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| New Hampshire Couple’s Adventure Ends in Mysterious Death in Texas | New Hampshire Couple’s Adventure Ends in Mysterious Death in Texas |
| (2 days later) | |
| Seeking adventure, James Butler, 48, and Michelle Butler, 45, rented out their house in New Hampshire in the summer of 2018, bought an R.V. and set out to live anywhere but home. Their travels took them to New York, Arizona and, in October, to a campground on the South Texas coast. | Seeking adventure, James Butler, 48, and Michelle Butler, 45, rented out their house in New Hampshire in the summer of 2018, bought an R.V. and set out to live anywhere but home. Their travels took them to New York, Arizona and, in October, to a campground on the South Texas coast. |
| But then the Butlers disappeared. On Friday, the authorities said they had found their bodies buried in a shallow grave on the beach southeast of Corpus Christi. Their truck and R.V. were missing. The deaths were ruled homicides, and investigators are searching for those responsible for the killings. | But then the Butlers disappeared. On Friday, the authorities said they had found their bodies buried in a shallow grave on the beach southeast of Corpus Christi. Their truck and R.V. were missing. The deaths were ruled homicides, and investigators are searching for those responsible for the killings. |
| “I’m speechless, I guess,” the couple’s daughter-in-law, Caitlin Roth, said in an interview Monday evening. | “I’m speechless, I guess,” the couple’s daughter-in-law, Caitlin Roth, said in an interview Monday evening. |
| “They were good people, family people, they would do anything for anyone, give their shirt off their back for anyone,” she added. | “They were good people, family people, they would do anything for anyone, give their shirt off their back for anyone,” she added. |
| The Kleberg County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment Monday on how or when they believe the Butlers were killed. | The Kleberg County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment Monday on how or when they believe the Butlers were killed. |
| [Update: A man was arrested in Mexico and charged with stealing the Butlers’ truck.] | |
| On Tuesday, the authorities said that a warrant had been issued for the arrest of Adam Curtis Williams, 33, on a charge that he stole the Butlers’ truck and R.V. | On Tuesday, the authorities said that a warrant had been issued for the arrest of Adam Curtis Williams, 33, on a charge that he stole the Butlers’ truck and R.V. |
| At a news conference, John Hubert, the Kleberg County district attorney, said that the authorities believed that a man fitting Mr. Williams’s description and an unnamed woman crossed the border into Piedras Negras, Mexico. | At a news conference, John Hubert, the Kleberg County district attorney, said that the authorities believed that a man fitting Mr. Williams’s description and an unnamed woman crossed the border into Piedras Negras, Mexico. |
| The Butlers were bored with the monotony of everyday life when they decided about a year and a half ago to crisscross the country in an R.V., Ms. Roth said. | The Butlers were bored with the monotony of everyday life when they decided about a year and a half ago to crisscross the country in an R.V., Ms. Roth said. |
| Mr. Butler quit his job at a Walmart and Ms. Butler left her office job. The couple first drove the R.V. to New York to visit a friend, then to Arizona, where they stayed for months, picking up “odds and ends” jobs as they traveled, Ms. Roth said. | Mr. Butler quit his job at a Walmart and Ms. Butler left her office job. The couple first drove the R.V. to New York to visit a friend, then to Arizona, where they stayed for months, picking up “odds and ends” jobs as they traveled, Ms. Roth said. |
| “They didn’t have a destination when they started out,” she added. | “They didn’t have a destination when they started out,” she added. |
| In September, the couple returned to New Hampshire for Ms. Roth’s wedding to Ms. Butler’s son, Bradley Roth. After the wedding, James and Michelle Butler set out for Texas. | In September, the couple returned to New Hampshire for Ms. Roth’s wedding to Ms. Butler’s son, Bradley Roth. After the wedding, James and Michelle Butler set out for Texas. |
| They landed at Padre Balli Park near Corpus Christi on Oct. 14, where they paid $25 a night to park their R.V. at the campgrounds, according to Ms. Roth. Soon, the Butlers headed to a nearby beach where they could park free, Ms. Roth said. | They landed at Padre Balli Park near Corpus Christi on Oct. 14, where they paid $25 a night to park their R.V. at the campgrounds, according to Ms. Roth. Soon, the Butlers headed to a nearby beach where they could park free, Ms. Roth said. |
| On Oct. 15, the couple went to the post office to mail their granddaughter — who was starting horse riding lessons — Texas-made cowgirl boots. Two days later, when Ms. Roth tried to FaceTime the Butlers so they could see the excitement about the boots on their granddaughter’s face, the couple could not be reached. | On Oct. 15, the couple went to the post office to mail their granddaughter — who was starting horse riding lessons — Texas-made cowgirl boots. Two days later, when Ms. Roth tried to FaceTime the Butlers so they could see the excitement about the boots on their granddaughter’s face, the couple could not be reached. |
| “The messages were not going through and they didn’t answer,” Ms. Roth said. | “The messages were not going through and they didn’t answer,” Ms. Roth said. |
| A few days later, Ms. Roth still had not heard from the Butlers. On Oct. 23, she filed a missing persons report, she said. | A few days later, Ms. Roth still had not heard from the Butlers. On Oct. 23, she filed a missing persons report, she said. |
| Investigators used cellphone towers to approximate the Butlers’ last known location, leading them to an area of the beach on Padre Island known as “the bowl” for the way the sand dunes form a depression there, Chief Deputy Jaime Garza of the Kleberg County Sheriff’s Office said. | Investigators used cellphone towers to approximate the Butlers’ last known location, leading them to an area of the beach on Padre Island known as “the bowl” for the way the sand dunes form a depression there, Chief Deputy Jaime Garza of the Kleberg County Sheriff’s Office said. |
| A reserve deputy searching the area on the evening of Oct. 27 saw a bra on the ground, prompting him to think that it might be a crime scene, Deputy Garza said. Investigators soon found part of a body partly exposed above the sand, he said. | A reserve deputy searching the area on the evening of Oct. 27 saw a bra on the ground, prompting him to think that it might be a crime scene, Deputy Garza said. Investigators soon found part of a body partly exposed above the sand, he said. |
| The next morning, investigators began digging and found two bodies, Deputy Garza said. On Nov. 1, the Nueces County medical examiner identified the bodies as those of the Butlers, the authorities said. Nothing else belonging to the couple was found at the scene, Deputy Garza said. | The next morning, investigators began digging and found two bodies, Deputy Garza said. On Nov. 1, the Nueces County medical examiner identified the bodies as those of the Butlers, the authorities said. Nothing else belonging to the couple was found at the scene, Deputy Garza said. |
| A spokesman for the Nueces County medical examiner said Monday that an autopsy was completed in October, but he declined to comment on how the Butlers were killed. | A spokesman for the Nueces County medical examiner said Monday that an autopsy was completed in October, but he declined to comment on how the Butlers were killed. |
| Ms. Roth said the Butlers were planning to drive to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in a few weeks to sell Christmas trees. | Ms. Roth said the Butlers were planning to drive to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in a few weeks to sell Christmas trees. |
| Now, the Butlers’ family plans to have the couple cremated and brought back to New Hampshire for a celebration of life, according to Ms. Butler’s son, Bradley Roth. | Now, the Butlers’ family plans to have the couple cremated and brought back to New Hampshire for a celebration of life, according to Ms. Butler’s son, Bradley Roth. |
| “I was with her every day when I was growing up,” Mr. Roth said. | “I was with her every day when I was growing up,” Mr. Roth said. |
| “I’m at a loss for words, to say the least,” he added. “It’s a lot to grasp and come to terms with.” | “I’m at a loss for words, to say the least,” he added. “It’s a lot to grasp and come to terms with.” |