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Speaker 1: School of Humans. Helen Got Murder Line actively investigates cold

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Speaker 1: case murders in an effort to raise public awareness, invite

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Speaker 1: witnesses to come forward and present evidence that could potentially

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Speaker 1: be further investigated by law enforcement. While we value insights

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Speaker 1: from family and community members, their statements should not be

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Speaker 1: considered evidence and point to the challenges of verifying facts

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Speaker 1: inherent in cold cases. We remind listeners that everyone has

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Speaker 1: presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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Speaker 1: Nothing in the podcast is intended to state or imply

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Speaker 1: that anyone who has not been convicted of a crime

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Speaker 1: is guilty of any wrongdoing. Thanks for listening.

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Speaker 2: On March twenty fifth, two thousand and four, twenty one

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Speaker 2: year old Jennifer Wicks was in crisis. Jennifer lived in

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Speaker 2: Robertson County, Tennessee. She was a single mother to her

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Speaker 2: two year old daughter, Adriana, who Jennifer adored. She and

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Speaker 2: Adriana had moved in with her boyfriend, William Joseph Joey

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Speaker 2: Benton and his parents, Cynthia and Frank Joseph Benton a

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Speaker 2: few months before, in December of two thousand and three,

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Speaker 2: for clarity, because the father and son have the same name.

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Speaker 2: From here on out, we're going to call the father

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Speaker 2: Joseph and the son Joey. The situation at the Benton

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Speaker 2: home was volatile. Before moving in with Joey's family, Jennifer

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Speaker 2: lived with her mother, Kathy Nail, and her younger half sister,

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Speaker 2: Casey Wicks. Casey told us that Jennifer had been calling

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Speaker 2: home and complaining to her mother that she wasn't getting

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Speaker 2: along with certain members of Joey's family. Because Casey was

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Speaker 2: living in the home, she was hearing some of these conversations,

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Speaker 2: and also it was a topic of discussion in their house.

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Speaker 2: So even though they were only hearing Jennifer's side of

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Speaker 2: the story, Casey and Jennifer's mom, Kathy Nell, were forming

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Speaker 2: an impression of Joey that wasn't great, So there was

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Speaker 2: tension there. Over a period of a few months, Jennifer's

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Speaker 2: family said the situation at the Benton home had become

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Speaker 2: increasingly strained. Then, on March twenty fifth, something happened. No

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Speaker 2: one knows exactly what happened, and law enforcement has not

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Speaker 2: released much information due to this still being an open investigation.

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Speaker 2: That being said, we do know a few things about

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Speaker 2: the timeline leading up to that day. At some point

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Speaker 2: during the day on March twenty fifth, Joey got a

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Speaker 2: call at work and he left suddenly, saying that he

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Speaker 2: needed to deal with a situation at home. He told

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Speaker 2: police that he picked up Jennifer and Adriana at his home.

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Speaker 3: He said they went for a drive.

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Speaker 2: During that drive, Joey claimed that he and Jennifer decided

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Speaker 2: to end their relationship. After that, Joey told police that

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Speaker 2: he stopped at a grocery.

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Speaker 3: Store so that Jennifer could use the phone there.

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Speaker 2: Then, he said he drove her Adriana to a nearby

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Speaker 2: gas station in Cross Plains, which was a few minutes away.

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Speaker 2: Joey said at that gas station, Jennifer and Adriana got

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Speaker 2: into a vehicle, which he described as a white four

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Speaker 2: door Sedan. Jennifer and Adriana were never seen again. From

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Speaker 2: the beginning, Jennifer's family has been suspicious of this story.

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Speaker 2: They say they just don't believe that a young mom

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Speaker 2: with a toddler would leave without any of her belongings

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Speaker 2: and without ever calling her family. Also, they pointed out

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Speaker 2: that Jennifer could have stayed with multiple family members who

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Speaker 2: lived in the area, and that on the day she disappeared,

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Speaker 2: she had actually talked to her aunt about staying with

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Speaker 2: her and picking up a key, So why would she

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Speaker 2: drive off with someone else and never contact her family.

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Speaker 2: It's been almost twenty years, and those years have been

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Speaker 2: filled with rumors, several searches of a property shifting, st

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Speaker 2: worries about what really happened that day, a wrongful death lawsuit,

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Speaker 2: and most recently, a severed body part connected to a

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Speaker 2: family member found in a creek. And yet no one

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Speaker 2: has found any trace of Jennifer Wicks or her daughter Adriana.

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Speaker 3: I'm Catherine Townsend.

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Speaker 2: Over the past seven years of making my true crime podcast,

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Speaker 2: Helen Gone, I've learned that there is no such thing

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Speaker 2: as a small town where murder never happens. I've received

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Speaker 2: hundreds of messages from people all around the country asking

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Speaker 2: for help with an unsolved murder that's affected them, their families,

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Speaker 2: and their communities. If you have a case you'd like

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Speaker 2: me and my team to look into, you can reach

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Speaker 2: out to us at our Helen Gone Murder Line at

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Speaker 2: six seven eight seven four four six one four five.

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Speaker 2: That's six seven eight seven four four six one four

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Speaker 2: five or you can send us a message on Instagram

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Speaker 2: at Hell and Gonepod. This is Helen Gone Murder Line.

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Speaker 2: We spoke to Casey, Jennifer's younger half sister, Jennifer. Casey

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Speaker 2: and their middle sister, Heather have the same mother but

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Speaker 2: different fathers, and there are three more sisters on Jennifer's

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Speaker 2: father's side, so six sisters in total.

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Speaker 4: He was just the cool older sister, ahead of all

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Speaker 4: of us, and just all things school and boys and

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Speaker 4: going through things in life that we hadn't yet gone

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Speaker 4: through at the time that they disappeared. And she was

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Speaker 4: artistic and quiet. She was not super outgoing, just very

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Speaker 4: spoken and intrinsic, and she loved to write. She loved

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Speaker 4: animals and horses and spent a lot of time outdoors,

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Speaker 4: just a country girl in Robertson County, Tennessee.

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Speaker 2: Jennifer's mom, Cathy, told Dateline that she and Jennifer were

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Speaker 2: very close.

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Speaker 3: She said that they were a lot alike.

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Speaker 2: Which sometimes made them butt heads, mainly because she said

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Speaker 2: Jennifer was headstrong like her. Casey told us that at

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Speaker 2: age nineteen, Jennifer didn't go to college after high school.

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Speaker 2: She continued to live at home and was trying to

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Speaker 2: figure out her next move. That's when she met a

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Speaker 2: guy named Billy. They had a brief relationship. Casey said

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Speaker 2: that Jennifer wanted to be more serious, but that Billy

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Speaker 2: didn't want to settle down, and so they broke up.

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Speaker 2: Then a few months later, Jennifer found out that she

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Speaker 2: was pregnant with Adriana. At that point, she wasn't sure

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Speaker 2: who the father was. Even though the pregnancy was a surprise,

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Speaker 2: the family completely supported Jennifer, and Jennifer adored her daughter.

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Speaker 2: She worked multiple jobs to make ends meet.

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Speaker 4: I took care of her as an infant while my

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Speaker 4: sister worked like second and third fifth job. So I

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Speaker 4: was very close with her and treasured my time with

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Speaker 4: her that it was only two years. She was perfect,

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Speaker 4: the biggest, brightest blue eyes, looked just like her dad,

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Speaker 4: and just a tiny little thing, just innocent and beautiful

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Speaker 4: and perfect. She's my own le niece and I have nephews.

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Speaker 4: But definitely knew that we would have been close today

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Speaker 4: if she were here.

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Speaker 2: At first, Jennifer believed that another man who she dated

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Speaker 2: before Billy was Adriana's father, but a DNA test proved

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Speaker 2: that he was not. Then, after a chance meeting at

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Speaker 2: the fair, Jennifer became convinced that Billy was Adrianna's father.

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Speaker 4: They had ran into each other and he kind of

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Speaker 4: looked down and was like, oh, my gosh, because she's

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Speaker 4: a spitting image of him and is around the age

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Speaker 4: of whenever, you know, they would have conceived her whatever.

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Speaker 4: They met up after that, and he was like, I mean,

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Speaker 4: she's clearly mine. It would you be okay? Like getting

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Speaker 4: the fraternity test, and they did, and they just hadn't

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Speaker 4: paid for the results yet and we didn't pay for

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Speaker 4: those and get those until after they disappeared and found

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Speaker 4: out he was her dad.

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Speaker 2: In two thousand and three, Kathy got a job opportunity

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Speaker 2: in Las Vegas, so she and Casey moved. Jennifer stayed

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Speaker 2: behind in Tennessee. She was living with her aunt Lisa.

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Speaker 2: In the summer of two thousand and three, Jennifer met

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Speaker 2: Joey Benton through her cousin, Jeffrey.

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Speaker 4: My sister Jennifer called my mom and was like, I'm

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Speaker 4: at the boy. She met him through Jeffrey, my cousin.

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Speaker 4: Jennifer and Adriana stayed with my aunt Lisa, which is

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Speaker 4: just right down the road. From where Joey lived, and

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Speaker 4: I guess like Joey and Jeffrey is my cousin's name.

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Speaker 4: They were hanging out all the time. They were really

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Speaker 4: good friends, and Jennifer got introduced to Joey and they

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Speaker 4: fell in love and started dating. And yeah, they dated for.

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Speaker 2: A short time, but then Casey said that she and

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Speaker 2: her mom got a call from Jennifer in October of

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Speaker 2: two thousand and three that alarmed them.

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Speaker 4: Their relationship, you could describe it as volatile intense. My

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Speaker 4: sister called my mom. We were still in Las Vegas

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Speaker 4: at the time, and she called my mom and was

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Speaker 4: very upset, and she had just been dropped off at

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Speaker 4: her grandparents' house because Joey had pulled a gun during

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Speaker 4: an argument that they were having and threatened to hurt

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Speaker 4: himself and hurt Jennifer and Adriana, and so he would

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Speaker 4: like just get them out of here, and his mom

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Speaker 4: took them and dropped them off out her grandparents, which

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Speaker 4: is not too far away.

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Speaker 2: Jennifer and Joey broke up, and Casey and Kathy were

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Speaker 2: so concerned they immediately moved back to Tennessee to be

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Speaker 2: with her. Casey said that her mother believed that Jennifer

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Speaker 2: would break off all contact with Joey.

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Speaker 4: That was part of okay, you are breaking up, you're

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Speaker 4: moving in with us, So she wasn't supposed to be

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Speaker 4: talking to him and he wasn't allowed around, so they

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Speaker 4: weren't supposed to be seeing on together.

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Speaker 2: Despite that conversation, Jennifer and Joey at some point did

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Speaker 2: reconnect and start seeing each other, and then in December

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Speaker 2: of two thousand and three, Casey said she remembers the

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Speaker 2: day that changed everything when Joey showed up at their

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Speaker 2: house and said that Jennifer was coming to live with him.

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Speaker 2: In December of two thousand and three, Casey said that

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Speaker 2: Joey showed up at their house saying that Jennifer was

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Speaker 2: coming to live with him.

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Speaker 4: He walked in our house even though he wasn't supposed

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Speaker 4: to be there, and went down the stairs where Jennifer

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Speaker 4: and Adriana had this apartment area they were living in

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Speaker 4: our basement, and he went down there and Jennifer had

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Speaker 4: packed up their things, and he started gathering their things

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Speaker 4: and was taking them out to the truck. Then my

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Speaker 4: mom walks in and was like, WHOA, You're not supposed

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Speaker 4: to be here, she's not going with you, and we're

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Speaker 4: trailing them through the house, and my Mom's like, that's

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Speaker 4: not a good environment. Jennifer's told me that there's drugs,

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Speaker 4: there's guns everywhere within arm's reach in that house. It's

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Speaker 4: not good for the baby. It's not even good for

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Speaker 4: Jennifer's not good for my daughter. And he just looked

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Speaker 4: right at my mom and says, you don't have a

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Speaker 4: daughter anymore, bitch, and walked out of the house and

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Speaker 4: goes put their stuff in the truck.

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Speaker 2: Casey said her sister left with Joey and took Adriana

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Speaker 2: with her. On that day, Casey claims that Joey kicked

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Speaker 2: one of their doors off the hinges. There was a

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Speaker 2: police report filed of this incident. Over the next few months,

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Speaker 2: Jennifer and her mom reconciled, but Jennifer only saw her

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Speaker 2: family sporadically. She was living with Joey's family. She didn't

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Speaker 2: have a job or a car, so she had to

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Speaker 2: rely on someone to drive her places. Casey helped work

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Speaker 2: on a podcast called Missing in Hushtown. On that show,

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Speaker 2: Casey said she and her mother worried that the Benton

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Speaker 2: home was not a safe environment for Jennifer and Adriana.

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Speaker 2: According to the podcast, Joey had issues in the past

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Speaker 2: with drugs. His father, Joseph, also had a criminal record

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Speaker 2: with multiple felony charges related to drugs and weapons. So

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Speaker 2: Casey said that at first Jennifer, Adriana, and Joey were

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Speaker 2: living in a trailer on his parents' property, but then

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Speaker 2: as it got colder, they moved into the three bedroom

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Speaker 2: house with his parents, Cynthia and Joseph, and that's when

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Speaker 2: Casey said things started escalating.

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Speaker 4: I don't know exactly when that move happened, but that's

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Speaker 4: whenever things started to get tense and all the arguing

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Speaker 4: started happening.

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Speaker 2: Casey said the last time that she saw her sister

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Speaker 2: alive was on her sixteenth birthday, when Joey dropped Jennifer

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Speaker 2: off so that she could see Casey and her mom.

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Speaker 4: Jennifer, I remember, came to our house and that's the

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Speaker 4: first time we had seen her since everything that happened.

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Speaker 4: In December. She started making up with mom, and Mom

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Speaker 4: was babysitting Adriana and they were coming over on a

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Speaker 4: regular basis, talking every day like usual.

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Speaker 2: After that, Casey said that to her knowledge, the dynamic

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Speaker 2: at the Bitton House got worse.

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Speaker 4: There's an argument between Jennifer and Joey which Jennifer is

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Speaker 4: asking him to move out of his parents' house and

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Speaker 4: back into that shed born thing, and he's saying no,

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Speaker 4: like you just won't hear her and doesn't want to.

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Speaker 4: He doesn't think it's good to have a baby out

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Speaker 4: there with no running water, which is not but just

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Speaker 4: the fact that she wants to move out there at

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Speaker 4: all is very telling of what she's trying to get

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Speaker 4: away from. In March, it's springtime, so it's starting to

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Speaker 4: get warmer, like, let's move out there, but he just

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Speaker 4: didn't want to do that. So that argument was happening

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Speaker 4: the week of their disappearance. There was also jealousy stuff

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Speaker 4: going on. Joey was the baby of the family. He

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Speaker 4: was the only kid left at home with his parents,

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Speaker 4: and he was very close with his mom, and so

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Speaker 4: there was a lot of jealousy there this other woman

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Speaker 4: coming in potentially taking her son and asking him to

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Speaker 4: move out of the house, So I think some of

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Speaker 4: that was going on, and then just his mom being

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Speaker 4: upset with him because he was playing house and pretending

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Speaker 4: to be dad to a little girl that wasn't his.

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Speaker 2: Now, obviously we are only hearing one side of the story,

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Speaker 2: the version that Jennifer told Casey and her mom, And

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Speaker 2: to be fair to the Bittens, it is not uncommon

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Speaker 2: to have arguments when you're living in a small home

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Speaker 2: with a new baby with multiple people, especially since that

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Speaker 2: baby was not their sons.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, just out of nowhere. In March, Adriana had gotten sick.

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Speaker 2: On Monday, March twenty second, two thousand and four, Jennifer

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Speaker 2: called her aunt Lisa and told her that Adriana was sick.

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Speaker 2: Lisa drove Jennifer and Adriana to.

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Speaker 4: The hospital, say visit to that night at North Crest

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Speaker 4: Hospital and runt a bunch of tests on her, and

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Speaker 4: she had an infection dajinaida.

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Speaker 2: This type of infection can be caused by things like

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Speaker 2: diapers or soap and bathwater, and there are also other

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Speaker 2: less innocent explanations. Ultimately, the pediatricians said they could not

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Speaker 2: determine a cause for Adriana's diaper rash, but Jennifer was

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Speaker 2: upset about something. I wonder did it have anything to

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Speaker 2: do with this infection since it happened so close to

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Speaker 2: the date of her and Adriana's disappearance. Then again, Jennifer's

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Speaker 2: family said she and the Bentons were already arguing before

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Speaker 2: Adriana got sick, so the timing could have been simple coincidence.

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Speaker 2: Multiple sources have stated over the years that Jennifer was

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Speaker 2: considering leaving the Benton home during this time. On Tuesday,

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Speaker 2: March twenty third, Jennifer met her mom, Kathy, and Joey

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Speaker 2: outside of a Dollar General store. Kathy gave Jennifer a

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Speaker 2: homemade cream for Adriana's rash. She said she and Jennifer

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Speaker 2: talked about bringing Adriana to stay with Kathy the following weekend,

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Speaker 2: but that never happened because that meet up outside the

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Speaker 2: Dollar General was the last time Kathy saw Jennifer and Adriana.

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Speaker 2: The last time Kathy talked to her daughter was on

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Speaker 2: the next day, March twenty fourth. According to Kathy, Jennifer

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Speaker 2: was upset over a fight that she had with a

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Speaker 2: member of Joey's family. There were multiple phone calls made

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Speaker 2: on March twenty fifth and next week. In two of

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Speaker 2: this story, we're going to go into much more detail

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Speaker 2: about every single version of the story.

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Speaker 3: That was told.

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Speaker 2: Casey told us what she had heard about those phone calls.

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Speaker 4: On Thursday, March twenty fifth, Jennifer and Adriana were at

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Speaker 4: joe and his parents' house and Joey was at work

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Speaker 4: that day. He had went to work with my cousin

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Speaker 4: in Franklin, Kentucky, which is like thirty forty minutes north

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Speaker 4: of where their house was. Joey worked with his dad

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Speaker 4: a lot and his dad's friends and they did construction

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Speaker 4: contract work, so they did steel work for commercial buildings.

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Speaker 4: They put up those big racks we see in Costco,

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Speaker 4: like big shelves. So he was at work and had

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Speaker 4: ridden to work with my cousin that day, and Jennifer

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Speaker 4: made a couple phone calls. So round eleven o'clock on

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Speaker 4: that Thursday, she talked to her dad, which it was

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Speaker 4: super uncommon for her to talk with her dad during

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Speaker 4: the day because her dad worked, and she said, I'm scared, Dad,

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Speaker 4: and he said, of what, and she said, Joey's mom.

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Speaker 4: She's acting weird. And so he remembers that on that

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Speaker 4: phone call, but he remembers the baby playing in the background.

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Speaker 4: You could hear like cartoons on the TV. And then

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Speaker 4: he also remembers hearing someone approach Jennifer while they were

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Speaker 4: on the phone. On her call like walk up to

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Speaker 4: her and say something. But he didn't hear what they said,

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Speaker 4: but she said stop, I'm talking to my dad, and

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Speaker 4: he thought that it sounded like a woman's voice.

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Speaker 2: The details of that call are stated in a civil

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Speaker 2: lawsuit that was launched by Jennifer's family. The lawsuit stated

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Speaker 2: that Jennifer told her dad that quote, she was scared

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Speaker 2: of her boyfriend's mother and that Cynthia was quote acting

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Speaker 2: weird end quote. Again, a civil lawsuit is only one

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Speaker 2: side of the story. We did reach out to Joey

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Speaker 2: and Cynthia Benton. Joey did not reply. Cynthia replied that

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Speaker 2: she had no comment, but in a court filing they

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Speaker 2: have denied the allegations in this civil lawsuit. We know

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Speaker 2: that Joey left work at some point. He claimed that he, Jennifer,

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Speaker 2: and Adriana drove around. Joey had told police that during

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Speaker 2: that drive, he and Jennifer decided to end their relationship.

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Speaker 2: Then he dropped Jennifer and her daughter off at that

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Speaker 2: gas station to be picked up by a friend. Jennifer's aunt,

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Speaker 2: Lisa told Dateline that Jennifer also called her on Thursday,

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Speaker 2: March twenty fifth, and told her she didn't want to

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Speaker 2: live at the Benton house anymore. She said she was

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Speaker 2: going to tell Joey that day that she was leaving.

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Speaker 3: Jennifer's aunt said.

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Speaker 2: Jennifer asked her aunt if she did leave, if she

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Speaker 2: could come to her house. Her aunt said, of course.

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Speaker 2: Lisa said that she would leave out a spare key

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Speaker 2: for Jennifer. Lisa went into a job interview, but when

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Speaker 2: she got home, the key was still there and there

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Speaker 2: was no sign of Jennifer. On March twime twenty six,

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Speaker 2: no one in Jennifer's family had heard from her, which

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Speaker 2: Casey said was very unusual. They started calling the Benton

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Speaker 2: home repeatedly, but Casey said no one answered. Then on

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Speaker 2: March twenty seventh, Cathy reported her daughter missing. Pulice did

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Speaker 2: talk to Joey, since the Bentons were some of the

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Speaker 2: last people known to have seen Jennifer a live, Lisa

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Speaker 2: told Dateline she finds it implausible that Jennifer would get

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Speaker 2: into a vehicle with someone and disappear with her daughter

338
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Speaker 2: when she had authors from family members to stay with him,

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Speaker 2: and even if she had, she and Casey believe that

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Speaker 2: Jennifer would have called them to let them know where

341
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Speaker 2: she was. Jennifer's cousin and Lisa's son, Jeffrey Grayson, was

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00:21:28,840 --> 00:21:32,241
Speaker 2: the cousin who Jennifer had met Joey through. He and

343
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Speaker 2: Joey were friends. He was at work with Joey that day.

344
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Speaker 2: Jeff told Dateline that he talked to Joey at work

345
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Speaker 2: that day. He confirmed that Joey got a call and

346
00:21:40,921 --> 00:21:44,080
Speaker 2: had to leave. He told Dateline quote, it was really fast.

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Speaker 2: It was really something happened. You know, we gotta go,

348
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Speaker 2: I gotta go. You know, it was really really, really

349
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Speaker 2: really urgent end quote. Casey says that at the time,

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Speaker 2: members of her family talked to Joey. She claims that

351
00:21:59,761 --> 00:22:02,920
Speaker 2: he told their family slightly different stories about what had

352
00:22:02,921 --> 00:22:03,721
Speaker 2: happened to Jennifer.

353
00:22:04,521 --> 00:22:07,001
Speaker 3: Casey claims that on the day when.

354
00:22:06,961 --> 00:22:11,161
Speaker 2: Jennifer went missing, there was a bonfire party and both

355
00:22:11,241 --> 00:22:15,161
Speaker 2: Jeffrey and Joey were present at that party. She claims

356
00:22:15,321 --> 00:22:18,561
Speaker 2: that Joey told her cousin Jeffrey, that Jennifer was with

357
00:22:18,601 --> 00:22:22,961
Speaker 2: a friend. For years, nothing seemed to be happening with

358
00:22:23,041 --> 00:22:26,801
Speaker 2: this case, but in twenty thirteen it made headlines again.

359
00:22:27,401 --> 00:22:31,401
Speaker 2: The Robertson County Police Department posted details on their website.

360
00:22:31,801 --> 00:22:35,961
Speaker 2: They posted quote, the investigation led deputies to the Robertson

361
00:22:36,001 --> 00:22:39,441
Speaker 2: County home of Jennifer's boyfriend Joey Benton, where Jennifer and

362
00:22:39,481 --> 00:22:42,400
Speaker 2: Adriana had been living with Benton in an outbuilding on

363
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Speaker 2: the property. Joey Bitten claimed that on the evening of

364
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Speaker 2: March twenty fifth, two thousand and four, Jennifer asked him

365
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Speaker 2: to take her to a grocery store in Cross Planes

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Speaker 2: to use the phone.

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Speaker 3: End quote.

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Speaker 2: The post said Jennifer told police that after he drove

369
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Speaker 2: Jennifer and Adriana to a grocery store so Jennifer could

370
00:22:59,561 --> 00:23:02,160
Speaker 2: use the phone, he then drove them to a local

371
00:23:02,241 --> 00:23:06,041
Speaker 2: excellent station and dropped them off. The post had a

372
00:23:06,041 --> 00:23:09,721
Speaker 2: few more details. The post read quote, Joey said he

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00:23:09,840 --> 00:23:12,521
Speaker 2: pulled across the street and watched as a white four

374
00:23:12,561 --> 00:23:16,081
Speaker 2: door car pulled up and Jennifer and Adriana got inside.

375
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Speaker 3: End quote.

376
00:23:17,961 --> 00:23:21,761
Speaker 2: The Robertson County Sheriff's office stated that these stories that

377
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Speaker 2: Joey dropped Jennifer and Adriana off at the gas station

378
00:23:24,561 --> 00:23:27,041
Speaker 2: or that they had been at the grocery store. Quote

379
00:23:27,241 --> 00:23:32,080
Speaker 2: were never independently corroborated, despite countless hours of investigation and

380
00:23:32,161 --> 00:23:36,961
Speaker 2: numerous interviews end quote. The department's website confirmed the last

381
00:23:37,001 --> 00:23:40,281
Speaker 2: person known to have spoken to Jennifer was her father, Michael,

382
00:23:40,641 --> 00:23:44,680
Speaker 2: at approximately eleven am on March twenty fifth, four and

383
00:23:44,721 --> 00:23:48,080
Speaker 2: that Michael quote told detectives that his daughter spoke of

384
00:23:48,161 --> 00:23:50,961
Speaker 2: arguing with Joey Bitton's family and that she looked forward

385
00:23:51,001 --> 00:23:54,400
Speaker 2: to seeing him in Manchester on the following Sunday end quote.

386
00:23:57,921 --> 00:24:00,961
Speaker 2: There were more details on the website that Casey said

387
00:24:01,201 --> 00:24:05,721
Speaker 2: her family wasn't aware of before then. For example, police

388
00:24:05,761 --> 00:24:09,801
Speaker 2: stated that Joey said he saw Jennifer again the next day,

389
00:24:09,961 --> 00:24:13,401
Speaker 2: on March twenty six, two thousand and four. The department

390
00:24:13,441 --> 00:24:17,081
Speaker 2: website reads, quote, Jennifer showed up back at his property,

391
00:24:17,361 --> 00:24:20,241
Speaker 2: collected her belongings, and said that she needed some time

392
00:24:20,281 --> 00:24:24,641
Speaker 2: away end quote. And the police announced that they were

393
00:24:24,681 --> 00:24:28,921
Speaker 2: reclassifying the disappearance of Jennifer and Adriana from a missing

394
00:24:28,961 --> 00:24:41,041
Speaker 2: person's case to a homicide. There are a lot of

395
00:24:41,161 --> 00:24:44,121
Speaker 2: questions about what went down on March twent twenty fifth,

396
00:24:44,201 --> 00:24:48,201
Speaker 2: two thousand and four. Police confirmed a few facts. They

397
00:24:48,241 --> 00:24:51,641
Speaker 2: did confirm Jennifer talk to her father and her aunt,

398
00:24:51,641 --> 00:24:54,841
Speaker 2: Lisa said on the day she disappeared, Jennifer also called her,

399
00:24:55,401 --> 00:24:58,401
Speaker 2: telling her about arguments in the Benton home and about

400
00:24:58,441 --> 00:25:02,801
Speaker 2: potentially leaving. Who called Joey at work that day to

401
00:25:02,840 --> 00:25:05,521
Speaker 2: tell him to come home? Was it a member of

402
00:25:05,601 --> 00:25:08,640
Speaker 2: Joey's family or could it have been Jennifer telling him

403
00:25:08,681 --> 00:25:11,481
Speaker 2: to come back to the house again. We're going to

404
00:25:11,561 --> 00:25:13,841
Speaker 2: go more in depth on the phone calls and get

405
00:25:13,881 --> 00:25:17,801
Speaker 2: into exact details and conflicting stories in part two next week.

406
00:25:18,761 --> 00:25:21,521
Speaker 2: There have been several searches done of Joey and his

407
00:25:21,561 --> 00:25:25,681
Speaker 2: family's property. They own multiple acres of land along Owen's

408
00:25:25,721 --> 00:25:29,041
Speaker 2: Chapel Road, and in the years since Jennifer and Adriana

409
00:25:29,080 --> 00:25:32,001
Speaker 2: went missing, Casey says that they have built a log

410
00:25:32,041 --> 00:25:35,840
Speaker 2: cabin on the property. She said Joey still lives on

411
00:25:35,921 --> 00:25:40,561
Speaker 2: the property and so does his mother, Cynthia. The case

412
00:25:40,641 --> 00:25:43,521
Speaker 2: went radio silent again for a long time after two

413
00:25:43,521 --> 00:25:47,841
Speaker 2: th thirteen. Then on March twenty seventh, twenty twenty four,

414
00:25:48,681 --> 00:25:54,361
Speaker 2: days after the twentieth anniversary of Jennifer and Adriana's disappearance, police.

415
00:25:54,041 --> 00:25:55,321
Speaker 3: Raided the Benton property.

416
00:25:56,801 --> 00:26:00,041
Speaker 2: They executed a search warrant and announced that Joey's father,

417
00:26:00,241 --> 00:26:04,881
Speaker 2: Joseph Benton Senior, was facing over forty charges, including possession

418
00:26:04,921 --> 00:26:09,640
Speaker 2: of explosives, multiple weapons, and, most terrifyingly for Jennifer's family,

419
00:26:10,281 --> 00:26:16,001
Speaker 2: sexual exploitation of a minor. According to court records, this

420
00:26:16,121 --> 00:26:19,001
Speaker 2: happened after a twenty year old picture was discovered of

421
00:26:19,041 --> 00:26:22,801
Speaker 2: what was described as a child in a sexual situation.

422
00:26:24,641 --> 00:26:28,281
Speaker 2: Because Joseph was a fellain, having weapons was a violation

423
00:26:28,361 --> 00:26:32,360
Speaker 2: of his parole and so he was immediately arrested. It

424
00:26:32,441 --> 00:26:35,441
Speaker 2: was later announced that the picture of that child was

425
00:26:35,521 --> 00:26:39,001
Speaker 2: not Adriana and that the raids actually had nothing to

426
00:26:39,080 --> 00:26:42,600
Speaker 2: do with Jennifer and Adriana's case. The timing of the

427
00:26:42,601 --> 00:26:45,281
Speaker 2: fact that the house got raped basically on the twenty

428
00:26:45,321 --> 00:26:54,360
Speaker 2: year anniversary was just a crazy coincidence. Once again, Jennifer's

429
00:26:54,361 --> 00:26:58,440
Speaker 2: family was anguished at the lack of progress. Casey and

430
00:26:58,481 --> 00:27:02,400
Speaker 2: her family have always continued to fight for answers. In

431
00:27:02,401 --> 00:27:06,161
Speaker 2: twenty eleven, Cathy started a Justice for Jennifer and Adriana

432
00:27:06,201 --> 00:27:09,481
Speaker 2: Wick's page on Facebook. Casey has helped with the page

433
00:27:09,481 --> 00:27:13,281
Speaker 2: since the beginning, and eventually she took over and in

434
00:27:13,321 --> 00:27:16,921
Speaker 2: the last few years Casey told me she started doing

435
00:27:16,961 --> 00:27:20,640
Speaker 2: even more of her own investigation. She told me that

436
00:27:20,761 --> 00:27:24,281
Speaker 2: after over twenty years, she decided to go back over

437
00:27:24,361 --> 00:27:27,041
Speaker 2: everything and see if there was anything that she could learn,

438
00:27:27,521 --> 00:27:30,401
Speaker 2: and incredibly, Joey agreed.

439
00:27:30,001 --> 00:27:30,641
Speaker 3: To talk to her.

440
00:27:31,681 --> 00:27:34,401
Speaker 4: Whenever I picked up the investigation a couple of years ago,

441
00:27:34,521 --> 00:27:36,641
Speaker 4: I just decided I'm going to talk to everybody all

442
00:27:36,681 --> 00:27:39,360
Speaker 4: over again, and everybody Joey of course, as one of

443
00:27:39,401 --> 00:27:43,481
Speaker 4: those people. And so last year, before the girl's twenty

444
00:27:43,521 --> 00:27:46,281
Speaker 4: aeth anniversary and before the raid at their house and everything,

445
00:27:46,321 --> 00:27:48,361
Speaker 4: I had started to make contact with him and asked

446
00:27:48,441 --> 00:27:51,360
Speaker 4: him if he would talk to me, and after the

447
00:27:51,441 --> 00:27:54,681
Speaker 4: raid he agreed to. So we got on a phone call.

448
00:27:55,361 --> 00:27:57,921
Speaker 4: The phone call lasted for about an Hour's my first

449
00:27:57,921 --> 00:28:03,641
Speaker 4: time talking to him, and he was seemingly very helpful,

450
00:28:03,801 --> 00:28:06,921
Speaker 4: and he was very cordial. I went about the conversation

451
00:28:07,080 --> 00:28:09,321
Speaker 4: like with and you were one of the last people

452
00:28:09,321 --> 00:28:11,601
Speaker 4: that knew my sister very well like I was young.

453
00:28:11,801 --> 00:28:13,961
Speaker 4: She didn't share parts of her life with me that

454
00:28:14,041 --> 00:28:16,921
Speaker 4: she would have with you, like you know, I want

455
00:28:16,921 --> 00:28:19,201
Speaker 4: to know about her, I want to know about y'all's relationships.

456
00:28:19,201 --> 00:28:20,921
Speaker 4: I want to know about you. You know, like, what

457
00:28:21,321 --> 00:28:23,921
Speaker 4: were y'all's plans and stuff? And he told me on

458
00:28:23,961 --> 00:28:27,281
Speaker 4: that call that they loved each other, that he loved

459
00:28:27,401 --> 00:28:30,561
Speaker 4: Jennifer and Adriana, that they had plans to get married,

460
00:28:31,321 --> 00:28:34,321
Speaker 4: that they had plans to have another baby. Those were

461
00:28:34,321 --> 00:28:37,401
Speaker 4: recent plans at the time the girls disappeared, and that's

462
00:28:37,401 --> 00:28:40,481
Speaker 4: what they were planning then, And so he shared all

463
00:28:40,521 --> 00:28:41,881
Speaker 4: of that with me, and then I was able to

464
00:28:41,921 --> 00:28:44,321
Speaker 4: ask him the story that you told dropping them off

465
00:28:44,321 --> 00:28:46,561
Speaker 4: at the gas station and everything, like was that true?

466
00:28:47,241 --> 00:28:50,161
Speaker 4: And he said, yes, yes, that's true. All that's true.

467
00:28:50,161 --> 00:28:52,841
Speaker 4: I did what she asked me to do. I took

468
00:28:52,841 --> 00:28:55,921
Speaker 4: her where she told me to take her, and that

469
00:28:56,081 --> 00:28:58,281
Speaker 4: was back. And when I got off that phone call,

470
00:28:58,321 --> 00:29:04,241
Speaker 4: I just remember thinking, like am I wrong? Like are

471
00:29:04,241 --> 00:29:07,481
Speaker 4: we looking at the wrong person here? Like did someone

472
00:29:07,481 --> 00:29:09,921
Speaker 4: pick her up in that white car? Or was it

473
00:29:10,081 --> 00:29:13,961
Speaker 4: someone else that new Jennifer that we're just overlooking, you know,

474
00:29:14,721 --> 00:29:16,401
Speaker 4: started to like really question myself.

475
00:29:17,641 --> 00:29:21,041
Speaker 2: On May third, twenty twenty four, Casey set up a

476
00:29:21,081 --> 00:29:23,961
Speaker 2: meeting with the District Attorney's office and said that she

477
00:29:24,081 --> 00:29:27,081
Speaker 2: was surprised when after the lunch break, the DA told

478
00:29:27,121 --> 00:29:29,881
Speaker 2: her they would have to leave because Joey was coming

479
00:29:29,921 --> 00:29:30,961
Speaker 2: in to talk to them.

480
00:29:31,241 --> 00:29:36,721
Speaker 4: They ended up interviewing him for hours, and he said

481
00:29:36,921 --> 00:29:41,281
Speaker 4: that he was ready to tell everyone everything. So that's

482
00:29:41,281 --> 00:29:43,481
Speaker 4: what he did for the next couple of hours, and

483
00:29:43,961 --> 00:29:46,001
Speaker 4: we just kind of waited and waited, and then that

484
00:29:46,041 --> 00:29:49,041
Speaker 4: meeting ended and our law enforcement team came out and

485
00:29:49,081 --> 00:29:51,361
Speaker 4: just said, we've got a lot of work to do,

486
00:29:51,561 --> 00:29:52,881
Speaker 4: and that's where that left off.

487
00:29:53,841 --> 00:29:58,161
Speaker 2: And then Casey and her family learned that when Joey

488
00:29:58,241 --> 00:30:03,241
Speaker 2: talked to law enforcement, he revealed some shocking information, something

489
00:30:03,241 --> 00:30:04,841
Speaker 2: that they had never heard before.

490
00:30:05,721 --> 00:30:10,401
Speaker 4: Joey and his sister reached out to us after that meeting,

491
00:30:10,921 --> 00:30:14,641
Speaker 4: and that's whenever they started sharing a location with us

492
00:30:14,761 --> 00:30:18,001
Speaker 4: that Jennifer and Adrianas remained to be found.

493
00:30:19,361 --> 00:30:22,161
Speaker 2: Casey claims that Joey said that on the day he

494
00:30:22,201 --> 00:30:25,121
Speaker 2: got that phone call and rushed home on March twenty fifth,

495
00:30:25,161 --> 00:30:28,801
Speaker 2: two thousand and four. When he got home, Jennifer and

496
00:30:28,841 --> 00:30:33,441
Speaker 2: Adriana were already dead, so he gave law enforcement information

497
00:30:33,481 --> 00:30:38,521
Speaker 2: about their alleged locations while not admitting any guilt. We

498
00:30:38,761 --> 00:30:42,441
Speaker 2: don't know exactly what story Joey told law enforcement, but

499
00:30:43,121 --> 00:30:46,041
Speaker 2: after joe So we spoke to the DA law enforcement

500
00:30:46,081 --> 00:30:50,481
Speaker 2: did search a location, reportedly the coordinates provided by Joey

501
00:30:50,681 --> 00:30:55,321
Speaker 2: and his sister, looking for Jennifer and Adriana's remains, but

502
00:30:55,441 --> 00:30:59,721
Speaker 2: nothing was found at that location. Then Casey said that

503
00:30:59,841 --> 00:31:02,921
Speaker 2: Joey wanted to meet with Jennifer's mother in person.

504
00:31:04,001 --> 00:31:05,841
Speaker 4: He wants to meet with my mom face to face,

505
00:31:06,321 --> 00:31:08,521
Speaker 4: and we had already been on a phone call before,

506
00:31:08,521 --> 00:31:10,041
Speaker 4: but he's like, I'd rather not do a phone call.

507
00:31:10,081 --> 00:31:12,481
Speaker 4: I need to tell her that's to her face. And

508
00:31:12,561 --> 00:31:15,321
Speaker 4: so my mom goes to meet with him locally in Springfield,

509
00:31:15,401 --> 00:31:18,841
Speaker 4: and I'm on speakerphone, and she sits down with him

510
00:31:18,841 --> 00:31:21,361
Speaker 4: for about two hours, and he just jumps right into

511
00:31:21,401 --> 00:31:23,441
Speaker 4: it and starts telling us what happened that day. And

512
00:31:23,481 --> 00:31:26,481
Speaker 4: I don't share a lot about what he says because

513
00:31:26,801 --> 00:31:29,681
Speaker 4: I believe it's just another story that's been told in

514
00:31:29,721 --> 00:31:33,081
Speaker 4: a way that benefits him. But what I do share

515
00:31:33,281 --> 00:31:35,801
Speaker 4: is that he said whenever he got home from work

516
00:31:35,841 --> 00:31:39,121
Speaker 4: that day on Thursday, March twenty fifth, two thousand and four,

517
00:31:39,481 --> 00:31:42,561
Speaker 4: that Jennifer and Adriana were already dead and that they

518
00:31:42,601 --> 00:31:47,401
Speaker 4: died at his home. So I do share that, and

519
00:31:47,441 --> 00:31:52,401
Speaker 4: he did go into details with Mom about how they died,

520
00:31:52,601 --> 00:31:56,161
Speaker 4: and he did go into details about what came after,

521
00:31:56,521 --> 00:31:59,641
Speaker 4: which is I mean, those are horrible things that I

522
00:32:00,321 --> 00:32:01,001
Speaker 4: just won't share.

523
00:32:02,601 --> 00:32:06,321
Speaker 2: Casey made it clear that she absolutely does not believe

524
00:32:06,521 --> 00:32:09,961
Speaker 2: Joey's version of the story that day. But what did

525
00:32:10,041 --> 00:32:12,601
Speaker 2: happen that day and what's the state of the police

526
00:32:12,601 --> 00:32:19,641
Speaker 2: investigation now? With all these different stories out there. After

527
00:32:19,801 --> 00:32:23,441
Speaker 2: Jennifer's family heard about the raid, including getting the information

528
00:32:23,481 --> 00:32:26,601
Speaker 2: about Joseph being charged with sexual exploitation of a minor,

529
00:32:27,321 --> 00:32:30,841
Speaker 2: the Wicks family decided to take the case to civil court.

530
00:32:31,441 --> 00:32:35,121
Speaker 2: In twenty twenty five, the Wicks family filed a civil

531
00:32:35,201 --> 00:32:38,561
Speaker 2: lawsuit in Robertson County Circuit Court against the Benton family,

532
00:32:39,201 --> 00:32:43,481
Speaker 2: Joseph Benton, his wife, Cynthia Benton, and Joey Benton. They

533
00:32:43,561 --> 00:32:46,441
Speaker 2: are seeking a jury trial for damages in connection with

534
00:32:46,521 --> 00:32:50,681
Speaker 2: Jennifer and Adriana's deaths. The civil suit read quote the

535
00:32:50,721 --> 00:32:54,521
Speaker 2: wrongful acts of William, Joey Benton, Joseph Benton, and Cynthia Benton,

536
00:32:54,561 --> 00:32:58,161
Speaker 2: including the acts of killing Jennifer and Adriana Wicks, of

537
00:32:58,241 --> 00:33:01,601
Speaker 2: hiding their bodies, and of otherwise hiding or destroying evidence

538
00:33:01,601 --> 00:33:06,881
Speaker 2: to impede the investigation into their deaths have been intentional, fraudulent, reckless,

539
00:33:07,121 --> 00:33:11,841
Speaker 2: and malicious end quote. And it gives more alleged details

540
00:33:11,881 --> 00:33:14,161
Speaker 2: about those arguments that took place between Jennifer and the

541
00:33:14,161 --> 00:33:17,521
Speaker 2: Benton family, including the fact that in the day before

542
00:33:17,641 --> 00:33:21,401
Speaker 2: Jennifer and Adriana disappeared on March twenty fourth, two thousand

543
00:33:21,441 --> 00:33:25,361
Speaker 2: and four, Kathy could hear Jennifer quote screaming in the

544
00:33:25,401 --> 00:33:28,961
Speaker 2: background and was told by Jennifer Wicks that Cynthia Benton

545
00:33:29,201 --> 00:33:33,161
Speaker 2: had thrown her, Jennifer and Adriana's dinner outside and told

546
00:33:33,201 --> 00:33:34,601
Speaker 2: them they could eat like dogs.

547
00:33:34,921 --> 00:33:36,200
Speaker 3: End quote.

548
00:33:36,281 --> 00:33:40,081
Speaker 2: It's very important to note here Joey and Cynthia have

549
00:33:40,281 --> 00:33:43,641
Speaker 2: never spoken publicly about this case. They have completely denied

550
00:33:43,801 --> 00:33:47,361
Speaker 2: any of these allegations. In a response to the Wicks

551
00:33:47,401 --> 00:33:51,321
Speaker 2: family lawsuit filed on July ninth, Joey and Cynthia say

552
00:33:51,361 --> 00:33:55,241
Speaker 2: they had no knowledge of involvement in or connection with

553
00:33:55,281 --> 00:34:01,041
Speaker 2: the disappearance of Jennifer or Adriana end quote. Neither Joey

554
00:34:01,241 --> 00:34:04,841
Speaker 2: nor Cynthia, nor anyone connected with the Minton family has

555
00:34:04,921 --> 00:34:08,921
Speaker 2: ever been arrested or charged in connection with Jennifer or

556
00:34:08,960 --> 00:34:14,560
Speaker 2: Adriana's disappearance. According to court documents. Cynthia said she is

557
00:34:14,601 --> 00:34:17,921
Speaker 2: not communicated with Joseph Benton since his release from jail

558
00:34:18,121 --> 00:34:21,281
Speaker 2: after the raid in March, and again when we reached

559
00:34:21,281 --> 00:34:24,000
Speaker 2: out to Cynthia Benton, she told us that she had

560
00:34:24,040 --> 00:34:29,161
Speaker 2: no comment. Joseph Benton Senior was sentenced to a year

561
00:34:29,440 --> 00:34:32,121
Speaker 2: as a result of his charges on weapons and sexual

562
00:34:32,161 --> 00:34:36,281
Speaker 2: exploitation of a minor. His sentence included time served, so

563
00:34:36,361 --> 00:34:40,201
Speaker 2: he was immediately released, but he did have to follow

564
00:34:40,241 --> 00:34:44,480
Speaker 2: the conditions of his probation. Joseph reportedly missed his first

565
00:34:44,480 --> 00:34:52,361
Speaker 2: probation hearing and after that he disappeared. Cynthia Bitton had

566
00:34:52,401 --> 00:34:55,040
Speaker 2: filed for divorce and also in order of protection from

567
00:34:55,121 --> 00:34:58,641
Speaker 2: Joseph while he was behind bars, so she and Joey

568
00:34:58,721 --> 00:35:02,281
Speaker 2: have told police after Joseph was released from prison they.

569
00:35:02,121 --> 00:35:03,761
Speaker 3: Had not seen him.

570
00:35:04,201 --> 00:35:06,960
Speaker 2: No one saw any trace of the sixty eight year

571
00:35:07,001 --> 00:35:11,081
Speaker 2: old for months until a few months ago on July fourth,

572
00:35:11,081 --> 00:35:14,681
Speaker 2: twenty twenty five, when a severed leg was found at

573
00:35:14,681 --> 00:35:18,201
Speaker 2: soul for Fort Creek in Springfield, about ten miles from

574
00:35:18,241 --> 00:35:23,561
Speaker 2: the Benton home. Forensic testing revealed the leg was Joseph

575
00:35:23,601 --> 00:35:31,321
Speaker 2: Benton Seniors. I'm Catherine Townsend. This is Helen Gone Murder Line.

576
00:35:31,440 --> 00:35:33,641
Speaker 2: Helen Gone Murder Line is a production of School of

577
00:35:33,721 --> 00:35:36,881
Speaker 2: Humans and iHeart Podcasts. It's written and narrated by me

578
00:35:37,121 --> 00:35:41,201
Speaker 2: Catherine Townsend and produced by Gabby Watts. Special thanks to

579
00:35:41,241 --> 00:35:44,201
Speaker 2: Amy Tubbs for her research assistance and James Wheaton for

580
00:35:44,281 --> 00:35:47,960
Speaker 2: legal review. Noah camer mixed and scored this episode. Our

581
00:35:48,001 --> 00:35:52,161
Speaker 2: theme song is by Ben Sale, Executive producers of Virginia Prescott,

582
00:35:52,241 --> 00:35:56,160
Speaker 2: Brandon Barr, and LC Crowley. Listen to Helen Gone ad

583
00:35:56,201 --> 00:35:59,241
Speaker 2: free by subscribing to the iHeart True Crime Plus channel

584
00:35:59,321 --> 00:36:03,081
Speaker 2: on Apple Podcasts. If you were interested in seeing documents

585
00:36:03,081 --> 00:36:05,600
Speaker 2: and materials from the case, you can follow the show

586
00:36:05,681 --> 00:36:09,681
Speaker 2: on Instagram at Helen gonepod. If you have a case

587
00:36:09,681 --> 00:36:11,881
Speaker 2: you'd like me and my team to look into, you

588
00:36:11,921 --> 00:36:13,921
Speaker 2: can reach out to us at our Helen Gone Murder

589
00:36:13,921 --> 00:36:17,120
Speaker 2: Line at six seven eight seven four four six one

590
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Speaker 2: four five at six seven eight seven four four six

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Speaker 2: one four five

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00:36:26,041 --> 00:36:27,721
Speaker 1: School of Humans