Authorities in Oklahoma on Monday revealed new details about two Kansas women who went missing in rural Oklahoma and are now believed to have been murdered.
"This case did not end the way we hoped. It certainly has been a tragedy for everyone involved," Aungela Spurlock Director of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said.
"Our condolences go out to the family."
Two bodies believed to be the missing women were found in Texas County on Sunday and were to be taken to the medical examiner's office to make an official identity. The cause of death will also need to be confirmed.
27-year-old Veronica Butler and 39-year-old Jillian Kelley, a preacher's wife, disappeared in late March while they were traveling across state lines to pick up Butler's children.
(Photo : Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation)
Their vehicle was found abandoned near Highway 95 in Texas County and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said there was evidence to indicate foul play. The evidence reportedly included blood in the vehicle.
Investigators say they suspected foul play early in the case.
"We felt this wasn't random." Texas County Sheriff Matt Boley said. "We felt it was targeted."
Authorities said they worked around the clock for 15 days to solve the crimes.
They thanked the public for providing tips during the investigation but they would not confirm if a tip helped in the arrests.
State Bureau of Investigation spokesperson Hunter McKee called it an "absolutely brutal crime."
Four people were arrested Saturday on murder charges in connection with their disappearance, including the mother-in-law of one of the victims.
Tifany Machel Adams, 54, Tad Bert Cullum, 43, Cole Earl Twombly, 50, and Cora Twombly, 44, were arrested in Texas and Cimarron Counties.
Adams was Bulter's mother-in-law, according to the Daily Mail, and the children were living with her. Cullum is Adams' boyfriend, according to the report.
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.
Court documents showed that Butler, the father of her children as well as his family were involved in a bitter custody dispute.
(Photo : Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation)
In a motion reportedly filed last November, Adams opposed any adjustment in the supervised visitation arrangement Butler had with the children.
She allegedly claimed that the children had been exposed to sexual abuse while under Butler's care.
Kelley is the wife of a pastor at Hugoton First Christian Church in Kansas. Heath Kelley recently agreed to serve as the new pastor of Willow Christian Church in Nebraska.
