OKLAHOMA (KSNW) – A suspect in the case of two missing Kansas women admitted responsibility for their deaths, according to court documents newly obtained by Nexstar’s KSN.
In the motions to hold four defendants without bail, it is stated, in part, that suspect Tifany Adams, 54, “did provide a recorded statement to law enforcement indicating her responsibility for the death of the deceased.”
The bodies of 27-year-old Veronica Butler and 39-year-old Jilian Kelley were found in rural Texas County on Sunday.
What Adams, the grandmother of Butler’s children, said in the recorded statement was not revealed in the court documents.
Adams was arrested Saturday along with her boyfriend, Tad Cullum, 43; Cora Twombly, 44, and her husband, Cole Twombly, 50, on charges of kidnapping and first-degree murder. All were members of the self-proclaimed anti-government group “God’s Misfits.”
The maximum sentence for murder is death, life or life without parole.
“Now faced with the consequences of a sentence of death or life in prison, the defendants would be willing to do anything since they have shown to be willing to commit capital murder in order to limit Veronica’s visitation,” court documents state.
The court documents also revealed that the bodies of Butler and Kelley were found in a pasture below a dam that Cullum rents for cattle grazing. The property, which is located 8.5 miles from the location where the women disappeared and where Butler’s vehicle was found, had fresh dirt work done, and discarded burner phones were found.
“The area of disturbed dirt was excavated, and the bodies of two individuals were discovered,” the court document states.
The bodies were identified Tuesday as those of Butler and Kelley. The court documents also stated that they died of foul play but did not go into details. They had disappeared on March 30 while driving to pick up Butler’s children.
Prosecutors say there had been many attempts to take Butler’s life. Other court documents show the years of turmoil between Butler and Adams, but efforts to secure a protection order did not get a judge’s approval.
KSN on Wednesday spoke with Clinton Butler, Veronica Butler’s father. When asked if he felt the justice system failed his daughter, he responded, “One hundred percent.”