MADISON, WI – Authorities say two criminal cases separated by hundreds of miles and several years are now linked by the same suspect, a Wisconsin woman convicted of attempted homicide after trying to kill her neighbors with ricin and now facing murder charges in Oklahoma.
Kore Bommelli Adams, 63, was found guilty on June 27 in Dane County, Wisconsin, for two counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide. Prosecutors said Adams spread ricin, a deadly toxin, throughout her neighbors’ home in 2014 with the intent to kill while the residents were away.
Although the ricin case seemed to stand alone for years, law enforcement’s growing suspicion of Adams gathered momentum following the death of her Oklahoma roommate, Talina Galloway, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
On April 17, 2020, Galloway was reported missing by Adams, who claimed her roommate had left to isolate at a lake after developing coronavirus symptoms, according to police records. Investigators soon discovered there was no evidence Galloway had been tested for COVID-19 or had any contact with medical providers, contradicting Adams’ story.
Authorities escalated their investigation when, in January 2021, hunters in a wooded area near Mena, Arkansas—about 150 miles from Galloway’s home—came across a freezer in which dismembered human remains were found. Medical examiners later confirmed the body belonged to Galloway.
Witnesses had indicated to police months earlier that a truck had been seen in the woods, accompanied by a foul odor and an unusual liquid seeping from a trailer. This information helped investigators connect the freezer in Arkansas to the missing person case in Oklahoma.
As questions mounted, Adams’ inconsistent statements and uncooperative behavior drew increasing suspicion from the Wagoner County Sheriff’s Office. Police said timelines didn’t match up and that Adams withheld critical information, eventually ceasing communication with investigators altogether.
After her arrest in Wisconsin on attempted homicide charges, authorities learned Adams was also wanted in Oklahoma for first-degree murder and desecration of a human corpse in connection with Galloway’s death. Adams is awaiting extradition to face those charges.
Further details regarding how the Oklahoma investigation led authorities back to the Wisconsin case have not been released. Both the motive behind the Wisconsin poisoning and Galloway’s killing remain unclear.
The criminal proceedings have shocked both communities. Oklahoma District Attorney Jack Thorp described the murder of Galloway as “one of the worst” of his career, citing its brutality and the disregard shown for the victim’s life.
Adams, convicted in Wisconsin, is expected to be transferred to Oklahoma, where she will face prosecution for Galloway’s murder and the alleged desecration of her remains.