tmissing Kansas The women whose car was mysteriously found abandoned on the side of the road in Oklahoma were reportedly shot and pools of blood were discovered outside the vehicle.
Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, were traveling together to pick up Butler’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 children were staying with her ex-husband’s mother.
Kelley, described more as an acquaintance than a friend of Butler, is the wife of a pastor who supposedly supervises Butler’s visits to his children.
On March 20, ten days before her disappearance, Butler filed a petition with the court that would grant her more time with her children, with her goal being full custody, according to news nation.
Veronica Butler (pictured left), 27, and Jilian Kelley (pictured right), 39, were traveling together to pick up Kelley’s children on March 30.
Multiple pools of blood were found near the vehicle in the desolate Oklahoma panhandle, which was found 1,000 feet off Oklahoma State Highway 95, near a school Butler attended and graduated from in 2015.
Court documents claimed Butler and the children’s grandmother did not get along amid the ugly battle.
Butler has weekly, court-ordered visits every Saturday with the children, and Kelley is one of four people listed as supervising those visits.
ABC 7 reported that the visit was also intended to celebrate the birthday of Butler’s 6-year-old daughter.
they had done the 45-minute drive from Hugoton to a gas station in Eva, located near the Four Corners section of Oklahoma, but disappeared and the car was found just three miles from where they were supposed to meet.
Multiple pools of blood were found near the vehicle in the desolate Oklahoma panhandle, which was found 1,000 feet off 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 thank everyone who has shared prayer requests. We are receiving messages from all over the country from people praying for these two women and their families.’
Butler and Kelley were traveling 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 children were staying with her ex-husband’s mother.
Kelley is the wife of Pastor Heath Kelley, who serves two churches in Kansas and Nebraska.
The First Christian Church of Hugoton has also offered prayers on Facebook, while friends and family have started a meal train page for Kelley’s family.
Authorities continue to look for clues to the crime, but have not carried out a full-scale search and hopes are fading.
“It’s been over a week,” Hunter McKee, public information director for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, said Tuesday, according to Fox News.
“We’re hoping we can find them alive, but obviously it’s getting more difficult.”
Butler is described as 5 feet 4 inches tall, with red hair and green eyes. He has several tattoos, including a Chinese symbol on his left forearm and a sunflower on his left shoulder.
She was dressed in a blue short-sleeved shirt, jean shorts, and light Hey Dudes brand shoes.
Kelley, who is also from Hugoton, Kansas, was last seen Saturday with Butler.
The blue-eyed woman appears in the Missing Person brochure with blonde hair, but her hair color is now brown and she has a butterfly tattoo on her left forearm.
Court documents claimed Butler and the children’s grandmother did not get along amid the ugly battle.
Butler has weekly court-ordered visits every Saturday with the children, and Kelley is one of four people listed as supervising those visits.
The endangered missing persons pamphlet listing details about the women’s disappearance
He is believed to be wearing a long-sleeved shirt, white-washed blue jeans, and tan beige shoes.
The case remains under investigation by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the FBI.
OSBI has previously said there is evidence of foul play, and previously called it a “suspicious disappearance.”