Midwest
Murdered Kansas mom suffered 30 stab, cut wounds trying to defend herself: autopsy
The full autopsy report for the second Kansas mom found buried in a freezer in a cow pasture after being reported missing on a road trip has been released.
The report, conducted by the Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, determined that Veronica Butler, 27, suffered 30 sharp force injuries, including nine stab wounds.
The report obtained by KOKH said ten of the wounds were consistent with Butler trying to defend herself, including grabbing the knife blade with her right hand.
“Given the extent of Ms. Butler’s injuries, including defects to both of her internal jugular veins with resultant exsanguination, it is my opinion that her death was very quick and likely occurred before she was placed inside the freezer and buried,” the reports said. “This opinion is additionally supported by the fact that her body appeared to have remained exactly how it was placed inside the freezer.”
COURT DOCUMENTS DETAIL CAUSE OF DEATH FOR MURDERED KANSAS MOMS
Jilian Kelley, left, and Veronica Butler, right, were heading to pick up Butler’s children to bring them back to a birthday party in Hugoton, Kansas, when they disappeared. (Texas County Sheriff’s Office/Oklahoma Highway Patrol/Shutterstock)
The autopsy was released over two weeks after the report on Jilian Kelley, 39, the other mom who went missing on the road trip, was released, revealing more details about her death.
Kelley’s report listed the probable cause of death as multiple sharp force trauma injuries, including nine stab wounds and seven other cuts. She also died trying to defend herself, according to the report.
The report said Kelley was also most likely dead before being placed in the freezer.
SUSPECTS CHARGED WITH KILLING KANSAS WOMEN BELONGED TO ANTI-GOVERNMENT ‘GOD’S MISFITS’ GROUP, AFFIDAVIT SAYS
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) arrested Tad Bert Cullum, 43, Tifany Machel Adams, 54, Cole Earl Twombly, 50, Cora Twombly, 44, and Paul Grice, 31, in connection with the womens’ deaths. (OSBI)
Butler and Kelley were last seen on March 30 heading to pick up their children before their car was found abandoned near the Oklahoma-Kansas border with foul play suspected, police said.
Both women’s bodies were found in a cow pasture inside a chest freezer.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) announced on April 13 that Tad Bert Cullum, 43, Tifany Machel Adams, 54, Cole Earl Twombly, 50, and Cora Twombly, 44, were taken into custody in connection to the murders.
A fifth suspect, 31-year-old Paul Grice, was arrested shortly after the other arrests were made.
MURDERED KANSAS MOMS SUSPECT BOUGHT TASERS, BURNERS BEFORE WOMEN WENT MISSING, SEARCHED ‘PAIN LEVEL’: DOCS
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 first-degree conspiracy to commit murder in connection to the killings of Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley. (Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation)
The four belonged to a religiously affiliated anti-government group called “God’s Misfits,” Fox News Digital previously reported. It was unclear if Grice was involved in the same anti-government group.
Adams, one of the women arrested, is reportedly the grandmother of Butler’s two children. Their motive, investigators say, was to get custody of the kids.
Wrangler Rickman, Adams’ son, had custody of the children but was confirmed to be in an Oklahoma rehab facility when the women disappeared. Butler was allowed supervised visitation with her children every Saturday and was likely to be granted unsupervised visitation during an upcoming hearing, per court documents.
The state is arguing that all the defendants should face a preliminary hearing together instead of a separate hearing since they allege that all five conspired and participated in the murders of Butler and Kelley.
The hearing for the Twomblys, Cullum and Adams is set for Dec. 17, KAKE reported. During that hearing, the judge will determine if there’s enough evidence to hold someone for trial.
Grice, whose bond was denied, waived his right to a preliminary hearing and will be in court on Feb. 18, 2025.
Read the full article from Here
PERRY TWP. ‒ Two people were killed and a juvenile was injured in a two-vehicle, head-on crash the morning of May 16 on U.S. Route 62, the Ohio State Highway Patrol said.
A 2019 Ford Ranger was traveling northbound when the vehicle traveled left of center and struck a southbound 2021 Honda Odyssey at 7:16 a.m., the patrol said. The Ford was operated by Cole Scholey, 21, of Beach City, and the Honda was driven by Kelly Kemp, 56, of Massillon.
Scholey was taken by the Perry Township Fire Department to Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital, where he died. Kemp was pronounced dead at the scene. A juvenile occupant in the Honda was transported to Aultman Hospital with serious injuries.
Neither Scholey nor Kemp were using safety belts, the patrol said. Speed is suspected as a factor in the crash, which remains under investigation.
Route 62 southbound lanes, south of Navarre Road, were closed for about three and a half hours.
The patrol was assisted at the scene by Perry Township and Massillon police, Perry Township and Erie Valley firefighters, Ohio Department of Transportation, Stark County Coroner’s Office and Tracer’s Towing.
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – Legislation was considered to split Dakota Territory east-west at the Missouri River instead of the current north-south split that was approved in 1889.
A retrospective released by the state of South Dakota on the 125th anniversary of statehood noted that the east-west proposal did have some support.
The East/West Dakota would have followed the Missouri River and aligned regions with similar geographic and cultural identities.
The north-south border decision was motivated partially by resentment between the northern and southern portions of Dakota Territory over the location of the state capital. In 1883, the territory’s capital was moved from Yankton to Bismarck.
Other reasons cited included separate railroad systems, economic ties to major eastern cities (Sioux Falls and Fargo) and the growth of separate systems of public institutions.
This fact brief responds to conversations such as this one.
Sources
State of South Dakota, 125th anniversary story
BigThink.com, East and West Dakota? Here’s What Those States Would Look Like
Medium, A Tale of Two States
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What to know about NCAA-tourney bound Wisconsin Badgers softball
The Wisconsin Badgers are headed to the NCAA softball tournament. These are some names to know, as well as some pertinent history.
Wisconsin softball could not keep up with the reigning national champions.
Texas – the No. 2 overall seed in the tournament – run-ruled the Badgers, 9-0, in six innings on May 16 in the Austin regional of the NCAA Tournament, easily sending UW to the consolation side of the double-elimination bracket.
Texas pitcher Teagan Kavan took a no-hitter into the fifth inning until Alivia Bark’s single. The Badgers’ only other baserunner during Kavan’s five innings in the circle was on a walk in the first inning.
The Badgers did not have a runner in scoring position until the sixth inning, when Emily Bojan hit a double off Texas reliever Cambria Salmon.
The Longhorns, meanwhile, wasted no time in distancing themselves from the Badgers with their bats. They scored three runs in the first inning after back-to-back hits by Kayden Henry and Katie Stewart, a sacrifice fly by Viviana Martinez and a two-run home run by Reese Atwood.
Texas scored another two runs on a Henry double in the second inning, prompting the Badgers to pull UW ace Shelby Jacobson. One day after her complete-game win over Baylor, Jacobson gave up five earned runs against the Longhorns in 1 ⅓ innings pitched.
Texas piled on with two more runs in the third inning in small-ball fashion after loading the bases, and completed the run-rule win with Henry’s two-run homer in the sixth inning – her third hit of the afternoon – off UW reliever Jordan Felci. (The mercy rule in college softball is eight runs after five or more innings.)
All three UW pitchers to face the Longhorns – Jacobson, Berritt Herr and then Felci – each gave up at least two runs against the host and SEC tournament champion.
When, who will Wisconsin softball play next
The Badgers will look to keep their tournament run alive later today in a consolation game against the winner of the Baylor-Wagner game. (The winner of UW’s next game would then need to defeat Texas twice on May 17 to win the Austin regional.)
UW defeated Baylor in the first round following Hannah Conger’s walk-off double in the ninth inning. Wagner is coming off a 9-1 loss against Texas. The first pitch of UW’s second game is expected to be at approximately 5 p.m., depending on the duration of the Baylor-Wagner game.
This story will be updated after Wisconsin’s second game against Baylor or Wagner.
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