Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, left together to pick up the minors, according to the Texas County Sheriff's Department. His vehicle was later found abandoned on the side of a road.
Butler's stepmother, Guadalupe Torres, and father, Clinton Butler, separately indicated to NBC News that Veronica had been involved in a heated custody dispute. Court records show a case on the matter was opened in late March 2015 and closed nearly a month later. It is presumed that Butler and Kelley are friends, an Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokesman said.