Permanent Memorial Planned Along OK-95 To Honor Butler And Kelley

A stretch of Oklahoma Highway 95, just south of the Kansas–Oklahoma line, will soon carry a permanent memorial honoring the lives of Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley—two mothers whose lives were tragically taken in 2024.

This week, enough funds were raised to install official highway markers along OK-95, the same roadway where Butler and Kelley were ambushed and killed. The renaming effort aims to transform a location marked by violence into a place of remembrance, love, and reflection.

Butler and Kelley were reported missing on March 30, 2024, after traveling from Hugoton, Kansas, into Oklahoma to pick up Butler’s children from their paternal grandmother. Their vehicle was later discovered abandoned along OK-95, triggering a multi-state investigation that ultimately led to the discovery of their bodies weeks later.

According to reporting from KSCB News, Veronica Butler’s father, Clint Butler, said the memorial is about reclaiming the space where unimaginable harm occurred and replacing it with honor and compassion.

“She wouldn’t want it, because she’s not that way,” Butler said of his daughter. “She’d say, ‘Dad, stop—it’s not about me, it’s about my kids.’ That’s who she was.”

The site where the women were attacked has already become an informal memorial, adorned with flowers, ribbons, and handwritten messages left by passersby and loved ones. For Butler, the outpouring of support has been a source of comfort amid ongoing grief.

“Of course everyone wishes it was different,” he said. “But we can’t change what happened. What we can see is the care—the empathy—that people have shown. That means more than words can say.”

Once the permanent markers are installed, Butler hopes they serve as more than roadside signs. He wants them to stand as reminders of love, even in the face of loss.

“Love every single day,” he said. “Even when someone is gone—still love, still show love.”

While Butler acknowledged that his daughter may not have sought recognition in life, he added, “Dads always know best. She does deserve it.”

The GoFundMe campaign established to fund the memorial markers has already reached its initial goal but remains active. Any additional funds raised will be used to purchase engraved footstones bearing photographs of Butler and Kelley.