Oklahoma woman facing murder and kidnapping charges chaired rural county’s GOP

In Oklahoma, four people are facing criminal charges in connection with the deaths of two Kansas women who disappeared in Oklahoma's panhandle. And according to KOCO Channel 5 News in Oklahoma City, one of them, Tifany Adams, was chosen as chair of the Cimarron County, Oklahoma Republican Party in 2023.

KOCO's Abigail Ogle reports that Adams, Tad Cullum, Cole Twombly and Cora Twombly have been arrested on murder and kidnapping charges in connection with the deaths of Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley.

An arrest affidavit stated that "Butler was in a problematic custody battle with Tifany Adams for custody of Butler's two children."

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State Sen. Nathan Dahm, who chairs the Oklahoma Republican Party, addressed the "horrible tragedy" in a public statement on Tuesday, April 16.

Dahm said, "This is a tragic situation, with innocent children being at the center of this still-developing situation. While we at the Oklahoma Republican Party have no personal relationship or knowledge of the individuals who have been accused in this senseless crime, we have been made aware that Ms. Adams was previously elected by a handful of people to the role of chair in her county. We ask everyone to join us in praying for the family and most especially the children devastated by this horrible tragedy."

According to Ogle, Butler and Kelley "were on their way from Kansas to pick up Butler's children from Adams" when they disappeared.

Adams, Tad Cullum, Cole Twombly and Cora Twombly, Ogle reports, were arrested in Texas County, Oklahoma and are facing "two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping and one count of conspiracy to commit murder."

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"During law enforcement's search for the two women," Ogle explains, "investigators found two bodies in rural Texas County, which were sent to the Oklahoma Medical Examiner's Office for identification. On Tuesday, they were positively identified as Kelley and Butler."

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Read KOCO Channel 5 News' full report at this link.