Kansas community speaks on missing women
Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, of Hugoton, Kansas, remain missing.
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) - Two southwest Kansas women remain missing. Friends, family and neighbors are putting out the word about their disappearance.
Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, of Hugoton, Kansas, are gone under what authorities are calling "suspicious circumstances."
On Saturday, their car was found abandoned by Texas County, Oklahoma, sheriff's deputies in a rural area south of Elkhart, Kansas.
Since then, people in Hugoton have been posting about their disappearance, hoping to spread the word so they can be found.
The mother of Jilian Kelley said Kelley is loved by everyone and does a lot of volunteer work in the community. She's a mother to four kids.
She said Kelley is the secretary at Hugoton First Christian Church and runs all their children's programs.
Kelley and Veronica Butler were traveling to a rural home in Oklahoma to pick up children when they went missing. The OSBI would not confirm if the children were Butler's.
A close friend of Butler's says she is kind and good with kids and loves gardening, cooking and baking.
Her friend, who asked to remain anonymous, said Butler is also determined and always found a way to get things done.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is looking into their disappearance.
"As of right now, as the investigation continues and we were requested, we're unsure where these women are or what happened to them," said Hunter Mckee, OSBI Public Information Manager. "That unknown is what has created it suspicious for us at this time."
The OSBI is working with other law enforcement partners.
Mckee says anyone with information relating to the case should call their tip line at 1-800-522-8017.