UNSOLVED HOMICIDE: JEFFREY LEE BEN
CLAYTON – We happened to stumble across Jeffrey's story while listening to a completely unrelated YouTube video, and it immediately caught our attention. And even though more than two decades have passed, Jeffrey's story still matters, and we don't think he should ever be forgotten.
So today, we are going to take a moment to honor Jeffrey's life, help remember the person he was, and continue praying that one day his family finally gets the answers they have been searching for and deserve.
Before we get into his story, we do want y’all to keep in mind that we searched high and low through newspaper archives looking for any news coverage we could find about Jeffrey's disappearance, but unfortunately, we came up empty-handed. Because of that, much of the information we were able to source came from publicly available sources, including Find a Grave.
That being said, if we got anything wrong or if there are any corrections that need to be made, please let us know. As always, we will happily make any changes to make sure that Jeffrey's story is told as accurately as possible.
According to Find a Grave, Jeffrey Lee Ben was born on August 23rd of 1982. He was a member of the Choctaw Nation and grew up in Clayton alongside his two brothers and sister. From everything we were able to learn about Jeffrey, he was a huge sports fan who had dreams of one day becoming a sportscaster. He was also reportedly a talented athlete and was crowned homecoming king in 2000. Those close to Jeffrey described him as someone who loved people. They said he was very outgoing, and was the type of person who could make friends with just about anyone.
After graduating from high school, Jeffrey moved to Michigan to work for a fiber optic company. But according to what we found, he became homesick and eventually moved back to Clayton. He reportedly planned to attend college after returning home.
Jeffrey went missing during the early morning hours of January 29th of 2001. That day, he had gone to his Uncle Don's house to watch the Super Bowl, which honestly doesn't surprise us considering how much of a sports fan he was. According to reports, Jeffrey left his uncle's home around 1:00 a.m. Sadly, that was the last time anyone ever saw or heard from him. It has been alleged that about 15 minutes after Jeffrey left, several people living in the area heard what sounded like a vehicle crash followed by voices near a bridge along the Kiamichi River. Later that morning, Jeffrey's vehicle was found on Nine Pine Road in the Tuskahoma area of Pushmataha County. But Jeffrey was nowhere to be found.
According to what investigators have said, Jeffrey allegedly missed a turn, ended up on Nine Pine Road, and collided with a tree. His father's truck only had minor damage, and investigators reportedly found no traces of blood at the scene. And for the many years that followed, Jeffrey's family never gave up looking for him. Search after search was conducted in hopes of finding anything, even the smallest bit of evidence, that could help lead them to their beloved son, brother, nephew, and friend.
Then, in March of 2006, investigators received a call about human remains that had been found in Pushmataha County, approximately two miles from where Jeffrey's vehicle had been located on the morning of January 29th, 2001. According to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the remains were discovered by loggers and were later confirmed to be Jeffrey's. But even though Jeffrey was finally brought home, his family was still left without answers about what exactly happened to him.
To this day, no one has ever been arrested in connection with his death and it sadly remains an unsolved homicide.
This year, Jeffrey would have celebrated his 44th birthday. And we didn't know Jeffrey personally, but after learning about his story, we felt like it needed to be shared. Because every life leaves an impact, and Jeffrey’s was no different. We truly hope and pray his loved ones receive the answers they've been waiting so many years for.
Rest easy, Jeffrey. We will continue to do our part to help make sure your story is never forgotten.
Sources: The information shared in this post was compiled using publicly available information from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and Find a Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/39734591/jeffrey_lee-ben
Photo Source: OSBI
