Chapter 8: After March 25th, 2004...

Episode Transcript
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Missing in Hashtown Season one is proudly sponsored by the
following relive studio, Andy B's Boutique, six one five real
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(01:52):
Talk and We've been listening. I'm your host Jules Thorpe,
an independent investigator podcaster living in the same town Jennifer
and Adrian Annah Wix went missing from in two thousand
and four. This is Missing in Hushtown Season one, Chapter eight.
After March twenty fifth, two thousand and four, Let's go

(02:48):
the following chapter is going to take you through the
days immediately following March twenty fifth, two thousand and four,
and into the desperate efforts of the Wicks Warriors to
bring their girls home. Kathy last spoke with her daughter
Jennifer March twenty fourth. Recall that Kathy heard arguing in
the background and Jennifer shared how uncomfortable she was in

(03:08):
the Benton home. So when Friday afternoon rolls around and
Kathy just hasn't heard yet from Jennifer, she's not too
worried yet, as they did speak mostly daily.

Speaker 6 (03:19):
Kathy herself has to work a full shift of.

Speaker 5 (03:22):
Work and it's not until Jennifer's granny, while Nita Wicks,
affectionately known as Granny Wicks, calls Kathy and tells Kathy
that something doesn't feel right and something is wrong she
can't get in touch with Jennifer. Recall that Granny Wicks
is the one who took Jennifer and Adriana to the pediatrician,
so she was very aware of Adriana's medical diagnosis of vaginidis.

(03:45):
Could this be a contributing factor to the panic the
family felt so quickly? And what about Aunt Lisa? She
knew that she had told Jennifer she had a place
to go to, a place to be safe, So it
wouldn't make sense that Jennifer whendn't show up anywhere, especially
not a home where she was welcomed, had a key,
and had access to at any time.

Speaker 6 (04:05):
Of the day. Let's roll back a few episodes and
piece some things together.

Speaker 5 (04:10):
Number One, March twenty fourth, two thousand and four, Jennifer
calls her mother Kathy at night from inside the Benton home,
and she sounds distressed. There's fighting in the background. Jennifer
tells her mom that Joey's dad, Joe is typically kinder
to her, even he's being aggressive to her that night
and exploding, and recall that Cindy Benton through the girl's

(04:33):
dinner at the back door so they could quote eat
like dogs. Number two. The next day, March twenty fifth,
two thousand and four, on a phone call from inside
the Benton home in the afternoon with her father, Michael Wicks,
Jennifer told him that she was scared of Cindy, that
she was acting weird. Michael hears a voice in the
background of their call and hears Jennifer tell someone she's

(04:54):
on the phone with her dad, which this is odd since,
as we'll discuss in a mo moment, the Bentans claimed
nobody was home that morning or afternoon except Jennifer and Adriana.
So who was she talking to? In number three? March
twenty fifth, two thousand and four. Later that afternoon, her
last phone call was to her aunt Lisa.

Speaker 6 (05:15):
Recall.

Speaker 5 (05:15):
Aunt Lisa took the girls to the emergency room at
Northcrest Hospital just two days prior. Aunt Lisa tells her
to come stay with her and she has a key
outside and to come whenever. All right, Now that Michael Wicks,
his mother Juanita Wicks aka Granny Wicks, Kathy, and her sister,
Aunt Lisa are all communicating and putting the timeline together,

(05:39):
alarms go off.

Speaker 7 (05:41):
On March twenty fifth, the night Jennifer went missing, I
had my boyfriend over. I think we were laying in
the living room watching TV. I don't really remember much.

Speaker 8 (05:57):
I remember my mom being on the.

Speaker 7 (05:59):
Phone, and I'm not really paying attention to mom, but
I could hear her voice go frantic, what do you
mean you know you hadn't heard from her? Like, you know,
just my mom kind of freaking out, Like her tone
of voice changed. My mom hangs up and she's like,

(06:19):
Jennifer's missing. We have to go find her. And I'm like,
let's go. So my boyfriend went home. I jumped in
the car with my mom, and I remember. I don't
remember where all we went, but I remember we were
out for quite a while, looking everywhere, just at anybody

(06:39):
who would know her, any friends, anyone. We would knock
on the door, ask when the last time they've seen her,
and nothing. We just kept coming up at a dead end.

Speaker 8 (06:52):
And then you drive to the Button home. I can't
remember if we drove to the Button home.

Speaker 7 (06:58):
I vaguely remember me calling Joey, but I don't really
remember exactly what was said.

Speaker 8 (07:08):
But I remember calling him that evening.

Speaker 7 (07:11):
I just can't recall what our conversation was, so I
remember I spoke to him.

Speaker 8 (07:16):
I don't know if we drove to the Minton home
or not.

Speaker 7 (07:24):
I do remember Joey saying they had gotten in an argument,
but I can't really really remember much more than that.
I just remember like me and Mom panicking and us
driving all around town, just anywhere we could think of
to try to locate her and find her, and we
just kept coming up at a you know, dead end.

Speaker 6 (07:46):
Do you know who told who called your mom about
her missing?

Speaker 8 (07:49):
No, I can't. I can't remember.

Speaker 7 (07:53):
I almost feel like it had to have been either
Jennifer's grandmother, That's who I want to say first, Juanita
Granny Wicks is what she called her, So I either
want to say her, or it would have been my
aunt Lisa. I think one of those probably, But then

(08:16):
I feel like, I just remember we came home and
I think that night we filed a police report, and
this may have been.

Speaker 8 (08:23):
I'd have to go back, you might know.

Speaker 7 (08:27):
That evening if it was like a Friday night, because
I remember we filed a police report and they literally
just threw the file on the desk until next week.
And that's always been an issue. I feel like anyone
will tell you in the first forty eight hours or

(08:48):
the most crucial to find a missing person. And I
think at the time they looked at it as she's
a grown woman, they just got in a fight. She's
twenty one, she can take her baby anywhere she wants
to go and doesn't have to tell soul.

Speaker 8 (09:00):
Maybe she just needs some you know, space.

Speaker 7 (09:03):
Or breathing time. You know, we'll pick this back up
next week. So I don't think they I think they
considered her just running off, not running off, but just
to take a breather from an argument, you know, and
she could just do whatever she wanted because she's a
grown up and she can with her daughter.

Speaker 8 (09:24):
But we knew that's not what happened Fridays.

Speaker 6 (09:28):
This is a Friday, two thousand and four.

Speaker 5 (09:30):
Joey goes to work and he arrives home early in
the afternoon or late morning hour, and after getting a
ride home from a coworker and former friend. Now it
was either Jeffrey, his former best friend in Jennifer's cousin, or.

Speaker 6 (09:44):
Nola and Rye.

Speaker 5 (09:46):
Joey answered a phone call from a frantic Heather looking
for her sister. Heather asked Joey where Jennifer is. He
tells her that they got into a fight and broke up.
Joey and Jennifer had previously made plan to host a
bonfire on that bent And property on Friday night. Now,
although Jennifer allegedly went to go be with other friends,

(10:08):
Joey still goes ahead and has this bonfire. In fact,
you guys, it's a couple's bonfire, so there are two
other couples, would Joey being the only one that night
without a significant other, So this made it very obvious
that Jennifer was missing. Joey's best friend at the time, Recall,

(10:28):
he's ant Lisa's son. He asked Joey, hey, where's Jennifer,
and Joey responds that she's at a friend's house. He
thinks it was a couple named Helga and Jerry Jackson. Now,
throughout the years, there has been a lot of speculation
about this bonfire, so much that people speculate that something
nefarious was occurring in the fire, unknowingly to the other

(10:50):
couples in attendance. That should be noted it has been
confirmed that this bonfire was planned though well before March
twenty fifth, two thousand and four, and it was always
planned as a couple's night. Saturday, March twenty seventh, two
thousand and four, a desperate Kathy finally gets in touch

(11:11):
with the Jacksons. Remember, Helga Jackson was the one who
Jennifer was friends with through a job she previously had,
and that's who Joey said she went to stay with
when she left Joey the night before. So Saturday March
twenty seventh, two thousand and four, A desperate mother, Kathy,
finally gets in touch with the Jacksons, and they immediately

(11:33):
deny seeing Jennifer by saying, quote, if that's what he
told you, something is very wrong. We haven't seen her
since November end quote. Kathy makes the decision to file
a missing person's report for Jennifer and Adriana.

Speaker 6 (11:45):
This is out of character for her daughter, and.

Speaker 5 (11:48):
Her mother's intuition told her to act immediately and with urgency.
The Robertson County Shares Office agreed to do a welfare
check per the family's urging. This is when the official
statements occur. I wish I could report that Joey and
his family welcomed the Robertson County Sheriff's Office into their home,

(12:08):
but they did not. In fact, they were turned away
by Joey, who said his parents were not home and
to return with the search warrant. All they could do
was take an initial statement, and this is when Joey
changes his story from what he told the Wick's family.
The sheriff department puts out a beyond the lookout a
bowlow for the girls, but appear to lack urgency. It's

(12:31):
been speculated throughout the years that this was because they
believed Jennifer was an adult and can do as she pleased.
Other people speculate that the Bentons had connections with the
Robertson County Shriff's office. Either way, did the Robertson County
Shriff's Office ignore the red flags and the desperate pleas
that the family tried to tell them about Jennifer and

(12:53):
Joey's relationship? Was it enough to deem her endangered? While
the tenantcal news on March twenty seventh comes and goes.
Kathy then calls the Robertson County Sheriff's office demanded to
know why the department failed to circulate Jennifer and Adriana's
photos to the news stations. In the police records written

(13:13):
by Deputy Mike Campbell, Kathy quote stated that she couldn't
understand it. Would not let this rest end quote, and
she has not rested a day since then, nor will she.
A mother's twenty year battle to find her daughter and
her granddaughter still continues to this day. Behind the scenes.
In every breath she takes, Kathy and her sister, aunt Lisa, exchange,

(13:38):
information gathered, and then the worry sets in and shifts
into overdrive. They could not believe Jennifer and Adriana were missing,
something happened to them, or somebody took them. On Monday,
March twenty ninth, responding Officer Mike Campbell and his partner,
Officer Gray arrive at Kathy's home, and, as Mike Campbell

(14:00):
had stated earlier, he will never forget the look.

Speaker 6 (14:02):
On Kathy's face now re called.

Speaker 5 (14:05):
Joey had already given this statement about the refund check
and how Jennifer stopped.

Speaker 6 (14:10):
By his house.

Speaker 5 (14:11):
He already gave that statement the police, so it's already
on record. After this meeting, the officer's head to the
Benton home and this is where Joey's stories of where
the girls are continue to change multiple times. A note
Joey says Jennifer came by Friday to get the car
seat and her five hundred dollars check, but Deputy Campbell

(14:33):
noted that the car seat was in the home when
he was there. Here's Kathy recalling the extent of which
she has gone to try to bring her baby and
her baby's baby back home.

Speaker 9 (14:45):
In the beginning, I would turn my car around and
middle of the road because I saw someone walking down
the road that had lone black hair and about the
same height as Jennifer. I've went sitting at a sonic
in Bellevue one day and across the way there was
a girl in a car that to me looked like Jennifer,

(15:08):
and I got out to go over closer and get
a closer look. And I guess she thought I was crazy.
But I've done a whole lot of things, you know,
I've followed people. I've worn wigs and sunglasses and rented cars.
I needed to know where certain people lived and worked,

(15:31):
and so if I could pinpoint them in a certain
place where I could follow them, I would rent a
car and put a wig on and put sunglasses I
had or something on where I couldn't be recognized, and
I would follow them to find out where they worked
or to find out where they lived. You know, things

(15:51):
like that Joey's sister was was a stripper at the
time Jennifer disappeared, and I knew that. So was I
concerned that Jennifer got caught up in the sex trade.
Of course I was, even though like I said, Jennifer
was very modest and I couldn't see that happening. But
you just never know what can happen to people, and

(16:12):
especially with the with the sex trade and human trafficking
and stuff. So I needed to know where she worked.
So I've been bounced out of strip clubs when I
was recognized, I've been asked to leave. I've, you know,
tried my best to look look like I belonged there,

(16:34):
but I guess I didn't do good enough in that,
and so I got bounced out. Jennifer had a boyfriend
at one time before she had met Joey, who lived
in Indiana and I went to his home. I followed
him for almost two days. Where did he go, who

(16:59):
did he see?

Speaker 10 (17:02):
To the bars?

Speaker 9 (17:02):
He went to to a pit friend's house. I went
to bad part of Indianapolis following him in the middle
of the night, picked up his garbage from the curb
in the middle of the night on garbage Day to
see if it had anything in that garbage that would
indicate that there was a child there. The first year
was absolutely crazy. I seen a psychic named Carol Pate

(17:28):
on the Larry Kings Show one night, and she lived
in Little Rock, Arkansas, and so I contacted her, and
I went to see her twice. The first time she
told me Jennifer was live and well, and then a
little some little town in Missouri and it was called
white Something, but she just couldn't get the rest of it,

(17:49):
but it was two words and the first word was white.
And so I readed a van and my mom and
my sister and my Jennifer's other grandmother miss weeks. We
all piled in the van and we spent a week

(18:12):
with a roadmap, because this was before ways and Google maps,
with a roadmap of Missouri with every white Something Missouri
town that we could find. We traveled around Missouri, putting
up flyers, going into walmarts and going back into the
baby department where she might have to go in to

(18:32):
buy diapers or something in that town, and showing their
picture to the workers there, and going to the local
police departments and things like that. You know, rumors would
come in about certain things, there's certain people in certain places,
and I would go and just hide out, you know,

(18:55):
in a cornfield on you know, if there was a
place to pull my car up in between the cornfield
where I could still see if headlights came or went
from a certain house or something. I would sit there
all night long and and watch and wait to see
what kind of activity went on. If I seen anybody
who looked like Jennifer come or go. I'm actually crawled

(19:18):
on my belly because there wasn't nowhere to part to
get to one that was way back off the road.
Just crawled on my belly and laid in the cornfield
and watched that place in the night.

Speaker 8 (19:33):
There's there's just been.

Speaker 9 (19:36):
A lot of of those type things, you know, i'd have.
I remember I was at work one day after I
was finally able to go back to work, and a
guy called me and said that he had he had
seen Jennifer and Adriana's picture in a truck stop. It's
down toward Chattanooga, somewhere in some little town, and he

(19:57):
he said, I know her and and I dated her,
and her name is Jennifer, and I actually lived with
her for two months. And her name is Jennifer and
her daughter's name is Adrian, and I know this is them,
And so I went there. He told me he could
tell me exactly what house they were in and everything.
So I went there and called the local law enforcement

(20:19):
and told him why I was there. I decided not.
I decided that if if that wasn't bat Jennifer, then
she was indeed hiding, and I didn't want to make
her afraid, and so I asked the police to come
over and go to the door and find out if
it was her, and they told me to stay in

(20:40):
the car, but I didn't.

Speaker 8 (20:42):
I went and stood at the edge of the house.

Speaker 9 (20:44):
They went to the back door, and as soon as
the young lady came to the door and I heard
her voice, I knew it wasn't Jennifer, and so I
just broke down. That was me and my mom, and
I just knew. I just knew it was going to
be her, and and Mom drove me home and that
was into that, and you know, I mean, it's just

(21:07):
been there's never there's never really been any sightings of
her other than that, you know, So that got me
really excited, and I thought maybe it was her. Honestly,
you know, my gut told me from day one something
was wrong, and I never believed Jennifer ran away, but

(21:28):
my hope told me that she did.

Speaker 8 (21:32):
And so I would just.

Speaker 9 (21:35):
Look for ever where I could.

Speaker 5 (21:45):
Don't go anywhere.

Speaker 6 (21:46):
We'll be right back.

Speaker 5 (21:49):
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in our community home every single day.

Speaker 6 (21:59):
This includes Jennifer and Adriana.

Speaker 5 (22:01):
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(23:34):
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ultimate local list hometown connect As Kathy continues her searches,
she contacts Robertson County Emergency Response Team member Edwards, and
she's begging him for help. This is the account of

(23:56):
how he had an entire search team set up for
the girls, say ancient through the county, how he was
told to stand down by the police chief at the time.
Words and I spoke on the phone and well, buckle up.
You'll want to hear what he has to say.

Speaker 2 (24:09):
I'm Bryer Woods and I was with the fire department.
It was realisky squads here in the county for well,
my whole wife. I grew up in the Merchency Services
about technically about thirty years of it, to be honest
with you, basically raised in it, you know. So we've

(24:32):
done a lot of search and rescues and groundings and
we've done the fire protection, you know, in the normal
you know, everyday stuff. But that's something that we really
specialized in. Was was the search. And once upon a time,
I think it was actually it was not long before

(24:52):
Jennifer and Agent and the camera miss and before that
we were really begin with the search dolls and stuff,
and I had I had a lot of success and
we put a lot of hard work and training in
with the dogs, and we went all over the country
and stuff training and and so we had a lot

(25:13):
of a lot of connections in the dog world, you know,
in the search and rescue dogs and stuff all over
and but that was that was one thing that like
when the family came to me and I was wanting,
you know, to do a search later on, I had
a lot of resources you know, where I could pour in,

(25:35):
you know, and I just I just hated that we
weren't able to do that search. The family, you know,
had always been pushing that there was never a reel
search you know done of the property. And uh so
it came to me and wanted wanted to do a search,
and I said, that's well, this is a fist through

(25:55):
the department. I've never done anything privately over things always
been you know, food apartment and you know, buy the
the walls and them and you know everything. So and
when she came to me, you know, we wanted to
you know, want to do a search. And we talked
about it and stuff and and I said, you know, I

(26:15):
can't just go do a search, you know, because I
had to have permission you know, from the landowners, you know,
to do a search. So I went and talked. Because
I grew up in in in that kid in the
Homsyple community, a lot of founding out there, you know,
and and I knew the buildings personally. You know. We

(26:37):
went to school, you know, where to school bus together.
I mean, you know, it was a small community. Everybody
knew everybody, you know, and and we would spend some
time like us have to get togethers and different things,
you know, but it was all kids, you know, he
was young at that time, and we spend more time
over there. You know. They had some get together and
put out some different things. Had all the kids is

(26:57):
playing ball, you know, different things we had went on
over there and just get kids in the community playland.
You know that it was we knew them all and
it was of the Benners then, were they were different
people then? I guess what they are now From that understand,

(27:19):
I don't really remember, you know, like you know that
Joe's them there probably families and stuff right now. And
I would have never I've never seen nothing like that.
When kids, we wouldn't have been allowed to be around,
you know, anything like that. It was going on back
then too, but but I wasn't talked to the the grandmother. Yeah,

(27:40):
the biggest part of that whole property there, you know.
I it went a few days later. I told her
that I would before the search. You know, I got
to get everything together and and uh climbing search, you know,
when we get all my resources gathered up, and I

(28:01):
would come back and I would rip before we're done the search,
and you know and bring you know, get written permission
and hobby, the releases and all that kind of stuff
you know, for everybody in and uh through the search.
So it went on, I don't know, maybe a reach
or something like that, A few WA's or something. I
get a I got a call, I get my pages

(28:24):
goes off from dispatch and I wanted to call call them,
so I called him. I said out the sheriff points
to I want to speak with you, and I said, okay,
so I give him a call. And he was asked
when if I was able to come to his office,
you know, right then, and I said, yeah, I'm nobody
to go off. I'll better and uh so I go

(28:46):
up to the sheriff's office and uh go in the
sheriff's office.

Speaker 12 (28:51):
And uh which sheriff was this?

Speaker 2 (28:54):
It was balling to okay, well, but I went in.
I went in there in his office and he said, well,
what's this idea about the search? I said, well, the
coaman came to me and I'm going the search. And

(29:14):
we were you know, to try to help him out
and then we can, you know, under a search. And
I got permission from the you know, miss Brinton. You know,
ain't never several other people you know around there, you
know always yeah that's fine up in church at play too,
you know whatever. So but he said, well, there's not
I want to do a search. He goes and the

(29:36):
best thing you can do is stay away from the Brintons.
Well he can straight up the hornets nest and you
just need to stay through the Brintons. And and uh,
I was like, well, I got permission to do a search,
you know, and he goes, well, we're not going to
do a search. And he goes on to listen to
this and he does his voice smail on his sponge,

(29:57):
you know, splicit on speaker, and there was a voice
from when I'm singing Joe that was like in a tirade,
you know, like just gunn off about you know, this
talk of his search and did anything that there wasn't
going to be no search, you know, and away from

(30:19):
UIs alone, you know what every room. And I said, well,
and I guess if I don't have permission, you know now,
but I can't do resert. So I mean, you know,
it's it's not a simple. But you know, I told him,
I said, you know, I said, well, the tone of
his voice and the way he sounded, you know, was

(30:42):
it was very high rate. It sounds, you know, And
I told him, I said, that sounds like a lot
of guilt in that, you know, and just the way
we sounded, and you know, and that so I mean
that I mean, he had I was like, y'all, if
y'all got into it that that he's you know, possibly
guilty of something or that something as defensive as he

(31:04):
was about this, and you know, I don't know what,
you know, but and I at that office, and that
was in that, you know, and gladly, you know, we
never got to do anything. And that's just kind of
kind of end of all that, you know. But i'd
been I've I've talked to Kathy, you know, on and off,
you know, a few different times, you know, in that

(31:26):
in that time period, you know, and she's kind of
she was she was really desperate for HERLP and I
felt really really bad, you know that, but I couldn't
provide what I was able to provide, you know. And yeah,
so it was kind of a he was a real
bomber for all of us, you know, uh I. And

(31:48):
I said, when I talked to Miss Bennon, you know,
she was you know, cause we knew each other for
years and years, you know stuff. So I mean they
like we were strangers, you know. And and I had
a good long talk with Miss Binton, you know, and
you know, she was talking about, you know, how how
much is how stressful this has all been for her
family and all this stuff and the first being searches,

(32:11):
and and I said, well, the family, there's always all Jesus,
there's never been a proper search, you know, but there
was never a big search. There was, you know, just
whatever activity you know, for law enforcements and stuff they've
done here and there, you know, in the beginning of
the case, I guess you'd say, and uh, there was

(32:31):
never a really big search, you know that really come
the whole thing that I knew where well the family
knew of apparently, and we were just hoping that we
could you know, give that closure you know, to everybody.
I mean, if you know, if if there was nothing there,
then that would be good, you know, for for the meetings,
you know, you know, whatever, it would it would up

(32:52):
the case. You know, you would know which which direction
that maybe you look a little better, you know, and
there wouldn't be non inferant question, you know. And but
that's right way. I talked to this one for a
while and and you know, she was like, we're just
so stressed, and you know, and the and they're being
accused of all this horrible stuff, and you you know,

(33:13):
she goes, I said, you know, and I said, well,
you know, because their argument is that there's never been
a real search, and if we can do a real search,
then they don't have good argument no more. And she goes,
you know that that really makes a lot of sense.
And that's when she come along, you know, she's like, yeah,
that I think that would be fine, you know. I mean,
that's that's a good informission to do a search, you know.

(33:34):
And the like I said, pie there we say every
little week or whatever it was, you know, Joe calls
surf you know, and raising kine about you know, this
possibility of a search, and that was the end of
all of it, you know, of coarse me, you know,
and being able to do anything to help. But I
had done. I had a lot of resources that aligned up,

(33:55):
you know, and was had a lot of some of
the best dogs. But that's the b bust. Dogs were
land vable in the state at that time. We have
both we had, we have we have a different to that,
but we have we have, we have a little anything
you could want the dogs. We have different broods and

(34:18):
barters and specialized in different rights, you know, different things.
And I mean it was the best of the best,
you know, and that's that's all we've ever we've ever used,
you know. When it comes to bear work, we have
very high standards when it constant dogs.

Speaker 12 (34:36):
So what were you were you with when you're for
the fire squad?

Speaker 2 (34:43):
Yes, with the Roasty Squad, Yeah, well Fie law as
the time, Robert, Yeah, yeah, and the Roasty Squad. The
worsty squads is UH is a state wide organization, the
Tennessee Association, the Rescue Squad. So you have the Rastree
Squad and pretty much every time, you know, and then collectively,
you know, everybody's resources was available with everybody, so we

(35:06):
could have like a call out, you know, and we
have different regions in the state, so I could do out.
We was in Region three, so we you know, I
had right off for that. I had, you know, I
could do a region three call out and pull a
massive amount of resources or if it come through it
I could do I could state wide call out or
multiple regions you know, or whatever. So I had basically

(35:27):
I had the whole stadium I dispose if I needed it,
you know, And and and that's the best of the
best in everything. You know. It's available through towers basically
in the state, so there're search and rescues and groundings
and all kinds of training.

Speaker 11 (35:44):
You know.

Speaker 2 (35:44):
It's a it's a big, strong organization, you know, so,
but yeah, it's uh, it's just sad that we didn't
get to to have that search and give that closures,
you know, at least on that part of it, you know,
and other people who for the Meter, the Week's family,
or or for the Buntons, you know, if they you know,

(36:07):
if for instant, then that would just hurt, you know,
the accusations against them is where I've seen it, you know.

Speaker 12 (36:14):
And now you said, you you grew up in a
little temple area and you knew the Bunting family, did
Sherif Bolinger also grew up in the same area as y'all.

Speaker 2 (36:28):
Yeah, both Surf Bowinger he lived basically an own chapel community.
He was. He was down around Brown Road, that is
where he lived, which is just a few miles down
the road. Honestly, you know, from from the Hall of
Arms Chapel, around the church area and stuff. So yeah,

(36:51):
we all grew up in an area.

Speaker 12 (36:54):
So he would now tell from growing up in Jo's family.

Speaker 2 (36:58):
Yeah, I was, I would say, so, you know, I
can't I can't speak for him. But of course in
those days, everybody knew everybody, you know, especially in the
community in that area. You know, so it's even a small,
tight knit community.

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Speaker 13 (39:29):
Absolutely, okay, all right, I'm trying to think of Oh,
he's been great.

Speaker 12 (39:37):
I appreciate it. We have a cool section attact all
the searches, and obviously we don't know what we don't
know at the you know, and CBI what they don't share.
I did come across pett the original news article when

(39:57):
I went to the archive yesterday that talked about they
were searching study with diaver docks from Nashville and for
family had seen that that was not actually true.

Speaker 2 (40:16):
Facts. I knew though I had heard folks. You know,
I said I wouldn't after you know, we didn't have
permission to do the circum and I wouldn't ain't like
I was in kipping the loop or anything like that
on what was going on. But I did hear the
different times that the Sheriff's office had had as a

(40:38):
doll or two or something come out, and you know,
they've done a little bit of searching or something at
different times. I have no, you know, idea of anything
of it. You know, I'm just what I hear. If
I say, I think there was there was one guy

(40:58):
in Nashville. I can't remember his name, and he was
a pretty repable you know. He had he had a
good dog. And I don't know if if y'all have
interview who talked to him or not, but I can't
remember his name with all. But we've done some work
with him in the past on different different scenes and stuff,
different researches, and then we've done some training together, and

(41:22):
he was he was a little good dog, you know,
it's what he had.

Speaker 13 (41:25):
So reached out to some of the searches and a
lot of them don't talk because it's still the open
case and they're still with her, you know.

Speaker 12 (41:39):
But we have and I respect that we have to
pay the work they have to got to do that.

Speaker 13 (41:46):
Did you.

Speaker 12 (41:47):
Bennett that worked for Miston County sheriff.

Speaker 2 (41:52):
Who's that Bennett detective? Minute? Yeah? Yeah? Uh do you know?
Was he was?

Speaker 12 (42:03):
He around y'all were going up to the community?

Speaker 2 (42:11):
Did it now? He did it? Lived? He was? He
was up on the wet the end of the County's
where he lived?

Speaker 12 (42:21):
Okay?

Speaker 2 (42:24):
But yeah, who was who's the detective? Were? Most of
my life? You know, for a long time he was
up generally worked with him a whole lot over the years.

Speaker 12 (42:36):
His name just comes up from the I think from
the original. Okay, Okay, all right, there are questions I
won't ask, but there are some, but you can say
passed and no, I won't push that. Okay, that's curiosity

(42:57):
over the years.

Speaker 13 (42:58):
And what what is?

Speaker 12 (43:00):
And you know, do you feel like this case should
have been folved already?

Speaker 2 (43:08):
Can you teach that?

Speaker 12 (43:10):
H Do you feel like this case should have been
folved already? Is it solvable?

Speaker 2 (43:16):
Absolutely? I mean really, I really do. And like I
said that, this has been twenty years, and there's a
lot of details I don't remember, you know, in timeframes,
you know, and stuff it gets claudy with. But from
what I remember, it seems like let off the Bats
things kind of went sideways when when when they was

(43:39):
reported mission and the the initial response, you know, when
the officers there was rumors of I guess improper work done,
you know, like police works. There were some officers that
I think that were that were fired, and it was

(44:01):
all just kind of it started off as a mess.

Speaker 11 (44:05):
You know.

Speaker 2 (44:05):
It's kind of where I see it, you know, and
I think I think that might have hurt you know,
the investigation son, you know, and finding them. You know,
I don't know the details of what happened, but it
started off, I know, some officers got got fired through
whatever reasons, and then then things were like, you know,

(44:29):
it's almost like it was choosed more as a missing
person you know kind of thing. At first it seems
like from what I remember, you know, and and it
seems like it just took a long time for it
for them to come out, and you know classified you know,
it's like a homicide or whatever. You know. So yeah,

(44:51):
I mean there was a lot of room or something,
you know, where it was the whole time. It was
all they they run away or let and witness protects. Now,
there was just so much stuff, but constantly you know
that and I don't know where none of this come from.
It's just rumors stuff I was here, you know, and
and it's it's just sad, you know that that things

(45:14):
didn't get off to a good start, you know, and
in bringing closes for the family, you know, and stuff.

Speaker 14 (45:21):
But why do you think people have lauds been as
opening the path to talk about this, you know, out
loud and in the community.

Speaker 2 (45:33):
Well, I think there's a lot of confusion. I feel
like I said that there was rumors going around, you know,
that they run away, you know, all those different rumors
you know, and that there would be back you know,
the road show or something, you know, and none of
it really made sense to me. But that's kind of
the way it seemed like that first, you know, I

(45:54):
think the investigation was kindling and towards you know, this
person type thing you know that's not really a criminal
you know, kind of case, is what it seemed like,
you know at first. Well, it's just kind of you
know it and I understand, you know, it happens, that

(46:16):
happens that let you know, people went away to do something,
But it was the whole situation that was always when
you know, and then speaking of the family and every
you know, and it just disappeared. Was just kind of alarming,
you know what it was. So I know that I've

(46:37):
heard that that Jennifer talked to her family you know
often you know, and and different things and then just
suddenly advantished, you know. So it's just kind of raises
red blags to me. Ain't something's not right, you know,
and hm, because the last thing you want to ever
do is mislead a search for an investigation. You know, Uh,

(47:01):
you have to be real careful and the dog, the
dog work, and you know, a search doll can really
especially missing person that a search doll can really really steal,
you know, the search in a long direction, you know,
if you an't careful. So that's happened, you know in

(47:22):
the past. You know we've had we've come in behind
who come in behind other dogs. But that didn't make
a fireman. We made a fine in thirty minutes, you know,
I mean it oh well, I mean it buries and
and you can't you know, some dogs dolls on hand,
those have good bays and bad bays. I mean, you
know so, but we were all those lights to say

(47:44):
it back up, you know what one dog was saying
with with multiple dogs, if we could you know, and
stuff like that. So right, and when you get multical dogs,
especially when you got multiple dogs, and especially if these
dogs have any any state of bad you know, fans,
you know, and stuff like that. If they're proven dogs,

(48:08):
you know, that's that's very you can put it out
fust in them. I mean, you know, I mean, if
natural dogs say the same thing, then I would probably
take with the sound of the bank. It just me
you know, as a dog hower you know, dogs just

(48:29):
don't lie.

Speaker 5 (48:31):
Buddy Mitchell is a retired Davidson County hostage negotiator who
has worked pro bono for the Wicks family since twenty thirteen,
when the case was switched from a missing person's case
to a homicide. It's unclear the exact reasoning for the change,
but many of the family members believe it's because there
has been zero evidence of a live activity with bank accounts,

(48:51):
phone records, social security numbers, et cetera. And some people
also speculate it's because that's when the sheriff changed. I
sat down with Buddy and Casey and the other searches
conducted over the years.

Speaker 15 (49:06):
I'm kind of funny my thirty four career. I never
would accept any awards because I thought I was supposed
to be doing that as police. I was a negotiator
for thirty years, you know, and I would get my
other negotiators put them in for a ward, but I
just don't go when they closed the lid. It don't
matter what's on your chest. Name is Buddy Mitchell. I
was in the Metro Nashville Police barmant sergeant. I was

(49:28):
there for thirty four years. I took when I retired,
I took a year off. And then another friend that
I worked with, Stan Marlag, got me to start a
PI company and he knew the Wicks family and introduced me,
and that's how I got connected. I've been doing PI
since twenty ten, so whatever, fourteen years, and.

Speaker 16 (49:58):
I just do Kremlin investigation.

Speaker 15 (50:01):
I have a company, ABC Investigative Services, and we do
that's all we do, is criminal investigation on both sides,
for the prosecution and for the defense.

Speaker 16 (50:14):
And been involved in this.

Speaker 15 (50:16):
I laid off a couple of times when the police
barman was doing some things and said we need you.

Speaker 16 (50:21):
To back off.

Speaker 15 (50:22):
So I was back off until they told me that
it was okay to go back to do investigation. I
got to talking to the father bitten and he was
given us information the great grandfather, and.

Speaker 16 (50:40):
He gave us permission. He said, you can come and search.
Oh you won't.

Speaker 15 (50:45):
I actually built up a good rapport with him. Myself
and one of my pis, Leonard Keila that's working with me.

Speaker 2 (50:56):
Went over.

Speaker 16 (50:56):
I knocked on the door and.

Speaker 15 (51:00):
The grandson came and opened the door and I walked
in and he got mad because he said, well, you're
knocking on the door. You family, just up and down
and come on in. You can do any searches. I'll
sign anything, and so which he did. He signed a
form so we was able to the family.

Speaker 10 (51:17):
And my mom did as well.

Speaker 17 (51:19):
I mean she talked to Major Jones too and and said,
you know you are not going to come, you know,
And he's like, well, it's not a sanctioned search. This
isn't a search that we're performing. It's a private party search.

Speaker 2 (51:36):
You know.

Speaker 10 (51:36):
He's like, you gotta have permission.

Speaker 8 (51:38):
We're like, we do.

Speaker 10 (51:39):
We have a form signed. We were invited and have
a form signed, and they were like no.

Speaker 17 (51:43):
And we even to Buddy's point as far as safety,
you know, it's a hostile situation where like can you
at least be here too, like can someone can you
send a patrolman or something just to be present, and
they didn't.

Speaker 10 (51:58):
Now, they did end up showing up the oh, which
we can get into.

Speaker 2 (52:03):
Yeah.

Speaker 15 (52:04):
Actually before they showed up, myself and P I my
other PI, Leonard Keeler, we was there and it's more
less as safety. I wouldn't let any of the dogs
go out with that one of us being there. During
one of the search, I look up and I see

(52:26):
joe Benton, which would be the Joey's father, walking down
the woods and he said, I said, ho, stop there,
and I said, we have permission here.

Speaker 16 (52:39):
He said why are you here?

Speaker 15 (52:40):
You you don't have them and I said, yes, I'm
I know the line and I knew it was Mark
the Bounty and he was on the other side and
I said this from here back we can search. And
I showed him piece of paper. I said, we have
a sign release from your father saying that we can search.

(53:01):
And he was not happy so he left. He We
later found out that he called the police and the
police didn't tell us, but we found out later that
he said, I have people on my property and I'm
going to shoot them, and that's what the we found

(53:21):
out later, and then it was several sheriff deputy come,
I think, lieutenant and a sergeant, several people, and they
talked to him, and they talked to us, and they left.
Still I might add too that she was a little hesitant,

(53:43):
the person in charge of the dog because said, we
never had this happen before, because when we do searches,
we always work alongside the police. They was a little
hesitant on, like I said, for safety reason doing this.

Speaker 16 (53:57):
But since he was here. They come from out of state,
I mean, it.

Speaker 17 (54:01):
Wasn't like I traveled from many a couple of different states,
different dog handlers and whatnot. But they're all part of
this one like search and rescue team, you know. But yeah,
they were hesitant to go out there, and we had permission.
Joe comes out. I've shown you the photos.

Speaker 10 (54:22):
That we got that day. But apparently either he did
or Joey did. I'm not sure who did.

Speaker 17 (54:28):
Called into dispatch twice. I think there were two calls, yes,
And then Major Jones shows up at grandfather Benton's property
that we had permission to be there on and then
Joey pulls up in the driveway right after no one
knows it's him, but he pulls up in the driveway

(54:48):
and he goes into the house and he's trying to
get his granddad to yeah, to revoke his permission. Say
you know that he wants us to leave because any
permissible search, you can be there until someone asks you
to leave, right and if they ask you to leave,
you have to leave immediately.

Speaker 15 (55:06):
He owned several acres in the cabin where the cabin was,
and it's a brick house.

Speaker 17 (55:11):
So the Benton's, Joe and Cindy and Joey's sister, they
owned six acres. So there's one acre where the brick
house sits and there's five acres where the cabin is.
And so we did not get to search that. But
the Grandad's property goes kind of like right up to
Owen's chapel, kind of like this little slither of property

(55:31):
like that butt's right up to Joe Benton's cabin. And
so that's where they were back in there. Whenever when
Joe walked out into the woods and we had to
pull the teams out.

Speaker 15 (55:44):
Yeah, thanks, Now, the dog I was there personally observed
the dog indicate on one spot, So which is the
good practice They pulled the dog out, and they put
another dog, and they even pulled the handler out so
that I won't be looking at a certain spot. So
they put another dog in and I actually watched him

(56:07):
sniff around and went to the same spot, the exact
same spot.

Speaker 17 (56:13):
So that was at least three different dogs, and then
they brought they brought the one another one back the
next day just to confirm, and it did indicate in
the same spot right where it's back on Grandpa Granddad
Benton's property back there.

Speaker 15 (56:31):
And she can explain these dogs are highly trained, like
they won't indicate on a deer because there was a
deer bone.

Speaker 16 (56:38):
We tested him.

Speaker 15 (56:38):
I said, I bet he hits on this bone, and
he went wrapped by it or she I couldn't. I
didn't look, but went rap by and boom. But this
exact spot which we later I came back the next.

Speaker 16 (56:53):
Day, of course, with the permission from the father, with
a shovel men Leonard. That didn't work.

Speaker 15 (56:58):
It was in the middle of July, Like I said,
I've had a whole lot of birthday. So I dug
a little hole and I said we might do something different,
not to get a bigger shovel.

Speaker 16 (57:06):
Actually got a back hold and we went down four
or five feet. Eight days after the next day. One
day next.

Speaker 17 (57:15):
He said, yeah, he said, just put everything back the
way you found it, and you're welcome on my property.
And so we actually called into the Sheriff's department and said,
we've had dogs indicate in the spot, multiple dogs from
this professional search and rescue team, and they, without.

Speaker 10 (57:40):
Putting kind of like them down at all.

Speaker 17 (57:43):
They did discredit those dogs that were there that day
and said that search dogs are trained on pork chops
and so on, and they were literally not like my
husband was there.

Speaker 10 (57:53):
They pulled out a case that had a cadaver.

Speaker 17 (57:55):
Bone in it and this dude, he said, and we
can probably get you in touch with and he said,
my dog's only train on cadaver.

Speaker 6 (58:03):
That's it.

Speaker 17 (58:04):
Those are the dogs that were hitting in the woods
that day. And so we told the Shafre's department, and
to Buddy's point, they said, dig it up, and we're like, yeah,
fin any thing, let us know, and we're like, but
but like this could be it, this could be evidence,
like you got it, and they're like, find it, let
us know, and let me add this to Buddy that

(58:26):
it wasn't just the dogs. That wasn't the only indication.
We also brought in a gentleman that performs the ground
penetrating radar, So he came out to that search that
day because the dogs kept kept indicating, and so we
brought him out and he.

Speaker 10 (58:41):
Did his test.

Speaker 17 (58:42):
I can show it to you, yea, the exact spot
of where it was. And he said that this particular
spot kind of like what Buddy's saying, it kind of
like is run off for I can't remember the radius,
like a two mall radius I think it was. And
he was like, so this particular spot, it could be
like and off from another spot. So if there's human
remains in another it could be runoff and it's just

(59:04):
kind of landing here. But this guy, he brings in
this machine and he takes this X ray image, and
the x ray image he's like, there's an opening. I
don't remember how big it was, like twelve inches deep
and however two feet wide or something like that.

Speaker 10 (59:18):
And on his recommendation, this person who.

Speaker 17 (59:21):
Literally does this for his job, puts on this report,
I recommend to dig it up and.

Speaker 16 (59:27):
To please this lady with the dogs.

Speaker 15 (59:30):
Know this gentleman, I think she is one that gave
me his name and number. He actually came out that
day come and Leonard stayed there until he got there.
He drove in from like three hours wait and he
drove in and we watched him do the test.

Speaker 10 (59:51):
Joe owns that property now.

Speaker 17 (59:53):
He got it in after his dad, the one that
invited us to search, passed away, and they went through
the estate ordeal after his passing, and Joe got that property.

Speaker 2 (01:00:04):
I might add that.

Speaker 16 (01:00:08):
Before this search.

Speaker 15 (01:00:10):
I don't know if it was a couple of weeks
or maybe my month. I want to say a couple
of weeks. He got arrested at his dad's house, the
grandfather's house, for trust passing because he.

Speaker 16 (01:00:22):
Wanted him to leave and he wouldn't leave.

Speaker 15 (01:00:23):
So they called the sheriff's department and they said, well,
he's trustpassed. If you're tell him, med not be here.
So they are actually arrested him for trust pass so
he was not allowed on that property.

Speaker 17 (01:00:33):
Yeah, to restraint in order against him. It's one of
the chargers that are still open today that he's dealing with.
He had a violation of probation for so still happening
even after his father's passing. It's still open, right, But yeah,
he wasn't supposed to be there. That's why he sent
Joey that day.

Speaker 16 (01:00:53):
Yep, because he couldn't come.

Speaker 15 (01:00:56):
He would have been arrested for about lateness.

Speaker 17 (01:01:00):
Now, Major Jones did talk to Joey that day. Joey
came out of the house, walked up to us all
standing in the driveway, right, we have it on video,
and walks up and he's like, can can you come inside?
And he's like all fidgety. I don't know if it's
drugs or what. Maybe he's nervous, there's a lot going on.

(01:01:21):
Maybe he's worried we're gonna find something. I'm not sure,
but he like comes up in the driveway and he's
like can you can you come inside for a minute,
And Major Jones is like, I'll be in in just
a minute, like I'm out here talking to them right now.
And then I believe he told him, he was like
if you're if you're trying to get in the middle
of this when they have permission, like like that's not

(01:01:44):
gonna happen today, you know. And I mean I do
remember that. I mean he did come that day, but
after phone calls were made threatening phone calls. So we
don't have a lot of details about these searches because
it's all law enforcements, records and documents that we don't
have access to. But I mean, I've met with them

(01:02:07):
in the past and they've told me and confirmed with
me that like when the searches were, and so I
have all the dates for them, but I'll try and
like pull it out of my memory. So I know
that we reported Jennifer and Adriana'm missing on Saturday, the
twenty seventh.

Speaker 10 (01:02:25):
March two thousand and four.

Speaker 13 (01:02:26):
And.

Speaker 8 (01:02:28):
Sunday.

Speaker 17 (01:02:29):
It was either Sunday or Monday after that, after the
first officer came to do the welfare check, which they
came back and they did a walk through. So this
is the first search permissible search air quotes that the
Sheriff's Department did, So they are basically doing a quick
walk through of the house see if Jennifer Adrian are there,
Are there any signs of foul play? Is their literal

(01:02:51):
blood laying on the floor, and can we come through
and mind you, this has been three and a half
four days since the last time anyone's talked to Jennifer
or or seen Jennifer and Adriana.

Speaker 10 (01:03:04):
So we're four days after the fact.

Speaker 17 (01:03:07):
Now, if there were a puddle of blood, it's gone,
you know, if there was a table pushed over, it's
set back up now, that sort of thing. So that
they run a scent dog at that time around the property,
I don't know where. I don't have documentation, sorry, Snory.

Speaker 16 (01:03:38):
The a lot of this.

Speaker 15 (01:03:42):
I actually talked to the witness be cause I talked
to the lady that did the search from not but
go ahead, I just want to list.

Speaker 17 (01:03:47):
Okay, yep, buddy has some additional info to obviously add.
This is just what I've confirmed with law enforcement. So
that was the first permissive, permissible search. Whenever they come
to do the first walkthrough and they run a scent dog,
which that it's like a scent dog is like did
they walk off into the woods, did they walk down
the road like they're following a scent trail, so it's
not looking for a cadaver. Nothing, There was nothing. And

(01:04:15):
of course Jennifer and adrian I lived there, like there're
scent is there, So that's very confusing for a dog,
like they've walked all over the property. They had to
walk to and from the barn that they lived in
at the time, you know, So, as far as I know,
there was nothing that was found. Then there was another
search in So we're jumping a couple of years here,
but it was two thousand and six ish. I know

(01:04:36):
that they drained a small pond on the property from
a tip that they had gotten. I've also been told
by law enforcement they did a grid search and they
invited like Tennessee Highway Patrol and there was something like
eighty people out there and they were three feet apart
and they were probing into the ground and they brought

(01:04:57):
dogs out that day there that search happened. I don't
know where that was. I don't know if it was
the granddad's property or if it was the Benton property.

Speaker 8 (01:05:07):
No idea.

Speaker 5 (01:05:09):
Joe Benton is quoted by the local newspaper, The Robertson
County Times saying, quote, Kathy expressed her concern that they
might be hurt or hiding in the woods. All of
our neighbors in name redacted neighborhood let them search end quote.
The same article goes on to say that quote, just
to be certain, they searched the property a second time

(01:05:32):
three months later, using two dogs from the Tennessee Highway
Patrols Special Operations Unit. According to Joe Benton, about twenty
deputies accompanied the dogs and the search end quote. When
I find curious are the three little words? According to Joe,
we have questions. Was the house search the interior of
the house search? Recall that when Deputy Campbell went to

(01:05:52):
the Benton residence on the twenty ninth, he was not
permitted to go through any of the rooms in the
Benton home.

Speaker 6 (01:05:59):
He was allowed to go to the back property that party.

Speaker 5 (01:06:02):
Barn shed, the same one where Joey and Jennifer and
Adriana had once lived in and Jennifer wanted to move
back into immediately, but it was locked. We don't have
access to these search records, I mean rightfully, so this
is an open investigation. But we do have some follow
up questions. Whenn't a dog hit on the girls scent

(01:06:24):
if they had been living there? This is the part
we're confused about. Perhaps they did hit, but the trail
wasn't there to follow because there was no trail outside
the immediate perimeter of the home. One particular line doesn't
sit right with me, you guys, and I don't know
is there something more there in this quote?

Speaker 2 (01:06:45):
All right?

Speaker 6 (01:06:46):
Quote?

Speaker 5 (01:06:46):
Since Wis used the Benton's computer to check her email
and their telephone while living with them, The family also
turned phone records to the police to see if something
or someone could assist them in their search and quote,
so let me break it down. My mind immediately goes
to wait, wait, don't see what is there? Why don't

(01:07:07):
you check what's not there? There are so many theories
about the girls running away, especially by the community and
law enforcement at the time, which likely may have contributed
to the lack of urgency on their part. Wouldn't there
be some sort of indication that she was leaving search
history would surely have answers as to her plan. After all,

(01:07:29):
according to the Benton, she was home alone all day
at the house until Joey came home from work later
that afternoon. She would surely have a lot of time
to look up anything on the computer. The absence of
these type of searches on the computer would point me
in the direction of an endangered adolescent. Over the years,

(01:07:52):
the family has expressed frustration as to why an Amberlert
was not a minister to Adriana. They have often wondered
What would have been done had the national alert been
delivered to everyone. What if the disappearance of the girls
was met with extreme diligence within the last forty eight hours.
Recall Jennifer and Adriana's last known communication with anybody outside

(01:08:17):
of the Benton's happened per her phone call to her
aunt Lisa on March twenty fifth. Now, this is per
the phone record. I'm going to play some audio that
we have about Joey Benton speaking about the Wicks Girls' disappearance. Now,
it's just a few words.

Speaker 6 (01:08:33):
And the words are this, just let us know you're okay.

Speaker 5 (01:08:37):
Standing in the doorway of his home, his body turned
slightly behind the door, his eyes staring blankly forward. He
looks caught off guard and not interested in offering any
other information.

Speaker 6 (01:08:48):
Let's hear it again, just let us know you're okay.

Speaker 16 (01:08:51):
I missing both and.

Speaker 6 (01:08:54):
I would do anything to know where she was at.

Speaker 5 (01:08:56):
Yet not once did he join in a search for
the girls. Not one to Jennifer write him a letter
with her feelings. After March twenty fifth. Something she was
so known to do was write to people through any
conflict or big feelings, and she just broke up with
a man she was going to start having a baby with,

(01:09:17):
with a man she wanted to marry, And yet she
just leaves and disappears and doesn't have any resolution a
girl who seeks resolution in any type of conflict. Nothing,
No letters to her family.

Speaker 2 (01:09:34):
You know.

Speaker 5 (01:09:34):
There have been zero sit down interviews with the Bentans
with anybody in the news or media. They have declined
to comment for numerous news stations over the years, including
a recent dateline request in twenty twenty four.

Speaker 6 (01:09:49):
Is it against the law to be apathetic?

Speaker 2 (01:09:51):
No?

Speaker 6 (01:09:51):
Is it against the law to be indifferent?

Speaker 2 (01:09:54):
No?

Speaker 5 (01:09:55):
But it is suspicious when a young man who loved
the little girl so much, he handcarved a wooden rocking
horse for her, who helped to take care of her,
who loved her mother so much, she asked her to
marry him, who loved her so much they're planning to
start their own family suit He's never once seen searching
for her. I would have liked the chance to sit

(01:10:16):
down face to face with Joey Benton and ask him if,
after twenty years, he still hopes.

Speaker 6 (01:10:22):
That the girls are all right.

Speaker 5 (01:11:20):
Thank you to our episode sponsor Wicked Ever After Podcast
by Stephanie Moriam a true crime podcast on YouTube. Make
sure you go like and subscribe to my friend Stephanie.
Missing in Hushtown was executive produced and written by Me
your Host Jules with Anley Audio House LLC. Casey Robinson
was co producer. Special thanks to John Thorpe, Patrick Robinson,

(01:11:43):
my parents and Jen Rivera, and to our children. To
follow our continued efforts on Justice for Jennifer and Adriana Wicks,
you can find us on Facebook at Justice for Jennifer
and Adriana Wicks. This page is personally managed by Casey
herself and you can find me Jules Hi on Instagram
at your host Jules. Notes and updates can be found

(01:12:03):
on our website www dot Missing in Hushtown dot com.
Please help us continue to grow by considering leaving a
five star review and rating wherever you're listening. If you
have a tip for this case, please please call one
eight hundred TBI find help us bring the Wis girls home.
To donate to this family's continued fight for justice, please
visit GoFundMe dot com slash Jennifer and Adriana Wis and

(01:12:29):
to support the podcast and to help us continue this
production You may clicks, support the show and the show notes,
and donate a wis kiss. Ten percent of all profits
from season one of Missing in Hushtown will be given
to the Wicks family indefinitely.

Speaker 6 (01:12:43):
As always, You're.

Speaker 5 (01:12:45):
Wanted, you are loved, and you deserve to be found.
Don't you forget it. I'll see you next time.

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