The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation shared on Wednesday that a fifth suspect was arrested in connection to the death of two missing Kansas women.

OSBI stated that 31-year-old Paul Grice was arrested and 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.

A two-week search for two missing Kansas women came to a fatal end on April 14 when Oklahoma authorities confirmed the two were dead and announced the arrests of four people who allegedly belonged to an anti-government group that called themselves “God’s Misfits.”

Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, of Hugoton, Kansas, disappeared on March 30 while driving to pick up Butler’s two children for a birthday party. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation confirmed on Tuesday that the bodies found in Texas County were those of the two women.

One of the suspects charged in the case is the children’s grandmother, who authorities say was in a bitter custody dispute with Butler. The four face charges including murder and are expected to make their first court appearance Wednesday in Guymon, in the rural Oklahoma panhandle.

Here are some things to know about the case:

WHAT DO AUTHORITIES SAY HAPPENED?

Investigators have been tight-lipped about the case since the car Kelley and Butler were riding in was found in a rural area of Texas County, which is along the border with Kansas. But arrest affidavits unsealed Monday painted a gruesome picture of the scene.

According to court records, blood was left on the road and Butler’s glasses were found near a broken hammer. A magazine for a pistol was inside Kelley’s purse but authorities disclosed they did not find any firearm.

Evidence suggests the killings were planned, according to the arrest affidavit, which states that Tifany Adams, the grandmother of Butler’s children, had bought pre-paid “burner” cellphones and five stun guns. Her internet searches included inquiring about pain levels using the weapons, according to the affidavits.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation announced over the weekend that they had found two bodies, more than two weeks after the women disappeared. The state medical examiner’s office has not yet released a report revealing how they were killed.

WHO WERE THE VICTIMS?

Investigators say Butler was involved in a custody fight with Adams and her son and was only allowed supervised visits with the children on Saturday. Kelley was authorized to supervise the visits, according to the affidavits.

Kelley was a pastor’s wife and mother of four. Her husband, Heath Kelley, was the pastor of First Christian Church in Hugoton. In recent months, he had accepted a new job with Willow Christian Church in Indianola, Nebraska, but hadn’t started there yet.

At Willow’s sister congregation, McCook Christian Church, Sunday’s service opened with news of the killings. “We had longed for a different outcome,” a pastor told the congregation during the service, which was posted on Facebook.

Messages left with several members of Butler’s family have not been returned.

WHO ARE THE SUSPECTS?

All four suspects are charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy to commit murder. They are being held without bond at the Texas County Jail in Guymon.

In addition to Adams, 54, the others charged are Tad Cullum, 43; Cora Twombly, 44; and her husband Cole Twombly, 50, both of Texhoma, Oklahoma.

Image Provided By: Associated Press:

(Tad Bert Cullum, top left, Cora Twombly, top right, Tifany Machel Adams, bottom left, and Cole Earl Twombly, bottom right.)

Court records on Tuesday did not indicate if any had attorneys who could speak on their behalf. Relatives of Tad Cullum and the Twomblys have not returned phone messages seeking comment. Tifany Adams’ stepmother, Elise Adams, said she had no information on the case.

According to a witness who spoke to OSBI investigators, all four suspects were part of “an anti-government group that had a religious affiliation,” according to the affidavit. OSBI investigators learned the group called themselves “God’s Misfits” and held regular meetings at the home of the Twomblys and another couple.

Tifany Adams, who was involved in the custody dispute with Butler, is the current chair of the Cimarron County Republican Party, according to Oklahoma Republican Party Chairman Nathan Dahm. Cimarron County is the westernmost county at the tip of the Oklahoma Panhandle with a population of fewer than 2,300 people.

Dahm said officials at the state party did not know Adams. He said given how rural the county is, “it could have been three people who showed up at the county convention and elected her.”

WHAT’S NEXT?

All four suspects showed up for an initial appearance Wednesday in Texas County District Court.

Emotions ran high in the courtroom as the families of Veronica Butler and Jillian Kelley

faced the group accused of kidnapping and murdering the women during a roadside ambush last month.

Tiffany Adams, Tad Cullum, Cora and Cole Twombly were denied bond as they stood before a Texas County judge.

Kelley’s family also braved the courtroom today. She was one of three people court-approved to supervise Butler’s visitation with her children.

The children are said to be in safekeeping.

The investigation is ongoing.

Witnesses have given more names of people who may have been involved in the conspiracy indicating there could be more arrests in the days to come.

Related Coverage:

1. Search Underway For 2 Women In Oklahoma After Suspicious Disappearance
2. Foul Play Suspected After 2 Women Disappear In Oklahoma Panhandle
3. Search For 2 Missing Oklahoma Women Receives National Attention

It is no secret that each commitment is a big piece of the puzzle in each recruiting class as cycles turn over every year. However, with that being said it is also no secret that some recruits can play a bigger part due to a plethora of different reasons.

I truly believe that Kansas has found its big piece to the 2025 puzzle and his name is David McComb.

McComb is a huge piece and the biggest piece to the puzzle not just because he is a signal-calling quarterback but because he brings many other things to the table such as leadership and also the domino effect.

The domino effect is referred to in the world of recruiting as a commit that leads to multiple commits or committable opportunities that likely were not available until the original piece (McComb) was placed.

McComb is currently one of three commits following the addition of Anderson Kopp and also having Malachi Curvey already committed.

McComb is a 6-foot-3 210-pound quarterback from Memorial High School in Edmond, Oklahoma, and is what I personally consider an elite-level quarterback. I believe he is significantly underrated by all major recruiting services. Rivals has him listed as the 34th-best quarterback and I can confidently say… no one can convince me there are 33 better quarterbacks in this class.

McComb recently released a video of him throwing some passes during his own personal practice with 405QB (a private group training and quarterback development) company run by Joel Blumenthal who is the QB coach at Edmond North High School.

Below is the video of the work that he shared publicly.

Stay tuned for a more in-depth review of David McComb’s tape and skill set.

Transfers, hirings and firings … oh, my. With so many coaches bouncing around, not to mention 1,600-plus portalers, we have never seen a college basketball offseason like this. Since the transfer portal opened March 18, we have seen a plethora of entries, including Minnesota’s Elijah Hawkins, Kentucky’s Ugonna Onyenso, Oakland’s Trey Townsend, Texas Tech’s Pop Isaacs and Stetson’s Jalen Blackmon.

But the best is yet to come.

The portal closes May 1, as the NCAA shortened the process from 60 to 45 days. Several teams, including Auburn, Texas Tech, St. Johns, Alabama and Cal, need a dynamic point guard and a starting big man, and high-value players of each position group plan to enter or have already done so. Tennessee center Jonas Aidoo, Wisconsin guard Chucky Hepburn, Saint Mary’s guard Aidan Mahaney and SMU guard Zhuric Phelps are among the potential key players who entered the portal over the past two weeks. Some are All-America caliber players and made their respective all-conference teams.

Handlers and athletes are narrowing their choices down ahead of time and aren’t going through the motions of being courted on several visits, as was the norm a few years ago. Former Belmont guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie entered the portal on March 19 and found a new home at Maryland eight days later. Former Colorado center Eddie Lampkin took about six days before pledging to Syracuse. Former Virginia Tech center Lynn Kidd entered the portal March 25 and committed to Miami three days later.

Some teams like Houston only had one or two scholarships going into the offseason; after signing former Oklahoma guard Milos Uzan, the Cougars are now done portaling assuming no one decides to transfer out.

The ebbs and flows of Portalpalooza can be volatile. Some teams, like Drexel, didn’t lose a single player to the madness a year ago, while others like Louisville or Arizona State can’t seem to keep any of their guys from leaving.

A year ago, more than 1,800 men’s basketball players entered their names, and this offseason could see an even bigger number with the NCAA formally allowing for multi-time transfers. Meaning, if you picked a bad fit (again), you can just hop back in the portal and find another suitor.

“I don’t see how you stop it, especially if they commit before August or before school starts in the fall,” said an ACC assistant coach, who was granted anonymity in exchange for his candor. “How can you rule all those multi-transfers ineligible? I don’t think it’s possible, so that’s why you’re seeing so many kids hop in the portal for the second or third time.”

As for some of the top guys already in the portal, these are the schools they’re hearing from:

• One of the country’s most underrated guards, former Minnesota’s Hawkins is hearing from Kentucky, Creighton, Texas Tech, Villanova, Pittsburgh and Florida State.

Since entering the transfer portal, Elijah Hawkins had heard from:

Kentucky
Creighton
Texas Tech
Villanova
Florida State
South Carolina
Wake Forest
West Virgina
Seton Hall
Oklahoma State
Pittsburgh
Tennessee
Georgia
Vanderbilt
Washington State@TheAthleticCBB pic.twitter.com/yvk3UznJvl

— Tobias Bass (@tobias_bass) April 23, 2024

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• Utah State transfer and reigning Mountain West player of the year Great Osobor has planned four visits, Kentucky (April 29-May 1), Louisville (May 1-3), Texas Tech (May 4-6) and Washington (May 7-9).

• Sources briefed on the discussions told The Athletic that former Oregon State guard Jordan Pope has heard from Miami, Florida, Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M, Kansas, Michigan, North Carolina and Arizona. He has already visited Texas (April 16-17) and Texas A&M (April 19). Expect the Pac-12’s fifth-leading scorer to make a decision soon. He will pick between rivals the Longhorns and the Aggies. How’s that for a throwback?

• Former Illinois State forward Myles Foster is receiving interest from Iowa, Xavier, Arizona State, San Diego State, DePaul, Florida and many others.

Early portal winners

UCLA: The Bruins have added four players: two-time transfer guard Skyy Clark (Illinois, Louisville), Pac-12 rival forward Tyler Bilodeau (Oregon State), across-the-street rival (USC) forward Kobe Johnson and former Oklahoma State forward Eric Dailey Jr.

Kansas: After his depleted Jayhawks team lost 89-68 to Gonzaga in the second round, coach Bill Self said, “For the last month I’ve been thinking about next season, to be honest.” And it’s obvious. Since the season ended, the Jayhawks have added Lawrence, Kansas, native Zeke Mayo (South Dakota State); former Florida guard Riley Kugel; and Wisconsin wing AJ Storr. A potential starting lineup of DaJuan Harris Jr., Mayo, Storr, KJ Adams and Hunter Dickinson is arguably the best starting five in the country.

Indiana: After a disappointing 19-14 season, Mike Woodson is putting together quite the roster in Bloomington. The Hoosiers have added Pac-12 All-Freshman team selection Myles Rice (Washington State); one of the best bigs in the country in Oumar Ballo from Arizona; and a dynamic scoring guard in Kanaan Carlyle.

🚨NEWS: Kanaan Carlyle will transfer to Indiana

Carlyle, a top-50 recruit averaged 11.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game last season at Stanford

Carlyle was the No. 10 prospect in @TheAthleticCBB transfer portal rankings

The Hoosiers arguably have one of the best… pic.twitter.com/g6R2FbCN0a

— Tobias Bass (@tobias_bass) April 20, 2024

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Like Kansas, the Hoosiers arguably have one of the best starting fives in the country, with returnees Mackenzie Mgbako and Malik Reneau rounding out the unit.

Louisville: Cardinals fans needed a win — actually, maybe a few — and new coach Pat Kelsey has brought over two of his players from Charleston in Reyne Smith and James Scott. Louisville also added Sun Belt Player of the Year Terrence Edwards Jr., who averaged 17.2 points per game at James Madison; two scoring guards in Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year Koren Johnson (Washington) and J’Vonne Hadley (Colorado); and BYU center Aly Khalifa. Louisville has also hosted former four-star recruit and Washington transfer Wesley Yates and is the favorite to sign him.

Memphis: The Tigers had an up-and-down season in 2023-24. At one point, they were ranked in the Top 10 but failed to make the NCAA Tournament and passed on an NIT invitation. So far, they have picked up four transfers, starting with one of the nation’s best scorers, former Tulsa guard PJ Haggerty (21.2 ppg), as well as former Illinois forward Dain Dainja, guard Colby Rogers — who averaged 16.4 points per game at Wichita State — and two-time transfer guard Tyrese Hunter (Iowa State, Texas).

🚨NEWS: Colby Rogers will transfer to Memphis

He averaged 16.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game this season at Wichita State

The Tigers portal additions so far:
🐅PJ Haggerty
🐅Dain Dainja pic.twitter.com/DTo9Y9BTw0

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— Tobias Bass (@tobias_bass) April 15, 2024

Michigan: Rising star coach Dusty May has put together an elite coaching staff that is quickly making the Wolverines one of the more intriguing teams going into the 2024-25 season. So far, they’ve added five transfers starting with big man in the middle Danny Wolf (Yale), followed by breakout candidate Roddy Gayle Jr. (Ohio State). Next, they added a pair of point guards in Rubin Jones (North Texas) and Tre Donaldson (Auburn). Lastly, they added one of my favorite and most intriguing prospects in the country for next season, Sam Walters from Alabama. The Wolverines aren’t done, either.

USC: New coach Eric Musselman has signed eight players (seven transfers and one top-50 recruit). The Trojans have hit the ground running, as all seven transfers averaged 11.6 points per game or more: Northern Colorado forward Saint Thomas (19.7 ppg), Bryce Pope (San Diego), Clark Slajchert (Penn), Josh Cohen (UMass), Rashaun Agee (Bowling Green), Matt Knowling (Yale) and my favorite addition of the group, Chibuzo Ago a mismatch nightmare from Boise State.

(Photo of Michigan coach Dusty May: Junfu Han / USA Today)