It began as a custody dispute in rural Oklahoma, but it ended with two young mothers found dead in a freezer buried in a cow pasture. The shocking case, now tied to an anti-government religious group and a former local GOP chair, has rattled communities across the Midwest.
Murder in the Heartland
New details are emerging about the killing of two Kansas mothers whose bodies were discovered in a buried freezer in rural Oklahoma last year. Prosecutors say that Tiffany Machel Adams, a county GOP chair, and reported member of a fringe religious group called “God’s Misfits” orchestrated the murders of Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley as part of a long and bitter custody dispute involving Butler’s children.
A Custody Battle Gone Wrong
In March 2024, Butler, 27, and Kelley, 39, set out from Kansas to pick up Butler’s two children from Adams in the Oklahoma Panhandle. Kelley, the wife of a Kansas pastor, had been appointed by a court to supervise Butler’s visitation. When their abandoned car was found along the roadside in Texas County investigators immediately suspected foul play. Within weeks their suspicions were confirmed. Butler and Kelley were dead, their bodies discovered inside a chest freezer buried in a pasture and covered with dirt, cement, and farm equipment.
Murder as a Mission
Authorities arrested Adams and her boyfriend, Tad Bert Cullum, along with Cole and Cora Twombly, charging them with two counts of murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy. Later, Paul Grice was also indicted. Prosecutors allege Adams was the architect of the scheme, recruiting the others and providing stun guns and burner phones to carry out the abduction. A teenager related to the Twomblys told investigators she overheard the group referring to a “mission” and was later instructed to clean their truck.
The Custody Battle
Court records and a recently filed wrongful death lawsuit paint a picture of escalating desperation. At the time of the crime, Adams was locked in a custody battle with Butler over her children. Butler initially won full custody in 2021, but Adams allegedly fabricated abuse claims against one of Butler’s relatives to have that custody stripped away. The children were placed with Butler’s ex and, effectively, under Adams’s control. By early 2024, however, Butler was on the verge of regaining custody after a judge discovered irregularities in Adams’s filings. She was scheduled to be granted unsupervised visitation on April 17, less than three weeks after she disappeared.
The Grandchildren Were Unknowingly Involved In The Burial
Investigators say the timing of the slayings is not a coincidence. The lawsuit alleges Adams threatened the judge in the custody case, then laid plans to eliminate Butler altogether. In a chilling detail, Butler’s mother claims Adams had her grandchildren carry ratchet straps in a store—straps that were later used to bind the freezer where their mother’s body was hidden.
Who Were God’s Misfits?
One of the unintended consequences of this case is the way it revealed the comings and going of “God’s Misfits,” the anti-government group that the defendants are allegedly affiliated with. The group’s Facebook page has since denounced the killings and rejected claims of extremism, but investigators say the ideology provided cover for violence.
The Trials Keep Getting Pushed Back
The trial dates for Adams, Cullum, and Cole Twombly have been pushed back to mid-2026. Cora Twombly and Paul Grice are expected to testify against the others. In the meantime, the Butler family has filed a wrongful death suit seeking damages and accountability.
Lawmakers Don’t Want People To Forget These Women
The case has resonated far beyond Oklahoma and Kansas, in part because it strikes at the intersection of family, faith, and political extremism. Lawmakers have even introduced a measure to rename part of State Highway 95 in Texas County the “Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley Memorial Highway.” It is meant as a reminder of two women who, in trying to maintain ties between a mother and her children, crossed paths with people who allegedly saw murder as a solution.
The Story Is Far From Over
As the trials creep closer, the families are left with the weight of grief and a single, haunting truth: the killings began not with violence, but with a custody fight — and ended with two mothers entombed in a pasture freezer.
