FBI providing resources in search for missing Kansas women
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – The FBI is now providing resources to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation in the search for the two missing women from Hugoton.
Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, went missing on March 30, 2024. Authorities say the women were traveling to Oklahoma to pick up children but never made it.
Their vehicle was found abandoned on the side of the road near Highway 95 and Road L, south of Elkhart, Kansas, in Texas County, Oklahoma. While it is a remote area, you can see the main highway. The OSBI says that based on information from the vehicle, investigators believe there is evidence to indicate foul play.
In the distance, you can see the Yarbrough School. They voluntarily placed themselves on lockdown last week out of an abundance of caution.
According to NewsNation, the women were reportedly coming to an abandoned gas station called Four Corners, about five minutes from where the car was found. The women were supposed to be having a supervised custodial meet-up with Butler’s mother, the children’s guardian. This is not something the OSBI has been able to confirm with KSN.
KSN has contacted the OSBI repeatedly asking for an update or an interview and has been told they are unavailable and will let us know when they have information they can release.
Investigators tell KSN that they cannot share information about who the children are with now but that they are safe.
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On Monday, KSN’s Julia Thatcher and Photojournalist Payton Steiner talked to people in Hugoton. The town is covered in yellow ribbons. It’s one way the city shows support because many say they don’t know what to do.
On Tuesday, KSN traveled between Kansas and Oklahoma between Hugoton, Keyes, and Boise City. KSN talked to an OSBI agent at a gas station in Boise City. They said they had no updates; they just pulled into town and referred KSN to their public information officer.
On Wednesday, KSN stopped by the abandoned vehicle site and saw people from Hugoton stopping by to drop off flowers for a location marked with the yellow ribbons you see around Hugoton.
In every town, people said they were happy to see KSN still shining a light on the disappearance of Butler and Kelley.
People want to know why law enforcement will not release any additional details. Without new details, people are left feeling a sense of fear.
When KSN Anchor Julia Thatcher and Photojournalist Peyton Steiner started asking questions, some got physically uncomfortable. People wanted to talk about Butler and Kelley but not about other specifics of the investigation.
Right now, it seems to be a waiting game to learn more about what happened and the investigation to find them.
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