A fifth suspect has been arrested in connection with the killings of two Kansas women who were found buried in a cattle pasture in rural Oklahoma earlier this month. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation announced the arrest of 31-year-old Paul Grice on two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping, and one count of conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree. Grice admitted to participating in the planning, killing, and burial of 27-year-old Veronica Butler and 39-year-old Jilian Kelley.
Butler and Kelley went missing on March 30 while driving from Hugoton, Kansas, to Four Corners, Oklahoma, for Butler’s supervised visit with her children. Their abandoned vehicle was discovered near a highway in Texas County, where investigators found evidence of a severe injury. Four other suspects, Tad Bert Cullum, Tifany Machel Adams, and married couple Cole Earl Twombly and Cora Gayle Twombly, have also been charged in connection with the murders.
Adams and Cullum, along with the Twomblys, allegedly engaged in a killing plot motivated by a custody battle between Butler and Adams, who is the grandmother of Butler’s children. Cell phone data from burner phones purchased by Adams led authorities to a pasture property rented by Cullum where the victims’ bodies were discovered in a dug hole. The state of the bodies indicated foul play as the cause of death.
The suspects are also accused of an unsuccessful attempt to kill Butler in February. All suspects have been assigned court-appointed attorneys and are facing charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy to commit murder. The investigation into this tragic incident continues as authorities work to bring justice for the victims and their families.
