Missing Wix Girls /// Part 1 /// 915

Summary

True Crime Garage — “Missing Wix Girls” (Part 1, Episode 915)

Release Date: March 24, 2026
Hosts: Nic and The Captain

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Episode Overview

In this gripping installment, Nic and The Captain examine the haunting, decades-old disappearance of Jennifer Wicks and her two-year-old daughter Adriana from Robertson County, Tennessee. The hosts unravel the events leading up to their vanishing in 2004, exploring dynamics of domestic violence, familial bonds, and overlooked warning signs. The case pivots on chilling threats, muddled relationships, and the ominous presence of the Benton family, raising hard questions about vulnerability, control, and the heartbreak that stalks missing persons cases.

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Key Discussion Points & Timeline

1. Introducing Jennifer and Adriana Wicks

• [03:36] Nic explains that Jennifer (b. 1982) was known as quiet, strong-willed, artistic, and deeply devoted to her daughter Adriana (b. 2002). Despite having few material resources, Jennifer was described as an exceptionally attentive mother, centering her life around Adriana.

2. Family Structure and Early Life

• [04:10] Jennifer came from a large, blended family. The Wicks and Nail families stayed in close communication. Jennifer regularly connected with someone in the family, if not daily then nearly so.

3. Jennifer Meets Joey Benton

• [06:50] Jennifer’s cousin Jeffrey introduces her to his friend, Joey Benton. Their relationship appears promising at first, and Jennifer and Adriana begin spending time at the Benton family's property—a sprawling compound in rural Tennessee.
  • Notable quote (Nic, [10:06]): “The structure that they would live in at some point is described somewhat like a barn...a spread out family ‘compound.’”

4. Escalation: Threats and Violence

• [12:18] Roughly two months into the relationship, Jennifer calls her mother in Nevada, “hysterical,” after Joey threatens to shoot Jennifer, Adriana, and himself.
  • Quote (Nic, [12:59]): “Jennifer did not stay to see if this threat is going to become a reality. She fled with her daughter and the relationship ended.”
  • The family immediately moves back from Nevada to Tennessee to protect Jennifer and Adriana.

5. Temporary Safety and Return to Danger

• [15:52] Jennifer and Adriana find refuge in a home with Jennifer’s grandmother—a separate basement apartment. The arrangement provides a sense of relief and safety.

• [16:34] Despite this, Jennifer and Joey begin speaking again. Jennifer, now an adult, resumes the relationship against her family’s wishes.

  • Critical insight (Co-host, [17:55]): “...we don’t teach enough in school systems or even in the family dynamics about self worth and self care.”

6. December 2003: Violence at the Family Home

• [18:30] The relationship turns physical: Joey kicks down the door at Kathy’s home while Jennifer is packing to leave with him. Police are called; Jennifer and Joey leave but initially without Adriana. Joey is subsequently banned from the property, but Jennifer still moves in with him—this time to a partially finished, unheated barn on the Benton land.
  • Quote (Nic, [20:19]): “It had electricity and carpet but no running water, no air conditioning, and it was not winterized.”

7. Estrangement and Isolation

• [23:18] Jennifer, angry with her immediate family, stops speaking with them for about a month and a half. She maintains contact with a few extended relatives.
  • Quote (Co-host, [24:17]): “This is what these abusive types do...they like to separate their victim...from family members that don’t approve of the relationship.”

8. Living Conditions & Further Worries

• [24:43] Reports emerge of partying, drinking, and drug use at the barn, escalating family fears.

9. Resuming Contact and Continued Control

• [27:39] By late February 2004, Jennifer resumes contact with her mother and siblings. She brings Adriana to visit her sisters at work, but Joey is always “present”—either physically or overheard monitoring calls.

  • Notable moment (Nic, [29:03]): “Joey could be heard in the background almost policing the call, accusing Jennifer of using up his minutes and telling her, hey, you got to get off the phone.”

• [31:09] Jennifer’s dependency is highlighted: she has no car or license, making escape or independence difficult.

10. Cold Winter, Crowded Living, and Mounting Tensions

• [32:50] The barn becomes uninhabitable as winter hits; Jennifer, Joey, Adriana, and Joey’s parents squeeze into a small ranch house, further aggravating conflicts, especially between Jennifer and Joey’s mother.

11. Medical Crisis for Adriana

• [33:49] In March 2004, Adriana develops a vaginal infection. Jennifer's request to take her to the ER is downplayed by Joey’s family, particularly his mother (a nurse). Jennifer’s aunt finally drives them to the hospital, where the diagnosis is made; follow-up is advised with their pediatrician.

12. Final Confirmed Sightings and Communications

• [36:26] March 23, 2004: Kathy (Jennifer’s mother) sees both Jennifer and Adriana for the last time in person after a doctor visit.

• [37:27] March 24, 2004: A distressed Jennifer calls her mother, reporting fights with Joey and his mother. Adriana can be heard crying in the background.

  • Quote (Nic, [37:27]): “Jennifer did that. Kathy offered to come and pick them up. Jennifer refuses...‘We’re going to stick it out,’ I believe is her exact words.”

• [38:21] March 25, 2004: Jennifer has an unusually long two-hour phone call with her father, Michael. She says Joey is coming home from work and that they’re “going to go on a picnic to talk about the situation.”

  • Quote (Nic, [39:49]): “Jennifer also said something that would later haunt the family—she said she was looking forward to seeing her dad that coming Sunday.”

• [41:24] After these calls, Jennifer and Adriana disappear.

13. Immediate Questions and Family’s Response

• [41:24] The hosts immediately dismiss the likelihood that Jennifer chose to run away, citing her lack of money, resources, means of travel, and the seriousness of Adriana’s recent illness.
  • Quote (Nic, [42:49]): “No car, no money, no resources, no provisions. And maybe the less obvious here is it’s a little sick kid. The sickness mattered…”

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Notable Quotes & Takeaways

• On abusive relationships:
  Co-host, [24:17]: "They like to separate basically their victim... from family members that don’t approve of the relationship."
• On the impact of trauma:
  Nic, [13:30]: “This is the kind of threat, the kind of incident that changes a family’s internal calendar, if you will... everything for the family will become before and after this event.”
• On Jennifer’s character:
  Nic, [43:31]: “The person she's closest with, Joey, he makes bad actions. He makes terrible, horrible, frightening actions.”
• On community and safety:
  Nic, [15:52]: “The living arrangement created a measure of safety. And of course then you get that closeness with the family being back…”

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Important Segment Timestamps

• [03:36] Opening narrative: Family and character background
• [12:18] Joey’s gun threat—family mobilizes for safety
• [18:30] December 2003 domestic disturbance—Jennifer moves into hazardous conditions
• [24:43] Family learns of dangerous and isolating environment
• [27:39] Renewed family contact; Joey’s controlling behavior
• [33:49] Adriana’s medical crisis and hospital visit
• [36:26] Final in-person sighting
• [37:27] Distressed call from Jennifer: last meaningful contact
• [38:21] The two-hour call with Jennifer’s father and mention of “the picnic”
• [41:24] Disappearance and analysis of likely scenarios
• [44:11] Scrutiny of Joey and his family as possible suspects/accomplices

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Memorable Moments

• The hosts’ frustration and empathy as they recount Jennifer’s predicament—juxtaposing dark humor and raw candor (e.g., “you love to light the guy on fire and put him out with a shovel,” [21:41], Co-host).
• The repeated reminder that Jennifer was cut off from support—no car, little money, total dependency.
• The chilling detail of the last phone call: Adriana crying in the background as Jennifer promises her mother, “We’re going to stick it out.”

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Tone & Style

Nic and The Captain approach the case with a mix of gravitas, banter, and emotional insight—never shying from the darkness, but always striving for understanding and compassion. Their storytelling is thoughtful, meticulous, and punctuated by moments of humor and relatable frustration.

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Closing Thoughts

Part 1 of the “Missing Wix Girls” unfolds with all the hallmarks of True Crime Garage: careful research, palpable empathy, and a relentless quest for answers. The duo lay out the emotional and logistical complexities of Jennifer and Adriana’s lives leading up to their disappearance, scrutinizing the acts and motives of those around them. The episode ends at the precipice of the mystery, inviting listeners to carry the weight of lingering questions and join the continued search for the truth in Part 2.

Transcript

[Hershey's Narrator]

One sweet, melty bite of a Hershey's bar and suddenly I'm right back, sitting on the front porch with my grandmother on a slow summer afternoon. She doesn't say much, just breaks the bar in half and hands me a piece. I open my mouth to say whatever a 9 year old wants to say, and she replies with a low

[Commercial Voice]

listen.

[Hershey's Narrator]

So we sat there listening. That was the first time I learned that quiet can feel full. Hershey's it's your happy place.

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[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

Welcome to True Crime Garage, wherever you are, whatever you're doing, thanks for listening. I'm your host, Nick, and with me, as always, is a man who of course he is not cheering for busted brackets and broken dreams. He is the capped.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

Busted brackets was my nickname in high school. It's good to be seen and good to see you. Thanks for listening. Thanks for telling a friend.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

Today we are cheerfully drinking Knockout, which is an IPA from Fat Bottom Brewing Company in beautiful Nashville, Tennessee. Brewed with Bravo, Cascade and Pacific Jade hops, then dry hopped with Bravo, Pacific Jade and Comet hops. This IPA definitely packs a 1:2 punch. The grapefruit and citrus aroma softens the blow ever so slightly. ABV 6.2% garage grade, 4 out of 5 bottle caps. And here's some good garage friends that pack a punch. First up, a cheers to Mike Schaefer from Atlanta.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

And a big we like your chip goes out to Jennifer G. In Houston, Texas.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

Here's a chili cheers to Liz from Duluth, Minnesota.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

And a big talk hands in there goes out to Karen in Minneapolis. And also a shout out to the bad plus.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

And here's a triple cheers captain to Ginger Dancy, Market research, Dan and Bertha in Lina. Everyone we just mentioned went to true crimegarage.com and contributed to this week's beer fund which filled up the old garage fridge. And for that we thank you.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

Yeah, BWW and beer run for everything true crime, check out truecrime garage.com while you're there, sign up on the mailing list and colonel, that's enough of the be.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

All right, everybody, gather round, grab a chair, grab a beer. Let's talk some true crime. This week's true crime story is about a cold case and a family that refuses to quit. I filed this one in the garage under the title of the Wicks Girls, but this case is about a woman and her little girl, a missing mother and daughter, a duo lost to violence and time. Jennifer and Adriana Wicks have been missing for over 20 years, and their case remains open, a mystery. One of the more haunting details of this case is a phone call prior to the two going missing. On the call, Kathy, Jennifer's mother and Adrianna's grandmother, listens to her daughter's voice and tries to hold on to every syllable, every breath between words. In the background, a baby cries. Loud, urgent, alive, filling the space behind the conversation like a warning no one yet understands. The daughter speaks with the casual certainty of someone who believes she will be home soon, that this moment is ordinary, that the future is guaranteed. She ends the call the way families often do, with love as punctuation. Those are the last words that Kathy hears from Jennifer, the last words to a mother from her daughter, with her baby crying in the background. This is the case of Jennifer and Adrianna Wicks, and this is true crime Garage. Jennifer Wicks was born on August 16, 1982. People who knew her best describe her her as quiet and strong willed, the kind of person who wasn't loud in a room but still somehow anchored it. She was artsy, drawn to nature, and carried herself with a steady maternal seriousness that didn't match how young she still was. That seriousness had a name, Adriana, Jennifer's daughter, who was born on January 14, 2002. Now, from the start, Adrianna was not simply part of Jennifer's life, she was the center of it. Jennifer arranged her world around her child, doing the ordinary, devoted things that build a childhood. Taking her daughter places, keeping her close, making sure she was cared for even when Jennifer herself had very little. Jennifer didn't have much materially. She had no car, no phone, no bank account of her own for much of this period. But to her family, none of that defined her. What defined her was the way that she poured herself into being Adriana's mother. We're going to go to 2003 here, Captain. We have Jennifer Wicks. She's living in Robertson County, Tennessee, sharing a home with her aunt and her cousin Jeffrey. Jennifer is the oldest of three girls in her immediate household. But she was also part of a larger blended family. So there's six sisters, as I understand it, in total across both sides. She stayed close to family in a way that was practical and emotional. They helped one another, they stayed in touch. Often, Jennifer rarely went long periods of time without speaking to someone in the family. In fact, it was said she wouldn't speak with her parents each and every day. She wouldn't speak with her sisters each and every day, or her aunt or cousin, but she would always speak to somebody in the family with what seemed like each and every day. That same year, 2003 brought a major shift for the family. So we have Jennifer's mother, Kathy Nail, and Jennifer's sister. Some of the sisters moved to Henderson, Nevada. This is just outside of Las Vegas. Jennifer was living with her aunt and her cousin Jeffrey. As we said, it was during the fall of 2003 that Jeffrey, her cousin, introduced Jennifer to a very close friend of his. In this friend is named Joey Benton. Joseph William Benton, I believe is the full name here. But for the purpose of our true crime story today, Captain Joey Benton. Now, Jennifer and Joey began dating in the early days of this courtship. The relationship appeared promising. Jennifer and Adrianna soon started spending a lot of time at Joey's family's property, which is described as a large compound in the Owens Chapel community of Cross Plains, also located in Robertson County, Tennessee.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

Is this like a big barn or is it just like one of those multi family compounds?

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

I think both are right. The structure that they would live in at some point is described somewhat like a barn. So the Benton family property is a place described more as a spread out family air quotes compound rather than a single family home. So we have multiple relatives of this Benton family living on nearby acreage. Now I did have a hard time captain nailing down exactly just how large this property is. The biggest number that I did come across so however was 81 acres. Now it gets complicated. That's a lot of land. A lot of a lot of land. It gets complicated here.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

Long time mowing.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

The complication comes in when we have multiple families, lots of Benton family occupying this land. So each of them have portions of it with their own houses and yards and such. But it was difficult to sort out if it was 81 acres plus the additional properties or if it was 81 acres that is all encompassing of all of the family's properties.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

Either way, it's a ton of land.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

There you go. That We. We'll put that in the realtor write up for the sale.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

Yeah.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

Seeking ton of land. Here you go.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

Here you go.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

To an outsider, it may have looked like Jennifer was settling into a new chapter of her life. Right. One where she and Adrianna were increasingly absorbed into Joey's world. She's spending more time there than she is with her own family. We have the family that's split. Right. We have her dad on one side with some sisters there we have Jennifer's mother and some of the family now living in Nevada at this time. It's during this time that Jennifer's life back in Tennessee is tilted towards something very dangerous. So this is roughly just like two months into this relationship, Right. When Jennifer experienced an incident that deeply frightened her, and it should. Jennifer's family now in Henderson, Nevada, said that Jennifer called her mother in an emotional state that can only be described as hysterical. The reason for her call was not vague at all. It was specific and it was terrifying. Jennifer reported an argument that took place in which Joey pulled a firearm, pulled a gun out and threatened to shoot Jennifer, threatened to shoot Adriana, and threatened to shoot himself.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

Oh, great. So he's a giant piece of.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

Jennifer did not stay to see if this threat is going to become a reality. She fled with her daughter and the relationship ended.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

Yeah, but the problem is when you're threatened like that with a gun to your head and the person saying, hey, I'm going to kill you, I'm going to kill your daughter. I'm going to kill myself. Even when you leave the situation and you leave immediate contact with that individual, the threat is then ongoing.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

Oh, absolutely. And. And this is going to be one of the. This is a huge marker on our timeline for many reasons, but one that as we are looking back, as we were checking out the rear view mirror here, when looking back on this, this is the kind of threat, the kind of incident that changes a family's internal calendar, if you will. Right. Everything for the family will become before and after this event, Right? Oh, that took place before the gun incident. Oh, that took place after the. The death threat. So Kathy, Jennifer's mother, and the family moved back to Tennessee with the quickness. It was like within one or two weeks of this phone call. So as quickly as they could get back, they made their way back to Tennessee to protect Jennifer and Adriana.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

This threat is going to scare you to death, but you want to protect your child, but also your grandchild.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

The move back happened after they had been away for roughly just like eight to Nine months. There was a little bit. It kind of came at a convenient time. Forgive me for using that word, considering the, the event we just discussed. But.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

Yeah, but think about it. If you're going to. If you had to choose between Las Vegas and Tennessee, I'm picking Tennessee.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

Well, and what I mean by that is it worked out with, for the family that they were able to return so quickly because they were able to return and have a place to live. So Kathy's mother, this would be Jennifer's grandmother. It sounds like she had a larger home. And she was like, yes, come and stay here. I understand you guys got to move back very quickly. Come and stay here and. Oh, we can have Jennifer and Adriana come and live at the home as well. So Jennifer and Adriana, they settle into a space that almost functioned like a separate apartment. It was a walkout basement. I love a walkout basement. It was a walkout basement that had two bedrooms down there, a bathroom and a living area. So very much like its own little apartment. You could come and go without having to enter the. The main level of homes.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

Yeah.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

So the living arrangement created a measure of safety. And of course then you get that closeness with the family being back, and the family could pull Jennifer and Adriana back toward something steadier, something safer, living together with family. For a moment, the family felt the relief of having Jennifer and Adriana back in this safe place under their roof with a boundary between Jennifer and Joey, a. A wall, a barrier between the two.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

Sometimes these pieces of will be threatening towards their partner, but won't be threatening towards their partner.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

In a public atmosphere, Jennifer and Joey broke up. But unfortunately, my friends, that breakup didn't hold. And over time, Joey drew her back in. Jennifer and Joey started talking again. The family didn't want it, of course, especially not after the gun threat, not after what it took to bring Jennifer and Adriana back home. But part of the issue becomes Jennifer was 21, she's an adult. She's making her own decisions.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

Not good decisions, but she's making her own decisions.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

Yeah, for. For me here, look, and I'm not trying to come at Jennifer. Her situation was complicated, but for me, peace out, smell you later. Like, it's over.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

It is over. But the problem is when you're young and somebody's probably apologetic for the shitty actions, but also she's in a situation where she's the sole provider for her child and we don't teach enough in school systems or even in the family dynamics to self worth and self care. We we just don't talk about that enough, especially in the teenage years and the early 20 years.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

Well, not only is Jennifer young at this point in our timeline, 21, but Joey's younger than she is. And I can speak from personal experience. Dudes in their 18 to, like, 20 years of age, most of us idiots. And I don't think Joey was any exception to that statement there. And Jennifer's making her own decisions. And eventually, unfortunately, she chose to go back. So this relationship resumed.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

Yeah.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

Now, there was a day in late 2003 that will stay burned into the family's memory because what once was like this threat that they heard about, this is now becomes more physical, more tangible. So this is In December of 2003, when an alarming event erupted at Kathy's home where Jennifer was staying with her daughter. So Joey reportedly kicked in a door there, and Jennifer's sister Casey called the police as a result. So this is how I pretty much how this went down, or at least the short of it here. Captain. So Jennifer and Joey came to the family home to pack Jennifer and Adriana's things, to pack up some of their things. Now, at that time, Jennifer's plan was to return to Joey's living setup and start staying there. Okay. With her daughter. And we already know what took place when she was staying there a lot prior. But also on top of that, what Jennifer's family will say is that this living setup wasn't a conventional home. So they were going to be staying in a partially finished shed or barn like structure like you had referenced earlier described as a storage building type of structure that had been roughly remodeled like it was in the. In the process of outfitting this barn or storage building into being like a living quarters. It had electricity and carpet, but it didn't have any running water. It had no air conditioning, and it was not winterized. And of course, doesn't seem like a

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

place I'd want to stay.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

Right. December 2003. Cold weather is a coming, my friend.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

Yeah.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

So the family, they're trying to advise her not to go there for many reasons, don't live there. They're. And then at some point, it changes from trying to advise her, talk her into it, to, you know what, let's just stop. Let's just stop her from leaving. And at that point, Joey steps outside the family. Somebody in the family shut or slammed the door behind him, and he responded by kicking the door down, like knocking it straight off the hinges. Inside the home, we got the little kid, Adriana, the little baby. She Crying now, in this chaos, police are called police. By the time officers arrived at the scene, Jennifer and Joey were gone. They left without Adriana at first. They later returned for her. And the way that I understand this here, Captain, legally or as far as the law is concerned, because Joey had left the property, Jennifer was gone as well. I don't think anything was pursued by beyond that of other than a police report being filed regarding the incident.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

Yeah, this is a situation where you love to light the guy on fire and put him out with a shovel just to teach him a little bit of a lesson.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

Of course, after this incident, Joey was no longer permitted to be at Kathy's home, no longer allowed to step foot into the home or onto the property. And Jennifer took Adriana and moved away from her mother once again, this time into a large, that partially finished barn like structure that we described, located on the Benton family property.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

Okay, so let me just get this correct. The family is trying to stop her from moving. So that pisses Joey off. He causes a scene, but she still goes and moves in with him.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

Yes, well, she, I mean, she was. Her intent was to start staying at his place more, maybe even move in there. And it was her family trying to prevent her from doing this that, that upset Joey. You know, hey, you're getting in the way of our relationship here.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

Right.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

So she, I think she had already planned to leave, but him kicking down the door and getting violent in front of her family didn't change that.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

Yeah, because she probably viewed it as, well, if my family would have just mind their own business, then he never would have acted this way. And again, it's, you got to have some self love and self care and self worth to see that that's not actions or behaviors that you want to be around, let alone to have your child be around.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

And guess what, honey, you are my business. So Jennifer, in reaction to this situation, clearly upset with her family, she stopped speaking with her immediate household. And. And because her family's kind of spread out, she's still in contact with some family, but. But not in contact. She breaks contact with the family members she was living with. Right, her. Right her mother and sisters. So this, this break in communication or her stop speaking with the immediate household, this took place for roughly a month and a half. And during that time, she still had contact with other relatives, an aunt, one of her grandparents or grandparents that lived nearby, and her father's side of the family and through those conversations.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

But this is what these abusive types do, whether it's physical abuse, mental abuse, verbal abuse. They like to separate basically their victim, their continuous victim, from family members, especially family members that don't approve of the relationship. The family members they're not able to to pull the wool over their eyes, to pull the con job on them.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

Through those conversations that she's having with the family, she's staying in contact with the family learned details that really intensified their concerns. The barn where they were living, as they were told, functioned as kind of a party spot for Joey and his friends, with drinking and drugs present at these gatherings.

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[Hershey's Narrator]

that with Acrobat One sweet, melty bite of a Hershey's bar and suddenly I'm right back, sitting on the front porch with my grandmother on a slow summer afternoon. She doesn't say much, just breaks the bar in half and hands me a piece. I open my mouth to say whatever a 9 year old wants to say, and she replies with a low sh Listen. So we sat there listening. That was the first time I learned that quiet can feel full. Hershey's it's your happy place.

[Kelly Clarkson]

Hey y'.

[True Crime Garage Announcer]

All.

[Kelly Clarkson]

It's Kelly Clarkson with Wayfair, where delivery and setup are as easy as a few taps on your phone. Picture this. You're relaxing in an old hammock, scrolling Wayfair's app when you spot it. A brand new patio set. Next thing you know, Wayfair delivers it right to your patio and sets it up. Oh, you need a new grill too. All right, Wayfair's got you covered. With Wayfair's room of choice delivery and fast expert setup on qualifying orders, life gets a little easier. Visit Wayfair.com or the Wayfair app Wayfair. Every style, every home.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

All right, we are back to the windows, to the walls. Cheers. Tall cans in the air.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

Cheers. Cheers to everyone out there in listener land. Thank you for joining us in the garage once again. So we get to about early 2004 here, Captain, in our timeline. All right, this is when contact resumes between Jennifer and some of her family members. So she began speaking with her mother and siblings again around February 22nd. And that date stands out and is memorable, easily remembered by family because that date mattered, because it was Jennifer's little sisters birthday. Her name is Casey, and her mother Kathy's birthday. They shared this day as their birthday and it became a marker of Jennifer, quote, coming back around. There was pain threaded through even that reconnection, though Adriana's birthday is in January and during that period of estrangement, the family wasn't invited to the birthday party. Later seen pictures of Adriana celebrating at Joey's family home with Joey's family. This of course, very much hurt Jennifer's family.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

Yeah, it'd be upsetting.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

Now, as contact resumed, Jennifer would bring Adriana to visit Jennifer's sisters at work. Both were working at a McDonald's in a nearby town. So Jennifer brought Adriana to the play place. Remember, the McDonald's would have the, the. The big play place at some of the locations and she would bring the little girl to play there and also a nice excuse to visit with her aunts. And on the surface at this time, things look like ordinary family moments are returning. But the control, like you pointed out, the control was still there. Joey was always kind of present. Like Jennifer just didn't arrive alone. Like he would either be with her or like when she called her family. Joey could be heard in the background almost policing the call, accusing Jennifer of using up his minutes and telling her, hey, you got to get off the phone. You got to get off the phone. You're using up my minutes. Now keep in mind 2004 there, we're going to have some young listeners out there that don't know what we're talking about with minutes. But there was many years ago before unlimited plans existed, there was a real struggle going on with keeping your minutes low. Yeah, the cost of texting. I remember having friends that would have to take on a second job because they got some crazy cell phone bill, because they would just text all night long or use up all their minutes and get hit with fines and 250, $350 cell phone bills for one month's time.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

I had to Sell a bunch of pictures of my feet online one time because I racked up so many text message bills.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

Well, and part of this control too, or Joey always being there, it's sort of easy too, to maintain that control. Because Jennifer didn't have her own vehicle. She didn't have her own vehicle when she met Joey. And this matters. This mattered. If she wanted to leave, she required someone else to Dr. Yeah.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

And question, did she have her license? Because obviously if he had a vehicle, then he could lend her the vehicle. But if she doesn't have her license, then he's kind of forced to be there. But like you said, I think the monitoring of the cause and, and him always being there is also to monitor. What are they saying to you and what are you saying to them? Because this abuse probably did not stop, right? So now that he has her living in this house and she's dependent on him, the abuse, physical, mental, verbal abuse, probably continues. But now you get a monitor if she's telling her family good things about you or bad things about you.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

So Joey would bring Jennifer to Kathy's home, to her mom's home and drop her off. Remember, he's still not allowed at the house. Jennifer's family remained uneasy about the Joey situation. Jennifer reportedly told them about the barn parties, the presence of weapons in the Benton home, and of course, Joey's temper.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

Right. But at some point, if you're the family and you're like, we told you not to go live with him, we told you to not be with him after he threatened you. At some point, everybody has somebody in their life with, whether it's a family member or a friend that gets into a situation that you warned them about. And then as they're complaining about the situation, it's like you don't even know what to say at that point because you didn't listen to me on the last 20 things I told you to do. So at some point you just kind of go, okay, well that's, that's the situation.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

Cold weather came and cold weather pushed Jennifer and Joey out of that barn like structure. Again, the structure wasn't winterized. So at some point In February of 2004, Jennifer, Joey and little Adriana were living in Joey's parents small three bedroom brick ranch house with his parents. Cindy and Joe Benton were all under one roof with limited space. Tensions escalated, according to Jennifer's family. The conflict between Jennifer and Joey's mother. There was conflict between Jennifer and Joey's mother. It was especially volatile, they say, fueled by a closeness between Joey and his mother that others perceived as intense. Whatever the exact emotional label, you know, jealousy, hostility, control.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

Right.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

The outcome, the result is the same here. The house felt unstable to folks on the outside. And then In March of 2004, Adriana, the little two year old girl, caught in the middle of all of this BS and nonsense, she became sick. Jennifer called her mother late at night, around 10pm or 11pm or so. This would be either on March 20 or March 21, 2004. So the call comes in. Adriana is in pain when urinating and she's crying each and every time that she's trying to use the restroom. So something's wrong with the little girl. Jennifer says that she had asked Joey and his family to take them to the emergency room. But they. There's conflicting reports here. Some reports say that the family refused. Other reports say that the family convinced her that it was not necessary. So the way I understand it here, Captain, is Joey's mother worked in the medical field in some capacity. Some reports say that she was a nurse. So her family, his family is saying the ER visit isn't necessary and dismissed the need for the ER visit. Jennifer called her aunt who's living less than five minutes away at this time, and the aunt shows up driving Jennifer and Adriana to the er. Now this is going to be a full on overnight visit to the emergency room and they're going to be test conducted. Tests that are run, results that they're waiting on a nurse after getting. The results led them to believe that Adriana had some type of vaginal infection, noting that it was not common for a two year old. Jennifer and Adriana were sent home without medication, but they were told that they needed to go to their regular doctor. Right. To go follow up with Adriana's pediatrician.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

Right.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

So on the following day, Adriana's grandmother took her to the pediatrician. The pediatrician confirmed the infection and again noted that it wasn't common at that age, though said that it could have been caused by something as simple as being left in a diaper for too long.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

Yeah, neglect.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

Then we go to March 23, the last time Kathy sees Jennifer and Adriana. On March 23, 2004, Kathy saw Jennifer and Adriana in person. They had been to the doctor for that infection. It should have been a forgettable Aaron. Right. Like an ordinary day other than the doctor's visit. But it became the last confirmed time Jennifer and Adriana were physically seen by her family. On March 24, Jennifer called Kathy, her mother, from Joey's Parents house. This is a tough call. She's distressed. Jennifer is distressed. She was arguing with Joey. She wasn't getting along with Joey's mom.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

Right.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

Kathy said she could hear yelling in the background. She could hear Adrianna, the little girl, crying in the background. The sound of the call was the sound of a home in turmoil. Kathy tried to give practical advice in the middle of all of this chaos, saying, go get Adrianna, bring her into the room, get her away from the noise, from the yelling. Jennifer did that. Kathy offered to come and pick them up. Jennifer refuses. She told Kathy not to do not come over here. She said, we're going to stick it out. I believe is her exact words, quote, stick it out. And she promised that they would talk the next day. Well, the next day is March 25, 2004. This is the last confirmed conversations. Confirmed being the very important word here, Captain. So Jennifer spoke with her father Michael at approximately 11:00am that day. Michael says that they spoke for about two hours, which just about everybody and Jennifer's family describes as unusual, saying Jennifer did not typically stay on the phone with her father for that long two hours, a long call. Jennifer told her father that she was upset. She said she wasn't getting along with Joey's mother and that Joey's mother scared her. Jennifer said Joey was at work in Franklin, Kentucky, which we know where our story takes place in Tennessee, but Franklin, Kentucky is not terribly far away. She says Joey's at work in Franklin, Kentucky, but he's on his way home. And Jennifer told her father that they were going to go on a picnic to talk about the situation and see if they could work it out.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

Right. The problem here is we have evidence. You're threatening your partner with a gun, you're threatening to kill her. Her. Her daughter. You're physically abusive, you're mentally abusive, you're verbally abusive. So there's tons of evidence that you're a piece of. Well, the piece of doesn't fall too far from the piece of tree. And that would be his mother. And so then you're. This is just a bad situation overall.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

Jennifer also said something that would later haunt the family. She said she was looking forward to seeing her dad in Manchester the coming Sunday. Now, I've seen that statement several times. I don't. I'm a little uncertain. I mean, we know what's about to take place. We know what does take place in our timeline here. I. I'm not seeing the writing on the wall of exactly why this was so haunting, other than maybe it might have been the last thing that she said to somebody that she was very close with. There was also an additional family claim that Jennifer spoke with an aunt on March 25, 2004. So the same day, I'm guessing this would have been later in the day. The aunt says that she agreed to leave a key out. I'm going to hide a key somewhere, leave a key store key somewhere so that if you needed to come by, Jennifer, if you and Adriana want to come here and maybe stay here or drop by, you can let yourself in. We need to be absolutely clear here that that call has never been verified. It's the aunt says that the call took place, but Jennifer's immediate family later stated that they could not confirm this call ever took place. And they're saying that they're basing their question mark of this call through law enforcement records that they've reviewed.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

Right. Bizarre.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

So after Thursday, March 25, 2004, Jennifer and Adriana vanished. Poof. Gone. Now, before we get into further details here, let's start off by stating both the obvious and maybe some of the not so obvious here. Right. With the two gone, I want to right away, can we squash the idea right away that Jennifer chose to leave on her own accord? I mean, that's always gonna make a lot of sense. Yeah, it's a possibility in a lot of these stories. And look, we can't say 1000% that that's the case here, but it would seem like very close to that. I mean, taking her two year old daughter, Adriana, a little toddler with her and hitting the road to start a new life somewhere else just doesn't. Doesn't ring true here. Right. No car, no money. And then maybe the less resources. No resources, no provisions. And maybe the less obvious here is it's a little sick kid. The sickness mattered. It matters for more than one reason. For medical reasons. It makes the idea of Jennifer voluntarily traveling or disappearing even less believable. Because to the people that knew Jennifer best, they have said now for 20 plus years, Jennifer was not the type of mother to casually leave town with a sick kid with no supplies.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

Yeah, but she makes some bad decisions. So agreed, that becomes difficult. But like you said, unless we have evidence of her communicating with somebody that's going to help her or drive her away, doesn't make a lot of sense because every time there's conflict, she is still reaching out to family members. Like you said, a two hour long phone call with her father. That kind of seems important to me.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

Oh, absolutely, absolutely. And the Family says exactly the same thing. And then to circle back to what you said, she makes poor decisions. True. I won't, I won't fight you on that. She does. The person she's closest with, Joey, he makes bad actions. He makes terrible, horrible, frightening actions. And like you said, piece of shit acorn doesn't fall too far from that POS tree.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

Right.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

I, I'm very curious about what actions went on with some of Joey's family members.

[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

Well, yeah, and we do know that Joey was, again, like you said, he wasn't like a million miles away or anything, but he's gone for a time period and there's still conflict. So there's a, there's possibility that, oh, she's missing. Well, that could be because of Joey or it could be because of his mother or it could be a combination of both of them.

[Nick (True Crime Garage Host)]

And to be clear, while, again, while this is another city, he's not staying there to work. This from my understanding, this is a typical work shift, a place that they would drive to, to work. I don't, I believe I found it when I was reviewing all the information, but I don't seem to have it here. My notes, what the name of the employer was, was. But it was located in Franklin, Kentucky. And right at with that, that phone call, that very lengthy phone call with her father, she does mention that Joey's at work in Franklin, Kentucky. He's on his way home. And we're going to go on a picnic and we're going to talk this through. We're going to, we're going to, we're going to talk about it and see what happens. And that kind of leaves for Jennifer's dad anyway. That's going to leave a big matzo ball out there because I don't think that Jennifer's telling him that we're going to be able to work it out. I don't think she's telling him that, oh, it's, it's over between us. The statement is we're, we're going on a picnic and we're going to talk about.

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[Co-host (True Crime Garage)]

Garage.

[True Crime Garage Announcer]

You get to join us in the garage and sometimes we're joined by very special guests. And on Sunday we released an episode where we talk about John Wayne Gacy, the serial killer from Chicago. And we talk with Karen Conti. Karen Conti is a lawyer, a true crime radio host and an author. She wrote a book called Killing Time with John Wayne Gacy and her experience with John Wayne Gacy. So you want to check that out on Patreon or Apple podcast subscription. It's truly the best way to to support the garage and you get more true crime in return. So much more to get to in part two. Stick around. Same bat times, same bat channel. And until then, be good, be kind and don't.

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