Chapter 4: The Weeks Before...March 25th, 2004

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Missing in Hush Town Season 1 is proudly sponsored by the following.

[00:00:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Relive Studio, Andy B's Boutique, 615 Real Estate Advisors and Hometown Connect.

[00:00:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you to our sponsors.

[00:00:13] [SPEAKER_00]: This episode is sponsored by Shrum's Roofing.

[00:00:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Small Towns Talk, and We've Been Listening.

[00:00:19] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm your host, Jules Thorpe, an independent investigative podcaster

[00:00:23] [SPEAKER_00]: living in the same town where Jennifer and Adriana Wicks went missing from in 2004.

[00:00:28] [SPEAKER_00]: And this is Missing in Hush Town, Season 1.

[00:00:32] [SPEAKER_00]: This is from Book 1, Chapter 4, The Weeks Before, March 25th, 2004.

[00:01:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Jennifer Wicks and her fiancée, Joey Benton, are sitting together at the doctor's office.

[00:01:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Once they're called back, they walk together through the halls

[00:01:20] [SPEAKER_00]: and are ushered into a small room.

[00:01:22] [SPEAKER_00]: The door is closed and they exchange a look, one of excitement and unknown.

[00:01:28] [SPEAKER_00]: But one of love.

[00:01:30] [SPEAKER_00]: Jennifer and Joey were engaged.

[00:01:33] [SPEAKER_00]: They wanted to get married.

[00:01:35] [SPEAKER_00]: And according to Joey, this is the appointment where Jennifer Wicks discusses with her doctor

[00:01:40] [SPEAKER_00]: about going off birth control.

[00:01:43] [SPEAKER_00]: Now we always have to consider our source.

[00:01:46] [SPEAKER_00]: And since we heard this information from Joey, we needed to do a bit more digging.

[00:01:50] [SPEAKER_00]: As it turns out, a party who would like to remain anonymous also confirmed this appointment with us.

[00:01:56] [SPEAKER_00]: So where have it?

[00:01:58] [SPEAKER_00]: An engaged couple in love hoping to start a family who perhaps unknowingly

[00:02:04] [SPEAKER_00]: have very limited days left together.

[00:02:08] [SPEAKER_00]: Shortly after this appointment, in fact, it's the week leading up to the Wicks' girls' disappearance,

[00:02:15] [SPEAKER_00]: Jennifer calls her mother Kathy from inside the Benton home.

[00:02:20] [SPEAKER_00]: Jennifer, Mama, Nina is in pain. She is saying it hurts to pee.

[00:02:25] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm worried about her. She won't stop crying and nobody will take us to the doctor.

[00:02:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Kathy, they won't take you. Cindy is a nurse. She won't take you.

[00:02:33] [SPEAKER_00]: Jennifer, no, they say it's just diaper rash. Nobody will drive us.

[00:02:38] [SPEAKER_00]: Adriana is in a lot of pain.

[00:02:41] [SPEAKER_00]: Kathy, I'm on my way.

[00:02:43] [SPEAKER_00]: Jennifer, no, you know, you're not allowed on their property.

[00:02:46] [SPEAKER_00]: Mom, they won't want you here.

[00:02:49] [SPEAKER_00]: Kathy, Jennifer K, hang up and call your Aunt Lisa or your Granny Wicks to take you right now.

[00:02:55] [SPEAKER_00]: Jennifer, okay, I love you. Kathy, I love you too.

[00:02:59] [SPEAKER_00]: Jennifer then dials her Aunt Lisa.

[00:03:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Within minutes, Aunt Lisa is at the Benton home to take Jennifer and Adriana to the emergency room.

[00:03:08] [SPEAKER_00]: Remember, Aunt Lisa is the mother of Joey Benton's best friend at the time, Jeffrey.

[00:03:13] [SPEAKER_00]: So she is invited at this residence.

[00:03:15] [SPEAKER_00]: Along the drive, it's apparent that two-year-old Adriana is in pain.

[00:03:20] [SPEAKER_00]: Jennifer sits next to her baby, anxious about what could be wrong.

[00:03:24] [SPEAKER_00]: Her mind begins to race about what could have caused this.

[00:03:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Mom guilt floods in.

[00:03:29] [SPEAKER_00]: She knows Adriana is well cared for. She knows she's loved. She knows she's happy.

[00:03:35] [SPEAKER_00]: What if something serious is wrong?

[00:03:37] [SPEAKER_00]: They arrive at the emergency department with North Crest Hospital in Springfield, Tennessee

[00:03:41] [SPEAKER_00]: and Robertson County on March 22, 2004 at 11.45 p.m.,

[00:03:48] [SPEAKER_00]: just three days before they would last ever be heard from.

[00:03:51] [SPEAKER_00]: According to official medical records provided to me by the family, Adriana was admitted to the hospital

[00:03:57] [SPEAKER_00]: with initial diagnosis of dysphoria.

[00:04:00] [SPEAKER_00]: According to Mayo Clinic, dysphoria is, quote,

[00:04:03] [SPEAKER_00]: painful urination in trouble or burning while passing urine.

[00:04:07] [SPEAKER_00]: This is often felt in the tube that carries urine out of the bladder or around the genitals, end quote.

[00:04:14] [SPEAKER_00]: According to official North Crest Hospital records provided to me by the Wicks family,

[00:04:19] [SPEAKER_00]: Adriana was given a principal diagnosis of vaginitis non-infectious.

[00:04:24] [SPEAKER_00]: The dysphoria is a name provided on charts to indicate why the patient is being admitted.

[00:04:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Painful urination.

[00:04:30] [SPEAKER_00]: This goes hand-in-hand with Jennifer's accounts of what Adriana was saying hurt.

[00:04:34] [SPEAKER_00]: So what is vaginitis, NOS?

[00:04:36] [SPEAKER_00]: The Mayo Clinic describes vaginitis as, quote,

[00:04:40] [SPEAKER_00]: an inflammation of the vagina that can result in discharge, itching and pain, end quote.

[00:04:45] [SPEAKER_00]: When the word vaginitis is brought up in relation to a toddler girl,

[00:04:49] [SPEAKER_00]: there are many concerns about the well-being of the child.

[00:04:52] [SPEAKER_00]: However, it actually isn't that uncommon in pre-pubescent girls.

[00:04:57] [SPEAKER_00]: There are typically three main types that women can contract.

[00:05:01] [SPEAKER_00]: And just one is a sexually transmitted disease.

[00:05:03] [SPEAKER_00]: If the doctor had diagnosed Adriana with a non-infectious form of vaginitis,

[00:05:09] [SPEAKER_00]: the sexually transmitted pathway may be ruled out.

[00:05:13] [SPEAKER_00]: Or would it?

[00:05:14] [SPEAKER_00]: Adriana was discharged but would go missing before more answers were reached

[00:05:19] [SPEAKER_00]: and more questions were asked.

[00:05:21] [SPEAKER_00]: What diapers that were left on the baby for too long could contribute to a bacterial diagnosis,

[00:05:27] [SPEAKER_00]: as well as vaginal contact with chemicals such as body washes and bath soaps.

[00:05:32] [SPEAKER_00]: And because we will not know the true cause of this diagnosis,

[00:05:36] [SPEAKER_00]: we have to go with what we do know and what matters.

[00:05:40] [SPEAKER_00]: And what we know after this hospital visit, tensions become high in the Benton household.

[00:05:48] [SPEAKER_00]: And what matters is what Jennifer believes caused her daughter's vaginitis.

[00:05:53] [SPEAKER_00]: While we may never be able to confirm what Jennifer believes happened,

[00:05:58] [SPEAKER_00]: we can extrapolate from the events which will unfold next.

[00:06:03] [SPEAKER_00]: According to an official Robertson County Sheriff's Office supplement

[00:06:06] [SPEAKER_00]: report taken by Officer Mike Campbell on March 29th, six days after the visit to the ER,

[00:06:13] [SPEAKER_00]: he quotes one of the family members by saying, quote,

[00:06:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Jennifer had originally taken Adriana to the Northcrest ER

[00:06:20] [SPEAKER_00]: and the doctor in shift stated that the child appeared to have some type of STD,

[00:06:24] [SPEAKER_00]: end quote. Now the report does continue to say, quote,

[00:06:28] [SPEAKER_00]: the pediatrician that saw the child the next day stated that the child could have gotten the rash

[00:06:34] [SPEAKER_00]: from wearing a wet diaper for long periods of time, end quote.

[00:06:38] [SPEAKER_00]: So essentially what we have were two opinions on what could have caused the vaginitis.

[00:06:45] [SPEAKER_00]: When the girls leave Northcrest hospital in the early hours of Tuesday,

[00:06:49] [SPEAKER_00]: March 23rd, 2004, they are then dropped back off at the Benton home.

[00:06:55] [SPEAKER_00]: Jennifer settles Adriana in and loves on her and then she calls her grandmother,

[00:07:00] [SPEAKER_00]: known as Granny Wicks for a ride to the pediatrician follow-up appointment that day.

[00:07:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Is it possible that Jennifer told her Granny Wicks what the doctor said about the sexually transmitted disease?

[00:07:12] [SPEAKER_00]: If they didn't hear it from any staff at Northcrests,

[00:07:15] [SPEAKER_00]: could this be a clue as to the conversation and concerns that Jennifer was talking through with her Granny Wicks?

[00:07:22] [SPEAKER_00]: You know, the concerns she had for Adriana in the Benton home?

[00:07:26] [SPEAKER_00]: Could this foreshadow the fight Jennifer will have in the Benton home just two days later?

[00:07:31] [SPEAKER_00]: Jennifer calls her mom, Kathy, and asks her to meet her and Adriana at the Dollar General in Cross Plains,

[00:07:37] [SPEAKER_00]: just a few miles from the Benton home.

[00:07:40] [SPEAKER_00]: This time, Joey is behind the wheel.

[00:07:42] [SPEAKER_00]: Jennifer gets Adriana out of her car seat and Adriana reaches out for her Mimi with open arms.

[00:07:49] [SPEAKER_00]: As Kathy holds her grandbaby, her first grandbaby, she recalls how obvious it was that Adriana did not feel well.

[00:07:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Jennifer collects what she met Kathy for, a homemade type of soothing cream for the diaper area to help alleviate pain.

[00:08:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Since Jennifer didn't have her own cell phone, she is relying on the Benton home line for communication or Joey's cell phone.

[00:08:11] [SPEAKER_00]: And according to Kathy, Joey and Jennifer were fighting over Jennifer using Joey's minutes to call her mother.

[00:08:18] [SPEAKER_00]: Kathy goes to work with a granddaughter on her mind not knowing what was to come.

[00:08:24] [SPEAKER_00]: The following account of events occurred on March 24, 2004 around 9 p.m. and are given by Jennifer's mother, Kathy,

[00:08:32] [SPEAKER_00]: per her recollection.

[00:08:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Jennifer, Mama?

[00:08:36] [SPEAKER_00]: Kathy, what's wrong?

[00:08:38] [SPEAKER_00]: Jennifer, the Bentons are being horrible.

[00:08:41] [SPEAKER_00]: Joe is usually nice to me and tonight he's been yelling and in my face, Cindy threw mine and Adriana's dinner out the back door

[00:08:48] [SPEAKER_00]: and told us to go eat like the dogs.

[00:08:50] [SPEAKER_00]: She's really worrying me, Mom.

[00:08:52] [SPEAKER_00]: Kathy, Jennifer Kay, where's the baby?

[00:08:55] [SPEAKER_00]: Jennifer, Nina is in her room next to me.

[00:08:58] [SPEAKER_00]: We're trying to sleep train her but there's so much fighting going on.

[00:09:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Cindy is saying horrible things about me as a mother behind fit and she won't stop going on and on about how Joey shouldn't be taking care of a child that isn't his.

[00:09:10] [SPEAKER_00]: Kathy, Jennifer, I can come pick you and Nina up right now.

[00:09:14] [SPEAKER_00]: I'll be there in 10 minutes.

[00:09:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Jennifer pauses.

[00:09:18] [SPEAKER_00]: No, I'm grown now.

[00:09:19] [SPEAKER_00]: I can handle this.

[00:09:20] [SPEAKER_00]: I'll call you tomorrow.

[00:09:22] [SPEAKER_00]: Kathy, go get the baby, put her in the bed with you.

[00:09:25] [SPEAKER_00]: Just grab her, close the door and let her sleep next to you.

[00:09:28] [SPEAKER_00]: Tonight isn't a good night to sleep train.

[00:09:31] [SPEAKER_00]: Jennifer, okay, I love you, Kathy.

[00:09:34] [SPEAKER_00]: I love you too.

[00:09:35] [SPEAKER_00]: This is the last time Kathy would speak with her daughter ever.

[00:09:40] [SPEAKER_00]: What were the Benton's fighting with Jennifer about?

[00:09:43] [SPEAKER_00]: Did Jennifer accuse the Benton's of mistreating her daughter?

[00:09:47] [SPEAKER_00]: Did Jennifer suspect Adriana was being abused by someone under the Benton roof?

[00:09:53] [SPEAKER_00]: Is it possible she confronted the family about it?

[00:09:56] [SPEAKER_00]: Were tensions high causing tempers to flare?

[00:10:01] [SPEAKER_00]: Did a crying child add to the fighting?

[00:10:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Why would Jennifer go on to tell Kathy that Cindy was jealous of her relationship with Joey,

[00:10:10] [SPEAKER_00]: that Cindy had a weird relationship with Joey.

[00:10:13] [SPEAKER_00]: Why would Jennifer tell Kathy that Cindy was upset about Joey being alone in a room with Adriana

[00:10:19] [SPEAKER_00]: while he helped to sleep train her and then make comments that people will think he's like Michael Jackson?

[00:10:25] [SPEAKER_00]: What did Jennifer suspect?

[00:10:28] [SPEAKER_00]: What did Jennifer know?

[00:10:31] [SPEAKER_00]: What did Jennifer know?

[00:10:33] [SPEAKER_00]: There were five people living in that home on March 25, 2004.

[00:10:39] [SPEAKER_00]: But within the following 24 hours, only three would ever be seen again.

[00:10:45] [SPEAKER_00]: And they all have the last name Benton.

[00:11:33] [SPEAKER_00]: And, honest air, heating and cooling.

[00:11:37] [SPEAKER_00]: Honest, fast and reliable.

[00:11:40] [SPEAKER_00]: Missing in Hustan was executive produced and written by me, your host Jules with Anley Audio House LLC.

[00:11:47] [SPEAKER_00]: Casey Robinson was co-producer, special thanks to John Thorpe, Patrick Robinson, my parents,

[00:11:52] [SPEAKER_00]: and Jen Rivera, and to our children.

[00:11:55] [SPEAKER_00]: To follow our continued efforts on Justice for Jennifer and Adriana Wicks,

[00:11:58] [SPEAKER_00]: you can find us on Facebook at Justice for Jennifer and Adriana Wicks.

[00:12:03] [SPEAKER_00]: This page is personally managed by Casey herself.

[00:12:06] [SPEAKER_00]: And you can find me, Jules, hi on Instagram at your host Jules.

[00:12:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Notes and updates can be found on our website, www.missinginhustan.com.

[00:12:15] [SPEAKER_00]: Please help us continue to grow by considering leaving a five-star review and rating wherever you're listening.

[00:12:21] [SPEAKER_00]: If you have a tip for this case, please, please call 1-800-TBI-FIND

[00:12:26] [SPEAKER_00]: or dial the anonymous tip line at 615-562-0819.

[00:12:33] [SPEAKER_00]: Help us bring the Wicks Girls home to donate to this family's continued fight for justice.

[00:12:38] [SPEAKER_00]: Please visit gofundme.com slash Jennifer and Adriana Wicks.

[00:12:44] [SPEAKER_00]: And to support the podcast and to help us continue this production,

[00:12:48] [SPEAKER_00]: you may click support the show in the show notes and donate a Wicks kiss.

[00:12:52] [SPEAKER_00]: 10% of all profits from Season 1 of Missing in Hush Town will be given to the Wicks family indefinitely.

[00:12:59] [SPEAKER_00]: As always, you're wanted. You are loved.

[00:13:03] [SPEAKER_00]: And you deserve to be found. Don't you forget it. I'll see you next time.

[00:13:08] [SPEAKER_00]: Bye-bye!