Hell and Gone Murder Line: Jennifer Wix Part 1

On March 25, 2004, 21-year-old Jennifer Wix was in crisis.  Jennifer lived in Robertson County, Tennessee and was a single mother to her two-year-old daughter, Adrianna, who she adored.  She and Adrianna had moved in with her boyfriend, William Joseph “Joey” Benton, and his parents, Cynthia and Franklin Joseph Benton, a few months before in December.  But the situation at home was volatile - Before moving in with Joey’s family, Jennifer lived with her mother, Kathy Nale, and her younger half-sister, Casey Wix.  Casey told us that Jennifer had been calling home and complaining that she wasn’t getting along with certain members of Joey’s family. So even though they were only hearing Jennifer’s side of the story, Casey and Jennifer’s mom were forming an impression of Joey, based on what Jennifer told them, that wasn’t great.  Over the months, Casey  says that the situation at the Benton home had become increasingly strained.  Then on March 25, something happened.  At some point during the day, Joey got a call at work and left suddenly, saying that he was going to deal with a situation at home.  He told police that he picked up Jennifer and Adriana at home and that they went for a drive. During that drive, Joey claimed that he and Jennifer decided to end their relationship. After that, Joey told police that he stopped at a grocery store so that Jennifer could use the phone, and then he drove her and Adriana to a nearby gas station in Cross Plains.  Joey said at that gas station, which he said was in Cross Plains, a town a few minutes away, Jennifer and Adrianna got into a vehicle, which he described as a white four door sedan.  The two were never seen again. But from the beginning Jennifer’s family was suspicious of this story. They say that they don’t believe that a young mom with a toddler would leave without any of her things and without ever calling her family. Also, they pointed out that Jennifer could have stayed with multiple family members who lived in the area. Why drive off with someone else?  It’s been almost 20  years, and those years have been filled with rumors, several searches of a property, shifting stories about what really happened that day, a wrongful death lawsuit, and most recently, a severed body part connected to a family member were found in a creek.  And yet no one has found any trace of  Jennifer Wix or her daughter Adrianna. If you have a case you’d like Catherine Townsend to look into, you can reach out to the Hell and Gone Murder Line at 678-744-6145. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.