Oklahoma officials are investigating after the “suspicious” disappearance of two mothers from Hugoton, Kansas, who failed to pick up their children.
The Texas County Sheriff’s Department, in a press release posted on Facebook on Saturday, said 27-year-old Veronica Butler and 39-year-old Jilian Kelley were en route to pick up Butler’s children from a birthday party in Eva, Oklahoma, on Saturday, but never made it.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) is assisting with the case and called the disappearance suspicious in a Sunday statement.
Investigators discovered the car they were traveling in deserted in a rural area close to Highway 95 and Road L, south of Elkhart, Kansas, and south of the Oklahoma border.
The Kansas City Star reports that Kelley is married to Heath Kelley, a minister at Willow Christian Church in Indianola, Nebraska.
“Please, please be in prayer for these women,” the church posted on Facebook Sunday. “[Jilian] is the wife of our new minister, Heath Kelley, and the sister in law of church member Hillary Kennedy. Please pray that [Jilian] and her friend Veronica are safe and that they are found quickly. God please bring these women home to their families that are so worried about them.”
Butler is described as a white female who stands 5 feet, 4 inches tall, and has red hair and green eyes. She was last seen wearing denim shorts, a blue short-sleeved shirt, and HEYDUDE shoes.
“Veronica has several tattoos, a Chinese symbol on her left forearm, and a sunflower on her left shoulder. Jilian has a butterfly tattoo on her left forearm,” OHP added.
Kelley is described as a white female with brown hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a long-sleeved shirt, white-washed jeans, and tan or beige shoes.
“As of right now, as the investigation continues and we were requested, we’re unsure where these women are or what happened to them,” Hunter Mckee, the OSBI public information manager, said.
“That unknown is what has created it suspicious for us at this time.”
According to NewsNatioNow, Butler’s four children could be living with their paternal grandmother, who could possibly “have custody.”
Anyone with information on the case should contact the OSBI at 800-522-8017 or by email at tips@osbi.ok.gov.
The story is developing. Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photos via OSBI]
*Editor’s Note: A previous report indicated that the pair were en route to pick up Butler’s children from school. It has been changed to reflect that they were on their to pick up the children from a birthday party.*
