Jennifer and Adrianna Wix / Blog

A young mother and her 2-year-old daughter disappeared without a trace in the spring of 2004, 20 years later, there is still no sign of them, now upgraded from a missing persons case to a homicide, we still don't have answers.

Jennifer was 19 and had recently graduated high school. Jennifer was living with her mother Kathy Nale, and two younger sisters, Casey and Heather, in Cross Plains, Tennessee. Her sister Casey would help care for Adrianna when Jennifer worked nights. But she met Joey Benton, whom she began dating, Joey was from Robertson County, Tennessee. In December 2003 Jennifer and Adrianna moved in with Joey and his parents, Joseph and Cindy Bentson. Kathy Nale did not like Joey, or how she had seen him treat her daughter or granddaughter. Jennifer's Aunt Lisa Fierro (Kathy's sister) stated she had never seen Joey say or do anything out of the way toward to two girls.

When Jennifer and Adrianna moved into the Bentson home, her physical contact with her family, Mom and sisters. They still spoke with her on the phone. the last time Casey would see her big sister, would be at her 16th birthday party in February 2004. At time Jennifer was 21 and Adrianna was 2. They were dropped off by Joey Benton at Casey's party.

On Monday March 22nd, 2004, Jennifers Aunt Lisa Fierro drove her and Adrianna to the hospital, because Adrianna had been sick, not eating well and some type of bathroom issues along with a rash. The following day Tuesday March 23, 2004, Kathy met with Jennifer, Adrianna and Joey at the local Dollar General, to give Jennifer a homemade rash cream for Adrianna. During this meeting, little Adrianna wanted to go home with Kathy, however Kathy has to work the next day, so she couldn't take her home with her, so Jennifer agreed to let Adrianna go stay with Kathy the coming weekend. This is the last time Kathy says she seen them in person.

Jennifer called her mom on March 24th from the Bentson residence. Jennifer told Kathy about a fight she had with a member of the Bentson family, who it was is unclear. Jennifer was upset about this fight, despite Kathy trying to calm her down. Jennifer ended the phone call with her mom, telling her she could call her in the morning. Kathy never got a phone call from Jennifer on March 25th.

Jennifer called her Aunt Lisa on March 25th, sometime before 11am. Telling her aunt, she was going to move out of the Bentson home, and if Joey didn't agree, then Adrianna and her would be moving in her (Aunt Lisa) home. She wanted to speak with Joey before she left, but Joey was at work. Meaning she was going to wait for him to come home. Lisa left a spare key out on her porch for Jennifer, but Jennifer never arrived. On this same day, Jennfier's cousin Jeff Grayson, Lisa's son, was at work with Joey Benton, they were friends and coworkers, Grayson reported that Benton got a phone call, and seemed to be in a panic, saying he needed to leave and left he did.

Joey Benton

Michael Wix, Jennifers father, was confirmed to be the last known conversation Jennifer had on March 25th, 2004. At 11am Michael and Jennifer had a phone conversation about the argument she had the night before with a Benton family member, and they spoke of the upcoming trip Adrianna and her would be taking to Manchester to visit Michael on the coming Sunday March 28th.

On March 27, 2004, after 3 days of no contact with her daughter Kathy reported the two missing.

Police spoke with Joey, he reported that on March 25th Jennifer had asked him to take her to a grocery store, in cross plains, to use a phone. He said he did so, then took the girls to a local Exxon and pulled across the road from the Exxon and watched as a white four-door car pull up and Jennifer and Adrianna get inside. He reports that Jennifer showed back up on March 26th at his property to get Adrianna and her belongings, telling Joey that she needed some time away. He says that is the last time he seen Jennifer and Adrianna.

Despite, several interviews and searches they could never prove or disprove Joeys account of March 25th. Four sperate searches were conducted on the Benton property, including a pond that the police drained, no evidence of either of them, were found.

Early on Police treated the missing person case as a homicide, however it was not until 2013 that it was officially ruled a homicide. Any new evidence that made the police decide to rule it a homicide case, has yet to be reviled to the public.

March 2024 a Warrant went out for the Benton property. This comes after Joseph Benton was arrested for domestic violence. Authorities from local, state and federal offices were scattered across his Owens Chapel Road property on March 27. According to court documents, Benton possessed a 20-year-old photograph in an electronic form that shows a minor engaged in sexual activity, this resulted in Jospeh being arrested again. No information regarding Jennifer or Adrianna has been released to the public.

At this time, they are still missing or possibly worse.

Adrianna