FBI joins search for women who disappeared in Oklahoma picking up kids

Federal investigators are joining the search for Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley, two women who went missing at the end of March – authorities believe foul play is involved

This photo combo shows from left, Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley (AP)

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Oklahoma City is joining the search for two Kansas women who went missing in Oklahoma at the end of March.

Law enforcement officials in Oklahoma have been searching for Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, since 30 March. The two women were driving from Kansas to Oklahoma to pick up Ms Butler’s children to attend a birthday party but never showed up.

A vehicle, believed to be the one the two women were traveling in, was found abandoned on Highway 95 and Road L near the Kansas and Oklahoma border

Investigators said that based on the vehicle, foul play is suspected. It is unclear at this time what was found in the vehicle.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) and Texas County Sheriff’s Department were already conducting searches and investigations for Ms Butler and Ms Kelley. Now the FBI based in Oklahoma City is joining that.

A spokesperson for the FBI Oklahoma City bureau told Fox News it is “providing additional resources to the investigation, but the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation remains the lead agency."

The Independent has reached out to the FBI in Oklahoma City for comment.

This photo combo shows from left, Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley (AP)

So far no arrests have been made nor have any suspects or persons of interest been publicly identified by law enforcement officials. But officials said they are working “around the clock” to try and find out what happened to Ms Butler and Ms Kelley.

This includes searching the rural area where the abandoned vehicle was found in Texas County, approximately 11 miles south of Elkhart, Kansas and 260 miles northwest of Oklahoma City.

Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact the OSBI at tips@osbi.ok.gov or 1-800-522-8017.