Foul play suspected in disappearance of two women last seen in Oklahoma: officials

Authorities say there is now enough evidence to suspect foul play in the disappearance of Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley, two Kansas women who vanished over the weekend while traveling to pick up children, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI).

“Based on the information obtained from the victim’s vehicle, our investigators believe there was evidence to indicate foul play. We are still searching for these victims and there are no arrests at this time,” the OSBI said in a statement. 

On Tuesday, OSBI public information manager Hunter McKee told Fox News Digital that the women are believed to be “in danger” as it has now been days since they were last seen or heard from.

“We believe they are in danger because we have not heard from them in, coming up on three days now,” McKee previously said. “Where their vehicle was last seen was a very rural area of the state as well. We have not found them yet. We are doing everything we can.” 

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Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, were “traveling together to pick up children” on Saturday but they “never made it to the pick-up location,” according to the Texas County Sheriff’s Office.  

Instead, “their vehicle was found abandoned near Highway 95 and Road L, south of Elkhart, Kansas, in rural Texas County,” the OSBI said. 

The OBSI is describing the situation as a “suspicious disappearance case.” 

“Veronica has several tattoos, a Chinese symbol on her left forearm, a sunflower on her left shoulder,” says a missing persons advisory from the Texas County Sheriff’s Office. “Jilian has a butterfly tattoo on her left forearm.” 

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The alert describes Butler as being 5-feet 4-inches tall with red hair and green eyes, last seen wearing a blue short-sleeve shirt and denim shorts. 

Kelley has brown hair and blue eyes and was last seen wearing a long-sleeve shirt, blue jeans and tan or beige shoes, the alert adds. 

Kelley is also the wife of current Hugoton First Christian Church Pastor Heath Kelley, who is set to become the new minister at the Willow Christian Church in Indianola, Nebraska, according to the McCook Gazette. 

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“We believe in the power of prayer, and we believe God will bring them home safely,” Willow Christian Church wrote in a Facebook post Sunday ahead of a planned “time of prayer for Jilian Kelley and Veronica Butler and their families.” 

 

The agency is now working with the Texas County Sheriff’s Office, Oklahoma Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies to track down the two women. 

“We ask that anyone with additional information to contact us,” OSBI said.