In middle Tennessee, about a half hour or so north of Nashville lies Robertson County. In March of 2004, Jennifer Wix and her two year old daughter Adrianna disappeared without a trace, and the story being told by her then boyfriend, Joseph “Joey” Benton, just doesn’t make sense to most people.
The Disappearance of Jennifer and Adrianna Wix
Doing research and trying to learn more details about this case is a difficult process. Unfortunately, Jennifer and Adrianna’s case hasn’t been plastered all over every news channel. You can’t do a quick google search and be bombarded with page after page of information. While there is information out there, the media hasn’t latched on to their disappearance like we’ve seen so many times before. The police won’t comment on an “open investigation,” although they’re not openly investigating, but they will investigate any tips that are given to them.
Jennifer and Adrianna do have advocates still though. Her family is still fighting to keep their names out there in hopes that someone, somewhere will finally come forward with information that can help them learn what really happened to Jennifer and Adrianna all those years ago. Jennifer was the oldest of three girls in her mother’s house with Casey (youngest) & Heather (Middle). Kathy and Jennifer’s dad, Michael Wix, weren’t together, and Michael lived further south, past Nashville in Manchester, TN.
Olivia spoke with Casey, who has taken up the mantle from her mother of pushing anywhere and everywhere she can to keep her sister and niece’s names out there and tell their story. With there being so little information out there, we’re using our conversation with Casey as a huge source of information. Casey was very open and honest, and multiple times mentioned that she didn’t want to speak out of turn or speak for someone else when something would come up. We understand that the police can’t comment because it can cause issues later down the road when they finally arrest someone. And while some people out there will probably think, “Oh, well of course this is going to be one-sided, it’s from the victim’s family.” Sorry, not sorry. If anyone out there was involved or had first hand knowledge of what happened, then please come forward and disprove what Casey has told us. We welcome it, and we’re sure the Robertson County Sheriff’s office would welcome it too.
Jennifer was 19 years old when Adrianna was born, and when the family found out she was pregnant, Casey said that there was an initial “shock,” but after that quickly wore off, it became more of a, “Ok, we’re having a baby.” She was 13/14 years old at the time, and remembered that Jennifer had worked at Target for a time, and then worked night shifts at a factory, and the family worked together to take care of Adrianna while Jennifer was just out there trying to provide for her. They were just making it work, and for them, it was just normal.
In early 2003, Kathy received a job offer that would require the family to move across the country to Las Vegas. She was offered a position as a manager for Lowes, which would be a pay increase and a great opportunity for not just Kathy, but the family unit as well. After accepting the position, the family moved out west, but Heather and Jennifer stayed back in TN. Heather was almost through high school and wanted to stay back with family to finish out high school. Jennifer felt like she had a network of friends and family that she didn’t want to leave. She was close with her granny and grand daddy (Michael’s parents I think). Her dad still lived close. And a big thing was also that she wanted Adrianna to be around her family as well, cousins, etc. Not to speak out of turn, but it definitely feels like Jennifer wanted to give Adrianna a similar childhood to what she had, which was that small-town, everybody knows everybody and watches out for each other vibe.
Jennifer and Adrianna stayed with Kathy’s sister, Aunt Lisa. Lisa has a son, Jeffrey, who Jennifer was very close with growing up, since they were close in age. When living with her aunt, Lisa met one of Jeffrey’s friends, Joey Benton. Casey said she doesn’t have the details of exactly how they met, but assumes that it was just through Jeffrey, and they started hanging out more and more. Then, things progressed and Jennifer started to hang out at Joey’s house with Adrianna more and more. Next thing ya know, they’re a couple. All said, their relationship wasn’t long. They would have met in the late summer / early fall of 2003, then Jennifer and Adrianna were gone in March of 2004, so 6-9 months.
Their relationship could easily be described as on again off again or “rocky.” In September of 2003, Kathy received a call from a panicked Jennifer who was at her Granny Wix house. Jennifer told her that Joey had pulled out a gun on Jennifer and Adrianna. He told his mom to take them out of their house and to Granny Wix because he was scared that he was going to do something to hurt them or hurt himself. There was no question in Kathy’s mind about returning to TN, and immediately, they moved back home. Jennifer and Joey had broken up, and Jennifer moved back in with her family when they moved back to TN.
When they moved back, they moved into their grandmother’s old house. The house had a basement. Casey described it as, “Not a creepy basement, but a finished basement.” Jennifer had a room to herself and the baby had a nursery down there as well. They had their own little living space down there.
But, as tends to happen in these situations, Joey and Jennifer stayed in touch. It’s easy to assume that Joey began to “love bomb” Jennifer at this point, doing whatever he could to get her back. Casey agreed that it was likely, but also that it was probably a 2 way street and that Jennifer was likely missing their relationship as well. They had been together for a little bit, and I’m sure it was nice to have another “parent” around and give Adrianna a family. Ultimately, parents want what’s best for your children. We’re not saying that having two parents is best, but for large portions of the world’s population, the “cookie cutter” idea of family is seen as “best.” Casey estimated that they started talking again in early December of 2003.
Around that time, Casey and Heather were home one day when Kathy was at work. Jennifer had decided to move back in with Joey, and he had come over to help her pack her things and take them to his “house.” While they were moving stuff, Kathy got home, and they told her what was going on. Kathy immediately sprang into action and tried to convince Jennifer to stay, trying to talk sense into her, reminding her of what happened before with the gun. Casey took Adrianna to the back room because of the arguing that was happening. Kathy told Joey that Jennifer and Adrianna didn’t need to be living in the conditions that they were going to. That’s when Joey moved closer to Kathy and got in her face and said, “You don’t have a daughter anymore, bitch.”
From there, Joey went to put things into the car, and they shut the door on him. They were physically trying to hold Jennifer back and talk her into staying. Casey called the police from the back room with the baby. Joey then kicked in the front door, off the hinges, laying on the floor with a boot print. Police reports would be filed, and Jennifer left with Joey, leaving Adrianna with Casey. Later, Jennifer returned with Joey’s mom to get her stuff and the police took Adrianna back to Jennifer.
When Jennifer moved in with Joey, they didn’t move into the house with the rest of the family. In the backyard, there was a small, metal building. To compare it to a tiny home would be an insult to tiny homes. No heat or running water (IN DECEMBER). Drywall was falling off the walls. It was nothing more than a glorified hangout spot for Joey and his friends to get drunk.
After the incident, their relationship with Jennifer was obviously strained. Things quieted down. The family didn’t talk to Jennifer for a period of time. She and Adrianna spent Christmas with Joey’s family, and they missed Adrianna’s birthday in January. Eventually though, Jennifer and Kathy began to talk again. Casey said that looking back, she kicks herself for it, but she didn’t forgive Jennifer for the whole incident. She described it as scarring. Joey wasn’t allowed back at their house, obviously. Casey said on her 16th birthday in February, Jennifer came to see her, but they had to park on the road because Joey wasn’t allowed on the property. Even though they were mending fences, things were still tense between everyone. Looking back, Casey said that they never suspected what was coming, but thought it was just more of a “we don’t like her boyfriend,” kind of thing, but eventually they would break up and move on from one another.
After a little while of being in the party shack, it began to get colder and colder. Eventually, Joey, Jennifer, and Adrianna moved from the shack to the house. This didn’t make Joey’s mom happy at all. Her and Joey’s relationship has been described by people who know them as odd.. Not incestuous or anything, but very dependent on one another. He’s very much a Mama’s boy. After they moved in though, tensions began to rise amongst the family. For the most part, Joey’s dad pretty much ignored them. Jennifer felt like she had to walk on eggshells around everyone because she relied 100% on them.
When living there, Jennifer didn’t have a cell phone or anything. She wasn’t working, so they provided for her and Adrianna. Jennifer would get money from Kathy, Granny Wix, or her Dad whenever she needed it, especially if it was something for Adrianna. Jennifer didn’t have a vehicle or a bank account. If Jennifer did go out and get a job, she would need to figure out how to pay for child care, then how to get to work, etc.. If you think about it, it made sense for her not to work, since she didn’t want to be a burden on anyone. Plus, going into this situation, Joey probably told her that she could depend on him for whatever she needed. This was another way to isolate her from her family and friends. Casey said that at that point, she was so far “in it” that it felt like Jennifer couldn’t just walk away from it and admit she was wrong about Joey and their relationship.
The Monday before they disappeared, Kathy talked to Jennifer. Jennifer told her that Adrianna wasn’t feeling well. She had picked up some kind of respiratory bug, and she was also having pain when she urinated. Kathy told her to take Adrianna to the ER, since it was late at night and the Dr offices were closed. Jennifer said that no one in the house would take her. Joey’s mom worked at a hospital (not a nurse or anything, but like a lab tech,) and she said that it was nothing to worry about and just a diaper rash. So, Aunt Lisa went and picked up Jennifer and Adrianna and took them to the ER, where they stayed overnight. After they left, Jennifer called Kathy and said that the nurse told her that Adrianna had an infection that you normally only see in grown up women. Kathy told her to get her into a pediatrician ASAP for a second opinion.
The next day, Granny Wix picked up Jennifer and Adrianna and took them to her dr. That dr told her that the infection was a UTI or something similar. Later that night, Jennifer met with Kathy to get some diaper rash cream. Kathy said that Adrianna was asking her if she could come stay at her house, but she told her she had to go home with her mom. It was the last time she saw her.
Jennifer’s family has tried for years to get the medical records from the ER and pediatrician for these visits, but since they weren’t listed as being able to receive information about the visits, they can’t give the family the information. The police do have those medical records though.
After that, Jennifer and Adrianna returned to Joey’s family’s house. Jeffrey and Joey worked together, and Joey’s truck was broken down, so Jeffrey was driving him to work every day. They worked construction and were working in Franklin, KY, just over the TN – KY border. Supposedly, everyone went to work on Wednesday like normal, after the ER and pediatrician visits, but Jennifer had talked to Kathy earlier and mentioned that Joey’s mom was on vacation that week. Not out of town, but a “staycation.” This has been disputed by Joey’s family, they said she was working and not home.
Jennifer and Kathy talked Wednesday night, just catching up on how Adrianna was doing. In the background, she could hear Adrianna screaming and crying. When she asked Jennifer about it, Jennifer said that they had a toddler bed for Adrianna and they were trying to get her to sleep in it. Joey was in the room with her, because he could sleep with all the crying. Kathy said that she could hear Joey’s mom in the background talking and yelling at Jennifer and just being nasty. Jennifer told her that earlier, she had taken Jennifer and Adrianna’s food and threw it out the back door and told her that she better get it before the dogs do. She then talked about Joey’s dad who was generally a ghost passing through the house, but he also got into Jennifer’s face and was arguing with her.
That’s when Kathy told Jennifer that perhaps this wasn’t the best night to sleep train Adrianna. Jennifer went in and got her, and Adrianna immediately fell asleep on her chest. When Kathy asked why they were fighting so much, Jennifer told her that Joey’s mom didn’t like him “playing dad” with Jennifer and Adrianna. Kathy offered to come pick them up right then, but Jennifer declined, saying that she and Joey were going to talk things over the following day.
On Thursday, Jennifer was supposed to call Kathy, but she never did. Kathy said she watched the clock all day and was just worried about Jennifer. Earlier in the day, Jennifer had called Aunt Lisa and told her about the fighting that had been going on. Lisa said she was going to put a key outside for Jennifer and that she should come over to their house. She also talked to her dad Michael Wix. Jennifer had plans to go see him the upcoming weekend. She told him about the fighting and the Dr appointments. Michael said that during the call, he heard cartoons playing in the background and he heard a woman’s voice. At one point, Jennifer said, “No, I’m talking to my dad.” Who was this woman? It was either an unknown woman, or (most likely) Joey’s mom, who was (or wasn’t according to who you ask) on vacation. She also mentioned that she and Joey were going to go on a picnic later in the day to talk about all the fighting. Casey estimated that these calls took place between 10AM and 1PM, but she wasn’t sure about any exact times. They’ve tried to get access to phone records, but they’ve been stonewalled by the police because it’s an open investigation.
During a normal workday for Joey and Jeffrey, they wouldn’t get off work until 4-5PM. This day though, Joey got called home early from work for a “family emergency.” On the job site, they weren’t allowed to have their cell phones, so any calls went through the job foreman. The foreman remembered that Joey got a call and said he needed to leave. He then went to Jeffrey who was driving him and said they needed to leave. It’s unknown who called Joey to come home early for the “family emergency.” Casey thinks that it was either Jennifer calling to have Joey come home or it was Joey’s mom who called about the family emergency after she and Jennifer got into an argument. She said that her gut tells her that it was Jennifer calling Joey because she was fighting with his mom again, and she threatened to kick her out or something along those lines.
Casey said that she’s been trying to piece these events together for some time now, but she hasn’t been able to nail down any concrete information. She said that Joey’s dad had been online saying that his wife was at work, and was wondering who this strange woman was that was in his house when Jennifer called her dad. He said he was in court that day because someone was caught trespassing / vandalizing their property. On their ride home, Jeffrey said that Joey didn’t tell him anything regarding the “emergency.”
This is the point where what we believe happened is different from what Joey says happened. Joey claims that he came home, and Jennifer was locked in the bedroom with Adriana… with no one else in the house?? From there, he talked to Jennifer and convinced her to come with him and drive around so they could talk about things. It’s unclear where Adrianna was at this time. It’s also unclear who’s car they had.. Since his mom was at work and his dad was in court and his truck was broken down..
So, they drove around and talked and things got heated between them, and eventually, they broke up. They went back to his parent’s house, and Jennifer refused to go back in, according to Joey. From there, Joey claims that he drove Jennifer and Adrianna to the local grocery store across town, driving past Aunt Lisa’s house, who told Jennifer that she was going to put a key out for her. From the way it’s described, it wasn’t like oh we were near the neighborhood, it was literally right by the house. Joey said he assumed she wanted to go to the grocery store to use the phone, around 9PM.
This small grocery store closes at 9PM. All of the employees (all three of them) said that they never saw Jennifer or the baby there to use the phone. The manager would specifically remember, because he would have had to dial the number then hand her the receiver for the call.
From there, Joey said that Jennifer said she wanted to go to the Exxon by the interstate. Initially when asked by police, Joey claimed he couldn’t remember which of the 2 gas stations in town she asked to go to. To get there, they had to drive past Kathy’s house, again, not in the neighborhood, but right past the house. Why wouldn’t she just go there?
Joey said that they got to the Exxon and Jennifer and Adrianna got out. He went across the street to an empty parking lot across the street and waited to see who came. He said that about 10 minutes later, a white 4 door Camaro or Mustang pulled up and they got in. Joey later said it was a white 4 door sedan, because a 4 door Mustang or Camaro didn’t even exist. The police went to the gas station to see if they had security cameras, but the footage had been recorded over, since it recorded over itself every 24 hours. No one talked to the gas station attendant until about a month after they went missing.
Joey claimed he didn’t see which way they went when they left. The next day, Joey went to work. Jeffrey said that he didn’t go to work that Friday, so he didn’t know how Joey got to work. Another friend they worked with gave Joey a ride home when his girlfriend came and picked him up. Later, the girlfriend said that Joey was acting weird and suspicious, so weird that she wanted him out of the car immediately.
Joey claimed that after he got home from work at midday Friday, Jennifer came back to the house in the same white car without Adrianna. He said that she came to get some of her things; wallet, diaper bag, car seat, change of clothes. He said that Jennifer also asked about her tax return which she was having put into his parent’s account, since she didn’t have one herself. Joey told her they weren’t home and she would have to come back to get her money. After that, he said that she got in the car and left.
No one has heard from Jennifer or Adrianna since.
Later that night at the party barn, they had a bonfire. While there, Jeffrey asked where Jennifer was and Joey told him that she was at a friend’s house.
Jennifer was reported missing on Saturday after receiving calls from several people, and no one had heard from Jennifer. Aunt Lisa called Joey and his parents, and that’s where the story of the grocery store and gas station came about. After the call, the police went to Joey’s parent’s house for a welfare check. When they were there, they said what they were there for, and Joey told them they would need a warrant. The next day, they went back and took an official statement from Joey, which would later be changed and the officer who took it fired because Joey’s dad said his son would never say it was a white 4 door camaro / mustang. That Sunday is 4 days from the last time Jennifer is heard from, plenty of time to cover up whatever might have occurred in the house. Casey has also heard from a few sources that Joey’s parents left town that Saturday, which was beyond odd, since they were always with their “baby boy.” So, a young woman and a baby go missing from their home, and they decide to take a quick day trip. Casey said that she has a gut feeling that this trip was to dispose of something but isn’t able to confirm anything without being able to see police reports. Initially, the police said that Jennifer was an adult and she could leave when / if she wanted and that maybe she left to get away from Kathy and the family.
Jennifer and Adrianna’s case was reclassified from a missing person’s case to homicide in 2013. At the time, Sheriff Bill Holt said, “We’ve developed some new information in the past several weeks that brings us to the conclusion that there was foul play involved.” Twice, Team Adam from the NCMEC has offered to help the police with this case. The first time, it was politely declined, but the second time they were told, No, we don’t need your help. Team Adam is a group of former and retired law enforcement officers who have skills that are deemed valuable in these cases.
There have been a few searches done of the Benton property. The first was the initial walkthrough of the home. In subsequent searches, the police used cadaver dogs to search the 6 acres of land the Benton’s owned. They‘ve used ground penetrating radar with help from the body farm team out of Knoxville. They received a letter from the body farm team stating that their search results were inconclusive because the Benton family dictated where they could and couldn’t search. A 4th search was put together by Kathy with volunteers and nonprofits to do foot searches around the Benton property, but not on it. Another was put together with approval from the Bentons under the stipulation that the media not know about it, but when it came time for the search, the media found out and they called it off. Casey said there was also a search a few months ago, but results from that can’t be released yet.
Joey has taken a polygraph in the past but refused a second that was setup with voice inflection detection. To this day, neither of Jennifer or Adrianna’s social security numbers have been used or pinged in any systems. Joey’s family claims they had nothing to do with their disappearances.
If you have any information about Jennifer and Adrianna’s disappearance, you can reach Casey directly via email at casey.wix@gmail.com. You can leave information anonymously at 615-562-0817, or P.O. Box 251, Cross Plains, TN. 37049.
