Connect with us

Kansas

OSBI: A 5th Suspect Arrested Following The Deaths Of 2 Women Found In Texas County

Published

on

OSBI: A 5th Suspect Arrested Following The Deaths Of 2 Women Found In Texas County


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.”

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.

4 suspectsImage 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.

Advertisement

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

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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





Source link

Kansas

Kansas federal attorneys went 5 months without pay, sparking constitutional crisis

Published

on

Kansas federal attorneys went 5 months without pay, sparking constitutional crisis


TOPEKA — For nearly 20 weeks, certain lawyers, paralegals, psychologists, interpreters, court reporters and investigators were not paid. Federal funding for a group of criminal justice professionals expired in early July, and the government promised to reimburse them in October, but the longest shutdown in U.S. history delayed that promise. As of Nov. 14, the […]



Source link

Continue Reading

Kansas

Boyfriend suspected of shooting at KCK home, killing woman: affidavit

Published

on

Boyfriend suspected of shooting at KCK home, killing woman: affidavit


KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Multiple shots were fired at a house where a Halloween party was taking place in a suspected domestic violence incident that killed a 20-year-old woman in Kansas City, Kansas, earlier this month, according to court records released Wednesday.

An affidavit released by Wyandotte County District Court details what happened in the early-morning hours of Nov. 1 at the Kansas City, Kansas, home, where Ana Juarez was fatally shot. The affidavit was filed in the case of 22-year-old Kevin Calamaco-Morales, who is accused of killing Juarez. Charging documents say the two were in a relationship.

Officers with the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department were called to the home on North 11th Street near Barnett Avenue just before 4:30 a.m. Nov. 1. Officers found Juarez with a gunshot wound to her lower back. She was taken to a hospital, where she died from her injuries.

Investigators interviewed witnesses inside the house and collected video, phone records and Facebook messages sent to the victim that led them to arrest Calamaco-Morales, according to the affidavit.

Advertisement

FOX4 has reached out to an attorney listed for Calamaco-Morales for comment.

Witnesses told police that Juarez went out with friends to Westport and some house parties for Halloween. Back at the house in KCK, they said they noticed Juarez was ignoring her phone, which was “blowing up” with calls or texts. Moments later, they heard gunshots, the witnesses said, and they took cover. Some of the witnesses stated that they saw Juarez getting up and opening the front door.

By the time the witnesses came out from hiding, police officers arrived, and Juarez was lying on the ground.

The house had been hit by gunfire, with some of the bullets entering the home. The victim’s car was also hit by a bullet with the driver’s side window shattered.

Charging documents say that at least one witness told police they believed Calamaco-Morales was involved in the shooting due to his attitude toward Juarez leading up to their Halloween plans. The witness claimed Juarez told them that Calamaco-Morales was controlling and that he initially didn’t want her to go out for Halloween.

Advertisement

Investigators obtained phone records that showed that a number registered to Calamaco-Morales called her 18 times between 4:21 and 4:23 a.m., according to the affidavit. The affidavit also says investigators recovered Facebook messages that were sent to the victim at 4:21 a.m.

Kansas City, Kansas, police took Calamaco-Morales into custody later that day for questioning.

Police also noted that at the address where Calamaco-Morales was taken into custody, they noticed a Honda Accord that was similar to the suspect vehicle they saw on a video that was captured near the shooting scene that morning. The video showed a vehicle parking in front of the home at 4:19 a.m. and a person exiting the passenger side and firing shots.

Charging documents say the Honda had a Kansas tag that was flagged by a license plate reader as being at Seventh Street and Quindaro Boulevard at 4:31 a.m., about nine minutes after the shooting and two miles from the scene.

Calamaco-Morales was arrested and Wyandotte County prosecutors charged him with first-degree murder and criminal discharge of a firearm on Nov. 3.

Advertisement

He remains in the Wyandotte County jail with bond set at $500,000.

The next court hearing is set for Dec. 16.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Kansas

How to Watch Kansas vs Duke: Live Stream NCAA Men’s College Basketball, TV Channel

Published

on

How to Watch Kansas vs Duke: Live Stream NCAA Men’s College Basketball, TV Channel


The No. 25 Kansas Jayhawks (3-1) travel to Madison Square Garden to face the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils (4-0) in a neutral-site Men’s College Basketball matchup.

How to Watch Kansas vs Duke

  • When: Tuesday, November 18, 2025
  • Time: 9:00 PM ET
  • TV Channel: ESPN
  • Live Stream: Fubo (try for free)

Perennial powerhouse Kansas has gotten off to a 3-1 start, although its wins haven’t been as impressive as voters would have liked, as they’ve almost dropped from the AP polls. Their last win was a 76-57 home victory over Princeton, in which the defense held Princeton to just 31% from the field. The Jayhawks are strong inside, with Flory Bidunga making 10-of-11 shots for 25 points, but the perimeter game was abhorrent, with Kansas making just 5-of-21 from the 3-point line. 

Duke has started where they left off last season, looking like one of the favorites to win the NCAA Championship. After a slow start in a 75-60 win over Texas earlier in the season, the Blue Devils have fired on all cylinders, defeating Western Carolina, Army, and Indiana State in impressive fashion. The 100-62 win over Indiana State was notable for the all-world performance put on by Cameron Boozer, who scored 35 points to go with 12 rebounds, five assists, three steals, and three blocks, missing only three of his 16 shot attempts.

This is a great Men’s College Basketball matchup that you will not want to miss; make sure to tune in and catch all the action.

Live stream Kansas vs Duke on Fubo: Watch the event now!

Advertisement

Regional restrictions may apply. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending