TX - James, 48 & Michelle Butler, 46, driving RV to Fort Lauderdale from Corpus Christi, 14 Oct 2019

[truetexan]

if you see an issue here in WS, please alert a mod

All good here so far just wanted to be sure we are safe here. I have something on my mind about this tow company but not sure I want to go into it yet or at all in the public forum

 

[Wyle_E_Coyote]

All good here so far just wanted to be sure we are safe here. I have something on my mind about this tow company but not sure I want to go into it yet or at all in the public forum

We are as safe here as anywhere online. If you don't post personal info, you'll be fine. WS keeps posters as anonymous as it can. Anyone doxing members or even attempting to dox members gets banned.

 

[zecats]

Park Ranger reports she stopped ACW on Oct 13th aprox 5:38pm in a grey Chevy Silverado with Utah plates.
Silver Chevy Silverado and RV Utah plates in Weber parking lot on Thurs Oct 17, Fri Oct 18 and Saturday Oct 19 TexStar Wrecker Services picked up Chevy and RV. Then the Chevy and RV are crossing the boarder of Mexico on Oct 21st. (I have my own thoughts on this...back to they had help)

Different truck I believe. You mentioned Utah plates. Comments on North Padre Islanders about him being pulled over are discussing same. Older Silverado vs the Butlers’ newer model. Ironic as that seems, it explains some things.

 

[truetexan]

Different truck I believe. You mentioned Utah plates. Comments on North Padre Islanders about him being pulled over are discussing same. Older Silverado vs the Butlers’ newer model. Ironic as that seems, it explains some things.

Yes this is part of what I was looking into when I saw something that I wasn't sure I wanted to get into in public forum. Has to do with the tow company

 

[otto]

Park Ranger reports she stopped ACW on Oct 13th aprox 5:38pm in a grey Chevy Silverado with Utah plates.

Silver Chevy Silverado and RV Utah plates in Weber parking lot on Thurs Oct 17, Fri Oct 18 and Saturday Oct 19 TexStar Wrecker Services picked up Chevy and RV. Then the Chevy and RV are crossing the boarder of Mexico on Oct 21st. (I have my own thoughts on this...back to they had help)

So the suspects had a Chevy Silverado and RV with Utah plates that they abandoned at the Bingo hall, and they stole a different Silver Truck and trailer? Was there a time gap where the trailer was on the beach but the truck was missing between the 18th and 19th? Were the suspects in the process of switching vehicles? Was their truck also left at the Bingo hall?

Trying to sort this out ... the silver truck and beige or white trailer were first registered at the campground by the female suspect. The couple checked out of the RV Park on Oct 14. If the victims were intentionally on the beach later that day of Oct 14 or on Oct 15, how did that happen? If the family sent photos and mentioned moving to the beach on Oct 15, how did they not register the vehicles on Oct 14?

Is it a bit lax with camping permits in the area? Are camping permits given out to friends of friends as long as the original friend registers the vehicles? I don't understand how they could have arrived on the 14th, everything was fine on the 15th, but one of the suspects registered their vehicles - or is that a mistake, that the suspects registered their vehicles on Oct 13th?

 

[truetexan]

Pretty lax yes. I also think that this was part of the plan to create doubt and issues with investigation.

 

[truetexan]

This might help on the camping area. There are a few options in that area. The county lines do change. There is also a blocked off area where it changes from free to a small fee along the beach area. Camping - Padre Island National Seashore (U.S. National Park Service)
Padre Island National Seashore boasts two established campgrounds and more than 64 miles open to primitive beach camping.

All campgrounds are open year-round. No reservations are accepted, as camping is first-come, first-served. Campers, including beach campers, must have a camping permit, which is available from the kiosks at the entrances of each campground.

There are no RV hook-ups anywhere in the park, but an RV dump station and a water filling station are available for all campers staying in the park.

Check out time for Malaquite Campground and Bird Island Basin is 12:00 noon.
Ice is available from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. at the Malaquite Visitor Center.

No food, firewood, or fishing licenses are sold in the park, and the park does not have a gas station. The nearest amenities from the park entrance station are about 12 miles away, so please come prepared. The park also does not have a post office or sell stamps, and cannot mail items for visitors.

Camping is permitted only in the five camping areas available for public use. Please see the individual campground descriptions below for more details.

Malaquite Campground

Bird Island Basin Campground

North Beach

South Beach

Yarborough Pass

 

[truetexan]

North Beach >> North Beach - Padre Island National Seashore (U.S. National Park Service)
Fee: Park entrance fee required as well as a free camping permit available at the park entrance station and the self-registration kiosk at the entrance to North Beach.

Description: North Beach is the shoreline that runs along the northernmost section of the National Seashore, along the Gulf of Mexico. All camping in this area is primitive and open to RV and tent camping.

 

[ohiobuckeyegirl]

So did he shave his head? To reveal a scalp covered in tattoos? <facepalm> I just can't with this guy

I'm thinking he shaved it because he knew he was going back to jail/prison. You know, to look real bad when he got picked up. He obviously didn't shave it to blend in to the Mexican population. He knew his time was up.

 

[ohiobuckeyegirl]

I hope this isn't a situation where a woman with a child is determined to be less culpable because she is female or has given birth. Women want equality in all things, and criminal prosecutions should generously recognize that she is equally responsible for the murders and theft.
Probably will say she had no idea he was going to kill them and he forced her to go with him to mexico. Heard that story a time or two by some of these types :/ She's probably singing like a canary right now.

 

[otto]

This might help on the camping area. There are a few options in that area. The county lines do change. There is also a blocked off area where it changes from free to a small fee along the beach area. Camping - Padre Island National Seashore (U.S. National Park Service)
Padre Island National Seashore boasts two established campgrounds and more than 64 miles open to primitive beach camping.

All campgrounds are open year-round. No reservations are accepted, as camping is first-come, first-served. Campers, including beach campers, must have a camping permit, which is available from the kiosks at the entrances of each campground.

There are no RV hook-ups anywhere in the park, but an RV dump station and a water filling station are available for all campers staying in the park.

Check out time for Malaquite Campground and Bird Island Basin is 12:00 noon.
Ice is available from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. at the Malaquite Visitor Center.

No food, firewood, or fishing licenses are sold in the park, and the park does not have a gas station. The nearest amenities from the park entrance station are about 12 miles away, so please come prepared. The park also does not have a post office or sell stamps, and cannot mail items for visitors.

Camping is permitted only in the five camping areas available for public use. Please see the individual campground descriptions below for more details.

Malaquite Campground

Bird Island Basin Campground

North Beach

South Beach

Yarborough Pass

Is there any possibility that the Butlers parked at a campground and neglected to register for a couple of days?

" Campers, including beach campers, must have a camping permit, which is available from the kiosks at the entrances of each campground."
​

Although it has been reported that the female suspect registered a silver truck and RV camper at the campground, was that October 13? , is there any reason to think the vehicles she registered are the same as the victim's Silver Truck and beige or white RV camper?

What license plates are attached to the campground registration of silver vehicles?

 

[truetexan]

First Look: Adam Curtis Williams' arrest affidavit released
Author: Jonathan Munson
Published: 1:08 PM CST November 7, 2019
Updated: 10:05 PM CST November 7, 2019
KLEBERG COUNTY, Texas — Authorities have released the arrest affidavit for Adam Curtis Williams, the man wanted for felony theft in connection with the deaths of James and Michelle Butler, a couple from New Hampshire whose bodies were found buried in a shallow grave on North Padre Island in Kleberg County, Texas.

The document details the investigation leading up to authorities securing a warrant for Williams' arrest.
Williams was captured by Mexican authorities and extradited to Kleberg County on Wednesday.

According to the affidavit, the Kleberg County Sheriff's Office was contacted on the afternoon of Oct. 23 about several social media posts about the missing New Hampshire couple. They had not been seen or heard from in over a week. They were last known to be camping near Beach Marker 262 on Padre Island, a couple miles south of Bob Hall Pier.

Investigators then learned that the Butlers had last been heard from by relatives at around 1 p.m. Oct. 16 via text message.

A Kleberg County deputy went to Padre Balli Park, where the couple was last seen, and learned that they had rented RV space at the park from Monday, Sept. 30, to Monday, Oct. 14. They learned that the Butlers were traveling in a 2018 silver truck and were pulling a white Cedar Creek RV.

A missing persons report was filed for the butlers that same day, Oct. 23.

Authorities continued to investigate and determined that the Butlers had checked out of the RV camp spot around noon on Oct. 15.

On Monday, Oct. 28, Texas Rangers received photographs from the Eagle Pass Police Department that were taken at around 10:58 p.m. Monday, Oct. 21. The photographs were of a truck and RV matching the description of the Butlers' vehicles. They were being driven by a white male, later identified as Adam Curtis Williams. A female passenger, later identified as Amanda Noverr, could be seen in the post.
Eagle Pass authorities confirmed that the vehicle was heading to Piedras Negras, Mexico, via the Eagle Pass toll bridge.

On Monday, Oct. 28, two bodies were discovered at the beach where the Butlers were believed to have been camping. On Nov. 1, they were positively identified as James and Michelle Butler.

On Monday, Nov. 4, investigators observed body camera footage of a traffic stop on Malequite Beach in which a Park Ranger stopped a vehicle belonging to Adam Curtis Williams. He was issued a citation for not wearing a seat belt.

After the two individuals in the photograph taken by the Eagle Pass Police Department were identified, the Kleberg County Sheriff's Office contacted wrecker services in hopes of finding Williams' truck. It was learned that his truck had been found abandoned in the parking lot of Weber Bingo. The wrecker service said they had received calls about it from Weber Bingo on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, Oct. 17-19. The truck was towed away on Saturday, Oct. 19.

Authorities also learned that a Padre Island Camping Registration form had been filled out by a Tori Williams with a Utah driver's license, listing a silver truck and tan trailer as their vehicles.

A warrant was issued for Williams' arrest on Monday, Nov. 4 for felony theft. Williams was captured by authorities in Jalisco, Mexico, and extradited to Kleberg County on Wednesday evening. He is expected to make a court appearance at 8:30 a.m. Friday before Judge Jack Pulcher.

 

[otto]

North Beach >> North Beach - Padre Island National Seashore (U.S. National Park Service)
Fee: Park entrance fee required as well as a free camping permit available at the park entrance station and the self-registration kiosk at the entrance to North Beach.

Description: North Beach is the shoreline that runs along the northernmost section of the National Seashore, along the Gulf of Mexico. All camping in this area is primitive and open to RV and tent camping.

So it seems more likely that the suspects registered their own silver truck and RV camper, maybe on October 13, and drove away with a nicer truck and camper on October 19? Maybe there was a bit of back and forth between campers on Oct 18, but by Oct 19 the suspect's truck and camper were towed away from the Bingo hall?

Why hasn't it been reported that the victims registered their truck and camper at the gate or one of the campgrounds on October 14, when they left the RV Park towards the free beach?

 

[ohiobuckeyegirl]

I'm wondering if the Butlers sent the text about camping on the beach. We know they checked out of the RV park, and hopefully it has been confirmed that it was the Butlers who checked out. If the female suspect registered their vehicles to camp on the beach, that would have been October 14? A text was sent - was that October 16?

I'm half wondering if they were kidnapped on October 14 at the time they were checking out of the RV park. Maybe the two couples became friends and drove down the beach together, but the Butlers did not intend to camp there. Things went wrong, and their vehicles were then registered as belonging to the Utah couple.

I suppose I'm trying to figure out when this started and whether the Butlers were on the beach by choice.

One of them (Michelle?) posted pics on FB saying they were on the beach and would be there til they went to Florida via New Orleans. Could have been one of the suspects that posted it from her phone though, considering most people don't log out of FB on their personal cell phones.

 

[ohiobuckeyegirl]

I didn't think I could get any more sick to my stomach over this...but, I am. Realizing this creep was stopped for a seatbelt violation...if his name had been run, they would have realized this guy was wanted and he would have been in custody...and, James and Michelle would still be living their happy lives...I'm disgusted. Someone dropped the ball on this and now two innocent people are dead.

 

[zecats]

One of them (Michelle?) posted pics on FB saying they were on the beach and would be there til they went to Florida via New Orleans. Could have been one of the suspects that posted it from her phone though, considering most people don't log out of FB on their personal cell phones.

She posted photos of James and the camper, as he was setting up. And she mentioned their plans about heading to Ft Lauderdale and stopping over in New Orleans. That's too specific info and photos for it to have been anyone but Michelle posting it. IMO

 

[ohiobuckeyegirl]

Exactly. If he was charged with first degree murder, capital punishment is on the table and then other countries, like Canada and Mexico, refuse extradition.

Yep. Great thinking by the Texas authorities.

 

[zecats]

Yep. Great thinking by the Texas authorities.

It is clever. But it also might actually be the only thing they can charge him and her with at this time. At least it's enough to hold them while the investigation continues. And I'd bet $$ that LE believes they killed the Butlers.

$1.000.000 bond is a big amount for theft.

I'm waiting to hear if the truck and camper have been recovered as well. Evidence may be all over those vehicles. IMO

 

[ohiobuckeyegirl]

I was under the impression the other day, that the Butlers were camping on the beach that was not a designated camping area. Not a campground. This is where they disappeared from, not the campground they had been at initially. Someone from the area had stated you aren't supposed to camp there, but it's not really enforced.
I believe all of this was random and the Butlers were in the wrong place at the wrong time. The creep was running and saw this as an opportunity to get a better vehicle and camper and head over the border to hide from his warrants. He knew he was going back to prison with his new charges. He had nothing to lose. I think they ran into the Butlers on the beach and they all started talking. The Butlers told how they were going on to Florida and the evil ones probably figured it would be a while before anyone knew they were even missing. My husband and I travel a lot and we are always talking to strangers just like this. You meet locals or other travellers, and before you know it, you've told your whole life story and they've done the same. Scary now that I think about it.

 

[ohiobuckeyegirl]

It is clever. But it also might actually be the only thing they can charge him and her with at this time. At least it's enough to hold them while the investigation continues. And I'd bet $$ that LE believes they killed the Butlers.

$1.000.000 bond is a big amount for theft.

I'm waiting to hear if the truck and camper have been recovered as well. Evidence may be all over those vehicles. IMO

I also wonder if they stole credit cards from the victims. I suppose if they used a credit card of theirs, that could be a theft of services charge because they are purchasing a service illegally that they are not paying for. Maybe at a hotel or restaurant?