Investigators are searching new areas of interest in middle Tennessee in what may be the biggest development in 20 years in the investigation into a missing mom and toddler.
An online group that has been following the case of Jennifer and Adrianna Wix, said last week that they had been given “possible locations” for the pair’s remains.
The 21-year-old and her two-year-old daughter were last seen by their family on March 24, 2004, and they reported missing three days later in Robertson County, Tennessee, just north of Nashville.
Deputies from Robertson County Sheriff’s Office searched the home of Jennifer’s boyfriend, Joey Benton, who has remained the family’s person of interest since their disappearance, though no arrests have ever been made.
The young woman’s father, Michael Wix, reported to police that she and Benton had been arguing before her disappearance. Michael Wix was the last person to hear from Jennifer, having called her on March 25.
Benton claimed that he took Jennifer and Adriana to a gas station the same day and that he watched them get into an unknown car.
He also said that the 21-year-old had returned to his property the next day, collected her belongings and “said that she needed some time away.”
His claims have never been independently verified, according to the sheriff’s office.
In 2013, 10 years after their disappearance, the sheriff’s office announced it was reclassifying the case as a homicide. The department also released an age-progressed photo of what Adrianna is believed to have looked like at the age of 9.
On Tuesday, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation confirmed that “multiple locations” were being searched.
“(The TBI has) continued to work on the investigation of the Jennifer and Adrianna Wix case, which includes following up any leads and tips as they come in, as well as reviewing and revisiting information that has already been gathered,” a TBI statement, shared with WSMV4 said.
“Since multiple locations have been and are being searched as part of this ongoing investigation, we’re not able to provide specifics as to where these tips lead, but do continue to pursue relevant information as we get it.”
Police have released few details about the newest searches or if any remains were found.
A $17,000 reward was previously offered for information that led to Jennifer and Adrianna Wix being found.
In an interview with NBC’s Dateline earlier this year, Casey Robinson, Jennifer’s sister, said the grief of learning that her sister and niece were missing had stayed with her for two decades.
“It just kind of, like, consumes you and attacks you,” she told the program in April, shortly after the 20th anniversary of their disappearance.
“Most of the time, it’s around their birthdays or holidays and things like that, whenever we should be doing something with them, you know — but we’re not.”
Recalling the moment she found out the horrific news she added: “I just remember it all happening, and being so young at the time and not really understanding what was happening.”
Their mother, Kathy Nale, told Dateline that Jennifer was like a “mother hen” to her younger sisters, Casey and Heather.
The Independent has contacted the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for comment about the ongoing searches for Jennifer and Adrianna Wix.
