A severed leg pulled out of a Tennessee creek on July 4th has been identified as belonging to Joseph Frank Benton, a man accused of child abuse and once listed among the county’s most wanted suspects. Authorities confirmed the discovery this week.
Police said the decomposing body part matched Benton, who vanished after being hit with 40 charges in 2024, including illegal possession of weapons, explosives, and child exploitation materials. He had also broken probation and had been on the run for over a year.
The leg was found in Sulphur Fork Creek, a 17-mile waterway that flows through Kentucky and Tennessee. The spot where it was discovered is close to Springfield in Robertson County, where Benton last lived, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Before escaping, Benton had been linked to a long-unsolved case involving 22-year-old Jennifer Wix and her 2-year-old daughter, Adrianna, who disappeared on March 25, 2004. The two were staying with the Benton family at the time.
Benton’s son, Joey, claimed he dropped them at a gas station, where they left in a white car. Wix had phoned her mother in tears earlier that day, saying she argued with a Benton family member.
Relatives believed she wanted to move out, but her body and her child’s were never found.
Investigators said Benton was last spotted looking unkempt, with a wild beard that gave him the appearance of a “frightening Santa Claus.”
The discovery sparked many theories. Some people online believe Benton may have cut off his own leg to trick authorities and avoid capture. Others think his death is more likely.
One social media user commented, “Honestly, I wouldn’t put it past him to chop off his own leg to keep running.
If he is dead, at least his family gets closure — something the Wix family never had. I feel no sympathy for him.”
Another person wrote, “I hope a coyote tore his leg off.”
A different theory was that Benton may have faced vigilante justice. “Maybe someone found him and handled it their own way — or in this case, their own leg,” a commenter joked.
