Missing mothers in Kansas: Huge convoy of 20 police, including SWAT trucks, drives through the Oklahoma plains after tips about missing women
A massive convoy of SWAT trucks and police cars drives through rural Oklahoma following a tip about two missing women.
Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, traveled together to pick up Butler’s children, ages 6 and 8, on March 30.
They are believed to have been shot with a pool of blood lying on the ground next to their empty car.
The line of 20 police vehicles was seen speeding along a dirt road in the Oklahoma panhandle and is believed to be connected to their disappearance.
Veronica Butler (pictured left), 27, and Jilian Kelley (pictured right), 39, traveled together to pick up Kelley’s children on March 30
Butler is going through a nasty divorce and custody battle with her husband, Wrangler Cole Rickman, and the children were living with her ex-husband’s mother.
Kelley, described as more of an acquaintance than a friend of Butler, is a pastor’s wife who allegedly oversees Butler’s visits with his children.
On March 20, 10 days before they disappeared, Butler filed a petition in court that would allow her more time with her children, with her goal of full custody, according to News Nation.
The lawsuits claimed Butler and the children’s grandmother did not get along amid the nasty fight.
Butler has weekly, court-mandated visits every Saturday with the children, with Kelley one of four people listed as supervisors for those visits.
Several pools of blood were found near the vehicle in the desolate Oklahoma panhandle, which was found 1,000 feet from Oklahoma State Highway 95, near a school Butler attended and graduated from in 2015
ABC 7 reported that the visit was also intended to celebrate Butler’s 6-year-old daughter’s birthday.
they had made the 45 minute drive from Hugoton to a gas station in Eva, located near the Four Corners section of Oklahoma, but disappeared, with the car found only three miles from where they were supposed to meet.
Several pools of blood were found near the vehicle in the desolate Oklahoma panhandle, which was found 1,000 feet from Oklahoma State Highway 95, near a school Butler attended and graduated from in 2015.
Kelley is the wife of Pastor Heath Kelley, who serves two churches in Kansas and Nebraska.
On April 3, Kelley’s Willow Christian Church in Nebraska posted on Facebook: ‘We ask that you continue to pray for Jilian and Veronica and their families as the search and investigation continues.’
‘Pray for strength, wisdom and faith for all involved. We appreciate everyone who has shared the prayers. We are getting messages from all over the country of people praying for these two women and their families.’
Butler and Kelley traveled together to pick up Kelley’s children, ages 6 and 8, on March 30. New details have emerged about both women. Butler is going through a nasty divorce and custody battle with her husband, Wrangler Cole Rickman, and the kids were living with her ex-husband’s mother
Kelley is the wife of Pastor Heath Kelley, who serves two churches in Kansas and Nebraska
Hugoton First Christian Church has also offered prayers on Facebook, while friends and family have started one Meal train page for Kelley’s family.
Authorities continue to look for signs of foul play, but have not launched a large-scale search, and hope is running out.
“It’s more than a week,” Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation’s Public Information Manager Hunter McKee said Tuesday, according to the report Fox News.
‘We hope that we can find them alive, but of course it will become more and more challenging.’
Butler is described as 5 feet, 4 inches tall with red hair and green eyes. She has several tattoos, including a Chinese symbol on her left forearm and a sunflower on her left shoulder.
She was dressed in a blue short-sleeved shirt, denim shorts and light shoes by the brand Hey Dudes.
Kelley, who is also from Hugoton, Kansas, was last seen Saturday with Butler.
The blue-eyed woman is pictured in the Missing person flyer with blonde hair, but her hair color is now brown and has a butterfly tattoo on her left forearm.
The lawsuits claimed Butler and the children’s grandmother did not get along amid the nasty fight
Butler has weekly, court-mandated visits every Saturday with the children, with Kelley one of four people listed as supervisors for those visits
The endangered missing flyer detailing the women’s disappearance
She is believed to be wearing a long-sleeved shirt, washed blue jeans and tan beige shoes.
The case remains under investigation by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the FBI.
The OSBI has previously said there is evidence of foul play, previously calling it a ‘suspicious disappearance.’