Authorities in Oklahoma have arrested four people on suspicion of kidnapping and murder in connection with the disappearance of two women in March.
The four people arrested and arrested on Saturday were identified as Tad Burt Karam, 43; Tiffany Machelle Adams, 54 years old. Cole Earl Twombly, 50 years old. and Cora Twombly (44).
They were booked into the Texas County Jail in Oklahoma on suspicion of first-degree murder, kidnapping and conspiracy to commit murder, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said in a statement Saturday.
State court records do not appear to indicate any charges have been filed, and the suspect's name is not yet listed among active inmates. It is not clear whether the suspect has legal representation.
Authorities did not say what was behind the disappearances, saying only that the four were arrested in Texas and Cimarron County, in the far western part of Oklahoma's Panhandle.
“OSBI and local law enforcement are still working to locate the two victims,” the bureau said.
Veronica Butler, 27, and Jillian Kelly, 39, were killed on March 30 after their car was found abandoned in a rural area of Texas County south of Elkhart. It was placed on an “endangered species disappearance advisory'' by Texas county authorities. Kansas, the department said.
“OSBI special agents immediately began investigating the vehicle and determined there was evidence of foul play,” it said in a statement Saturday.
Deputies with the Texas County Sheriff's Office first encountered the vehicle, department spokesman Hunter McKee previously said. They approached the car, but “the women left and were nowhere to be seen,” he said.
He said the investigation was challenged by how remote the area was, with few homes or businesses where authorities might typically find surveillance cameras.
Investigators did not say exactly what evidence suggested a crime may have occurred.
The two were on their way to pick up the children, but it is unclear whether the children belonged to one woman, both, or neither woman. Department spokesman Hunter McKee said investigators believe the two men were friends.
Butler's stepmother, Guadalupe Torres, said in an interview that Butler is in the midst of a bitter custody battle. She is a party to a custody claim that was first filed in 2021, according to court records.
Bookings related to the investigation included a murder charge, but authorities have so far not said they are searching for a body.
Anyone with information regarding the women's whereabouts is asked to contact the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation at tips@osbi.ok.gov or 1-800-522-8017.
