Two decades-old cold cases out of Robertson County remain unsolved

ROBERTSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — While there are several unsolved cold cases in communities across Tennessee, investigators in Robertson County have been haunted by two major cases that have remained open for decades.

One case involves the abduction and murder of a young girl, but all that is known of the suspect is a sketch created based on witness descriptions and two vans possibly connected to the crime. The other case is a mysterious disappearance of a mother and her daughter.

Search continues for Jennifer and Adrianna Wix 19 years after their disappearance

While it’s still unclear exactly what happened to Jennifer and Adrianna Wix, the case was reclassified as a homicide about 10 years ago. Both cases have rocked the communities where they occurred, with a former police chief calling the murder of Morgan Violi “horrific.”

However, the search for answers continues, with one case getting a new set of eyes earlier this year. In many cases, tips from the public — no matter how seemingly insignificant — can be vital. Below is any known information on the two unsolved cases out of Robertson County.

Anyone with information on either case is asked to contact the Robertson County Sheriff’s Office at 615-384-7971 or submit a tip online by clicking here.

Abduction of Morgan Violi

Morgan Jade Violi was only 7 years old when she was reportedly kidnapped from her Bowling Green, Kentucky home on July 24, 1996. Investigators said the abduction happened in broad daylight almost directly in front of her family’s unit at the Colony Apartments.

Numerous witnesses reported seeing a white male driving a 1978 maroon Chevrolet van grab Violi, place her in the passenger side of the van, and speed off in an unknown direction. According to the FBI, that van had also been reported stolen out of Dayton, Ohio.

RELATED: FBI seeks tips on two vans connected to 1996 Morgan Violi cold case

The vehicle was recovered just a few days later on July 26, 1996. FBI agents said it was found more than 80 miles away at the Union 76 truck stop in Franklin, Tennessee. Three months later, on October 20, Violi’s family got a knock on their door from an FBI agent.

Her remains had been found near an old barn on North Swift Road at Webster Road in White House, Tennessee. The sheriff’s office said an older model white Ford van had been seen parked outside the barn for nearly four hours the day after Violi went missing.

The FBI, in conjunction with the Robertson County Sheriff’s Office and Bowling Green Police, is still looking for information on the van, which reportedly had a slatted trailer-door type window on the side.

Despite hundreds of tips, the case still hasn’t been closed. In a 2020 interview, former Bowling Green Police Chief Bill Waltrip told News 2 it’s a case that will always be burned into his memory.

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“What stands out is just the horrific nature of the case, and then how complicated and how many leads came in,” Waltrip said. “As frustrating as it is for law enforcement, it’s nothing at all compared to what the family goes through.”

The man suspected of taking Violi appeared to be in his 20s at the time, according to the sheriff’s office. Witnesses described him as having collar length sandy brown hair, a slender build, defined muscles and facial hair.

One outstanding feature that investigators said was noticed by all witnesses was that the man reportedly had a sharp, distinct nose.

Anyone who has any information about this case is asked to call the Robertson County Sheriff’s Office at 615-384-7971, the FBI in Bowling Green at 270-781-4734, or the Bowling Green Police Department at 270-393-4244.

Disappearances of Jennifer and Adrianna Wix

It’s been nearly two decades since then-21-year-old Jennifer Wix and her 2-year-old daughter, Adrianna Wix, were reported missing on Saturday, March 27, 2004. The last time Jennifer and Adrianna’s family saw them was a few days earlier on March 24.

Jennifer’s boyfriend at the time, Joey Benton, told police he dropped them off at a gas station on March 25 near Exit 112 off Interstate 65 in Cross Plains and watched them leave in a white car. The next day, Benton said Jennifer came to his house in the same white car without Adrianna.

SEE ALSO: Jennifer Wix’s mother grieves on what would have been daughter’s 40th birthday

However, investigators have never been able to confirm Benton’s story. The case was reclassified as a homicide in 2013, and according to investigators, Benton remains a person of interest. A new detective recently took over the investigation in 2023 and has been reviewing the case.

Although Jennifer and Adrianna Wix’s family members want the person responsible brought to justice, they told News 2 in a February 2023 interview they won’t rest until they are able to bring Jennifer and her daughter home.

“Even if we were to find Jennifer and Adrianna, be able to lay them to rest and we never found out who did it, that’s all my mom wants. That’s all that we want,” Casey Robinson, Jennifer’s sister and Adrianna’s aunt, said.

Investigators believe it’s possible that Adrianna is still in the company of her mother. Adrianna has a birthmark on her right thigh and may go by the nickname “Nina.” She has blue eyes and brown hair and would now be 21 years old.

UNSOLVED TENNESSEE: Find more of the state’s cold cases, missing persons, and other mysteries →

Jennifer had brown hair with red highlights when she was last seen. She has brown eyes and sometimes wears glasses. Jennifer also has a tribal tattoo on her back. Today, she would be 41 years old.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the Robertson County Sheriff’s Office at 615-384-7981 or the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND. Callers can stay anonymous and may be eligible for a reward. Tips can also be submitted online by clicking here.

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