They Vanished While Driving To Pick Up Their Children For A Birthday Party, And Investigators Believe Evidence Found Inside Their Abandoned Vehicle Indicates Foul Play
The disappearance of two mothers from Hugoton, Kansas, on March 30 has shocked the community and sent authorities on a diligent hunt for answers.
Veronica Butler, who is 27, and 39-year-old Jillian Kelley were traveling together to Oklahoma in order to pick up Veronica’s children. Afterward, they planned to attend a birthday party located in Kansas that same day.
However, according to Tom Singer – who is the pastor of the church that Veronica attended – neither of the women ever showed up.
After authorities with the Texas County Sheriff’s Office became involved, Veronica and Jillian’s vehicle was discovered abandoned “near Highway 95 and Road L, south of Elkhart, Kansas, in rural Texas County.” The investigation has since been turned over to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI).
According to Hunter McKee, a spokesperson for the OSBI, investigators also found evidence inside the vehicle suggesting foul play was involved in the women’s disappearance.
However, authorities have not disclosed what evidence was found in the car since this is an ongoing investigation.
“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 reported in a statement.
McKee also said that there are no children missing. Still, the search for Veronica and Jillian has been harrowing. He said that it is “becoming more and more challenging” to locate both women alive as time goes on with no signs of their whereabouts.
“It’s a lot of land. Middle of nowhere, so searches are still continuing. We are still working on talking with multiple people, and hopefully, we can find something soon,” McKee stated.
OSBI – pictured above are Veronica and Jilian
“It’s been over a week. We are hopeful that we can find them alive, but obviously, it’s becoming more and more challenging.”
So, the OSBI is calling the situation a “suspicious disappearance case,” and Veronica and Jillian’s loved ones are fighting for hope and answers.
Jillian is married to Heath Kelley, the current Hugoton First Christian Church Pastor, who is supposed to become the new minister of the Willow Christian Church in Indianola, Nebraska. The Willow Christian Church has been trying to spread awareness of Veronica and Jillian’s disappearance via a Facebook post.
“Please, please be in prayer for these women. Jillian is the wife of our new minister, Heath Kelley, and the sister-in-law of church member Hillary Kennedy. Please pray that Jillian and her friend Veronica are safe and that they are found quickly. God, please bring these women home to their families who are so worried about them,” the post reads.
Veronica is five foot four, has red hair and green eyes, and was last seen wearing denim shorts, a blue short-sleeved shirt, and Hey Dudes shoes.
She also has several tattoos, including a sunflower on her left shoulder and a Chinese symbol on her left forearm.
Jillian has brown hair and blue eyes and was last seen wearing white-washed blue jeans, a long-sleeve shirt, and tan or beige shoes. She has a tattoo of a butterfly on her left forearm.
If you have any information regarding their case, you are urged to contact the OSBI at (800) 522-8017.
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