including Tifany Adams, the kids’ grandmother who Butler was in a custody battle with. The bodies were found buried along with personal items that did not belong to the deceased women. Five people, including Adams, her boyfriend, and a married couple, were charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy to commit murder. Another person later confessed to his involvement.
The women were found in a chest freezer buried along with items such as clothing, gloves, duct tape, and a knife with possible blood. The defendants are claimed to belong to an anti-government religious group called God’s Misfits, but the group’s leader denied any involvement in the incident.
Authorities suspected foul play after Butler’s car was found abandoned with evidence of severe injury. Butler and Kelley disappeared after leaving for a supervised visit with Butler’s children and a family birthday party. Their phones stopped transmitting signals shortly after they arrived at the meeting place, and three pre-paid cell phones were also found at the location. The bodies were discovered after one of the defendant’s teenage daughter confessed to detectives about their involvement in the killings. Investigations are ongoing, and defense attorneys and prosecutors are prohibited from speaking about the case outside of court.
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