Autopsy Report Reveals Cause Of Death For Oklahoma Woman Killed In Texas County

A new report from the Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner reveals the cause of death for one of two women found dead in Texas County earlier this year.

39-year-old Jilian Kelley and 27-year-old Veronica Butler, residents of the town of Kansas, Oklahoma, vanished on a rural road in the Oklahoma Panhandle on March 30 while driving to a child custody arrangement.

Their bodies were eventually found sealed together in a freezer, which was buried under concrete.

Now, a newly released autopsy report shows Kelley, who had accompanied Butler on the journey, had attempted to fight off her attackers but did not survive multiple stab wounds to her head and neck.

The medical examiner determined Kelley’s death was rapid, noting that she suffered a spinal injury during the attack that would have left her unable to move or breathe.

Investigators said they also found possible TASER marks on her neck, which bolsters the state's case against the five suspects.

Prosecutors allege that Tiffany Adams, 54, embroiled in a bitter custody battle with Butler, orchestrated the attack and purchased tasers within days of the murders. Adams is the paternal grandmother of Butler’s children.

Adams, along with the other four suspects, Paul Grice, 31; Tad Cullum, 43; Cora Twombly, 44; and her husband Cole Twombly, 50, are all charged with kidnapping and murder. 

The autopsy report for Veronica Butler is expected to be released later this month.

The preliminary hearing for all five suspects is scheduled for sometime in December.