Crime Stories with Nancy Grace iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline

FBI agent kidnapped by drug smugglers. Fake cop "equipped to deceive." 

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A police affidavit says Tiffany Adams allegedly gave statements indicating she was responsible for the deaths of Veronica Butler and Jillian Kelley. 

Investigators now say they believe Butler and Jillian Kelley were lured to the location, arriving around  9:40 a.m. Besides the pools of blood, officers found Butler’s glasses on the ground near a broken hammer.  Police say they believe the women were forced into another vehicle.

Much information has been released in the probable cause affidavit, but not the women's cause of death. The bodies were found in a cattle pasture, leased by Tad Bert Cullum, the boyfriend of grandmother Tiffany Adams. 

The location was narrowed down by cellphone data from three burner phones purchased by Adams. The phones first pinged at the location of Butler's abandoned car, the data then led police to the pasture property. Obvious signs of digging were discovered. A hole had been dug and filled back in. Inside the hole were the bodies of the missing women.

The motive, according to investigators, is custody of Butler’s two children: a custody battle has gone on for more than five years. Father Wrangler Rickman, Tiffany Adam’s son, had custody of the children, but Rickman was confirmed to be in a rehabilitation facility in Oklahoma City. 

 Veronica Butler’s custody arrangement allowed her supervised visitation with her children every Saturday. And reportedly, according to Butler’s attorney, she was likely to be granted unsupervised visitation during an upcoming hearing.

The affidavit states that  “Adams vehemently opposed this and went to great lengths to plan and purchase items used in Butler and Kelley’s murders,” It continues... “Adams, Cullum, Cole and Cora were willing to kidnap and murder two victims to limit visitation for Butler.”

Court documents allege that Adams and the other suspects tried to killer Butler once before in February.  Adams, her boyfriend, and the other couple drove to Butler’s home near Hugoton, Kansas, intending to kill her. A witness told investigators that the planned was to throw an anvil through Butler’s windshield while she was driving. They reasoned that it would look like an accident, but Butler did not leave her home.

As state investigators pulled information from Adams’ phone, it showed web searches for “taser pain level, gun shops, prepaid cellular phones, and how to get someone out of their house."  That’s also according to the probable cause documents. 

Adams reportedly purchased five stun guns before the women’s disappearances, according to the documents. She bought three prepaid, unregistered burner phones from a Walmart near her.  All the prepaid burners stopped transmitting the mornings the women went missing.

Joining Nancy Grace Today: 


Kelly Hyman- Trial & Civil Attorney, TV Legal Analyst, Podcast Host: "Once Upon a Crime In Hollywood", Twitter: @kellyhyman1, TikTok: @kelly.hyman, Instagram: @Kelly_Hyman1 
Sheryl McCollum  – Forensics Expert & Cold Case Investigative Research Institute Founder; Host of Podcast: “Zone 7;” X: @149Zone7
Irv Brandt – Senior Inspector, US Marshals Service International Investigations Branch; Chief Inspector, DOJ Office of International Affairs, US Embassy Kingston, Jamaica; Author: “SOLO SHOT: CURSE OF THE BLUE STONE” – AVAILABLE ON AMAZON IN JANUARY; ALSO “FLYING SOLO: Top of the World;” Twitter: @JackSoloAuthor
Dr. Kendall Crowns – Chief Medical Examiner Tarrant County (Ft Worth) and Lecturer: University of Texas Austin and Texas Christian University Medical School
Lauren Conlin – Investigative Journalist, Host of The Outlier Podcast, and also Host of “Corruption: What Happened to Grant Solomon; X- @Conlin_Lauren/ Instagram- @LaurenEmilyConlin/YouTube- @LaurenConlin4
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Missing Houston girl rescued from possible trafficking scheme. This suspect is tired of the 'paw-parazzi.' 

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For years she was labeled “Bones 20” the unidentified victim of the Green River Killer.

Now, thanks to police work and Othram Labs, the victim has been named as Tammy Liles. She was from Everett, Washington, and vanished in the summer of 1983. She was only 16 years old when she became a victim of serial killer Gary Ridgeway.

On this episode of Body Bags, Joseph Scott Morgan and Dave Mack will take you behind the headlines and into the lab that helped give a name to a young lady who spent decades being called “Bones 20."

Transcript Highlights  

00:0:16 Introduction – The Green River Killer last victim identified 

00:02:28 Talk about age reference  

00:06:32 Discussion of high-profile murders 

00:10:48 Talk about the Green River Killer 16-year-old victim 

00:15:56 Discussion of identifying remains 

00:20:54 Discussion of the Green River Killer evidence 

00:25:58 Talk about starting with incomplete skeleton 

00:29:41 Discussion of Genetic Genealogy 

00:34:51 Talking about Othram labs 

00:37:39 Conclusion; might be the most noble of pursuits 

 
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Christina Harris is found dead by a neighbor.

Harris’ cause of death was initially ruled accidental by the medical examiner's office after a blood sample tested positive for opiates, but her family is adamant Christina did not use drugs. The family even insisted officers test her frozen breast milk to prove it.

Harris was still breastfeeding an infant. Police ultimately arrest husband Jason Harris for poisoning his wife's cereal. Harris has now lost his appeal bid.

Joining Nancy Grace today:


Matthew Mangino – Attorney, Former District Attorney (Lawrence County); Author: “The Executioner’s Toll: The Crimes, Arrests, Trials, Appeals, Last Meals, Final Words and Executions of 46 Persons in the United States”
Dr. Shari Schwartz – Forensic Psychologist (Specializing in Capital Mitigation and Victim Advocacy); Author: “Criminal Behavior” and “Where Law and Psychology Intersect: Issues in Legal Psychology;” Twitter: @TrialDoc”
Justin Boardman – Retired Detective, West Valley City Police Department Special Victim’s Unit, Boardman Training & Consulting
Dr. Michelle DuPre – Former Forensic Pathologist, Medical Examiner and Detective: Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, Author: “Homicide Investigation Field Guide” & “Investigating Child Abuse Field Guide;” Forensic Consultant
Karen Drew – TV News Anchor/Investigative Reporter, WDIV TV, NBC Detroit; Instagram/Twitter: @KarenDrewTV

 

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As James and Jennifer Crumbley awaited sentencing for their conviction for involuntary manslaughter, both sought to avoid jail.

Their son Ethan Crumbley is serving life in prison for the school rampage where four were killed and seven others were injured. The gun used was given to the teen as a birthday present by his parents. James, convicted of involuntary manslaughter, asked the judge for "time served" and Jennifer asked the judge to let her serve her time on house arrest in a guest house at her attorney's home.

Oakland County Prosecutor Marc Keast has recommended 10-to-15-year jail sentences for both Jennifer and her husband, James. While James was in jail,  damning phone conversations surfaced in which Crumbley had allegedly threatened Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald.

In a call from October 9, 2023, five months before the trial, Crumbley says, “Yeah, Karen McDonald, you’re going down. … Go ahead, record this call. Send it to Karen McDonald. Tell her how James Crumbley is going to f------ take her down."

In a call on December 23, 2023, Crumbley says, “There will be retribution, believe me." 

The threats were bad enough that Crumbley's jail communication privileges were revoked during his trial.  Neither received the sentence they asked for.

Joining Nancy Grace Today: 


Jarrett Ferentino – Homicide Prosecutor in Pennsylvania and Host of, “True Crime Boss” Podcast; Facebook & Instagram: Jarrett Ferentino
Tom Smith – Former NYPD Detective, Co-Host of the “GOLD SHIELDS” Podcast; FB & Instagram: @thegoldshieldshow
 Dr. Shari Schwartz – Forensic Psychologist (Specializing in Capital Mitigation and Victim Advocacy); Author: “Criminal Behavior” and “Where Law and Psychology Intersect: Issues in Legal Psychology;” X: @TrialDoc”
Dr. Kendall Crowns – Chief Medical Examiner Tarrant County (Ft Worth) and Lecturer: University of Texas Austin and Texas Christian University Medical School
Lauren Conlin – Investigative Journalist, Host of The Outlier Podcast, and also Host of “Corruption: What Happened to Grant Solomon; X- @Conlin_Lauren/ Instagram- @LaurenEmilyConlin/YouTube- @LaurenConlin4 
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.