Anya Cain (46:24)
They have no idea what's going on. So let's go to so we're in Indiana, this is out of Sullivan county and I just kind of came across this cold case. I don't think anyone sent this to us. Apologies if you did, but I think I just stumbled across this. My sources are mywabashvalley.com and forensic magazine and I also access through the newspapers.com amazing website, the associated Press, the Indianapolis Star and the Marian Chronicle Tribune. We are living in the ruins of a great empire, as has been said often, because when you used to look at newspaper articles they would actually have a ton of information and nowadays all we have is just stupid next door posts. So thanks social media for that. But let's look at this. So this is a 35 year old cold case. On Friday, January 2, 1981, a woman named Sarah or Jeanette Benson was shot and killed in Sullivan County. And the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office and the Indiana State Police continue to work on this case. So newspapers at the time list Ms. Ben Mrs. Benson as a 51 year old housewife. They say she was living in Farmersburg, Indiana in Sullivan County. And that evening, January 2nd, she came home from shopping and likely walked in on someone burglarizing her home. And her husband, Emory Benson then came home around 7pm saw the door was pried open and the items were missing and thought she had been kidnapped. So he called authorities but then found her in the spare bedroom. She had been shot and killed with a small handgun. Police quickly believed she surprised a burglar and they pursued a lot of leads but there was nothing enough for any arrest. Now there were some witness sightings that are important here. And this is something that especially if you're in Sullivan county or in the surrounding counties or you know, people from Sullivan county, raise awareness. I'll include the links to the articles on in our show notes and you can send them this episode, send them timestamps. Let's just get people talking this but the neighbors of the Benson saw a blue sedan pull into the driveway of their home. That was just before Mrs. Benson arrived at her home. So this is a quote from Sullivan County Sheriff Jason Bobbit from social media. Quote, one of the witnesses thought the vehicle was an older Plymouth Valiant, describing it as robin egg blue. Another and then so that's the quote. And then another witness also said it may have been a gm describing it as having, quote, shiny blue paint. And then another neighbor observed a white male wearing a vest exit the vehicle and knock on Mrs. Benson's door. The vest was described as a down vest. And a few years ago, police also released a picture of, based on witness sightings, what this guy's shoes may have looked like. And they released a photograph of similar shoes that the killer may have worn. I go on these articles, I think it's the forensic magazine one where you can see his shoes. If that's jogging any memories, it's it's time to get in touch with authorities. So investigators believe the guy who was seen by witnesses around the house was likely the murderer. He was described as thin. He was described as tall, possibly in his 20s at the time. That means he very well could still be alive because he was young back then. Anyone with an information about this murder, about anything, please contact the Sullivan County Sheriff's office at 812-268-4308. Or if you want, you can go to the Indiana State Police instead and you can reach them out. Reach out to them at 765-653-4114. I think that's the number for the Putnamville Post. So that would be the post that's going to help the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office. Talk to your if you're in Sullivan county and this all happened before your time, talk to your parents or if you were around at this time, talk to your friends who had sketchy friends, Right. If you, you know, maybe, maybe mom and dad used to kind of run with a bit of a rough crowd and now they got out of it. But maybe they know some people who might know something about this. Relationships change over time. With a cold case like this, if you can kind of kick up the mud and kick up stuff, then it's going to really benefit the case. So this is what Sheriff Jason Bobbitt said in his social media post recently, quote, over time, relationships change and it is not uncommon that someone with information could come forward to bring closure to the senseless murder. So again, investigators believe the murder would likely now be in his 60s. And this is a senseless tragedy that took away Mrs. Benson's life. She had a life. She was a devoted wife and mother. She was married to Emory Otis Benson. They had two children together and three grandchildren. So their family deserves answers. And hopefully people can kind of keep sharing this. And if you knew any really sketchy, tall, thin white guys who had specific shoes back in the 80s, call the police. Now. The other case I just wanted to update quickly is a case we also covered last week. This is the case of a runaway. She's 16 years old she's been missing since January 12, 2026. And her name is Lillian Marie Key. Again, 16 years old, went missing from Avon, Indiana. She may be still in the Avon area. She may have gone to Indianapolis. She may have gone to Chicago or V. Indiana. So, you know, she could be anywhere. But she needs to be found and brought home. Her. Her ears and nose are pierced. She has a tattoo on her ankle. And she is a kid who is out there. And I'm hoping by the. We're recording this like a week in advance. I'm hoping by the time that this comes out there she's found and it's all okay. But we've seen with the Hailey Busby case that these runaways, they could be in danger. You know, even if they've run away, even if it's a voluntary disappearance in the beginning, that does not mean that they're not endangered. So this is. This is a kid. My understanding from talking with people familiar with this case, familiar with this issue, is that Lillian had been placed in a new foster home a couple of weeks before she left. And she and another girl left together, but the other girl returned after a few days. She may be somewhere in the area of the basic vicinity of 21st and Post Road, but nobody knows. And people are concerned that she could be in danger. And, you know, this is something where Avon is in Hendricks county, which is to the west of Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department would be responsible for possibly, you know, bringing her home. But I think there's some concerns about, you know, their level of resources that they're going to put into this. You know, this is. This is some. This is a kid who's been through some tough, tough things. This is something where she's had struggles. She's had profound struggles. And that breaks my heart for her. And I hope that we can convey from again, people who know her that she is loved and people do care about her and she should come home. I'll include a link to the national center for Missing and Exploited Children's page about her. It has her picture. If you're in Indianapolis or any of the places I listed, please take a look. You see her, call 91 1. She could be in danger. She could be in a bad situation, and she needs to be brought to safety. And again, Lillian, if you're. You are hearing this, people do care about you. Come. Come back. Come home. So anyways, those are my Indiana cases.
