Written by: Alisa M. Ben (2001)
The case of Jeffrey Lee Ben/Clayton Today
I read "Jeffrey Lee Ben was last seen at approximately 1:00 a.m. on Monday
morning. The pick-up truck that he was driving was found approximately one
half a mile from the old store in Tuskahoma on Nine Pines Road. His family
and friends have not seen or heard from him since that time." I have
read this paragraph in nearly every major newspaper, weekly and daily paper.
Variations of the paragraph reworked and reused to comply with editorial
requirements. My little brother, Jeffrey Lee Ben, is not a text, nor is he
simply a local boy missing.
My telephone would ring every morning with a wake-up call from my brother that
was living in Michigan. It would again ring during lunch, and sporadic
calls throughout the day. He is this kind of brother. The same
behavior he had toward my parents and his friends. Jeffrey would have his
cellular phone practically attached to his ear, until the bill of $600 arrived
in the mail. His cellular phone soon found its life span non-existent.
Approximately one week before the end of Jeffrey's cellular phone, he loaned me
$300 to pay my car payment. A few days later, he and I argued about how to
fill out a Western Union slip: the fastest way to send me another $300 for my
house rent. I laughed at my brother for not being the city person that I
have become. He is certainly a proud citizen of Clayton, Oklahoma. I
have lived all over the United States and call "home" wherever I
currently live. Jeffrey, on the other hand, proudly boasted that his
"home" was Clayton. It had never shown more than at a Western
Union in Michigan. With cellular phone in tow, my brother filled out the
"fastest way to send money" slip as I walked him through it over the
phone. This phone call would be the last phone call I would receive from
my brother on his cellular phone.
Approximately two days later, he disconnected it and moved back to Oklahoma to
begin his life as a college student.
I have not yet heard from my brother, but why have I not? Jeffrey loved
Clayton. Clayton was the exact essence of what defined my brother:
community, love, sharing, friendship and until now, safety. I wonder if he
is disappointed?
Citizens, friends and family, let me describe my brother to those of you that
did not have the great honor of knowing him. Those of you that do and have
known him will hopefully recall your own memories of him as I banter.
Jeffrey Lee Ben, my brother and best friend and is a child regardless of age.
He has a birthday coming up on August 23, 2001. He will be 19 years
old, and we hope to celebrate it with him. However, he is currently 18
years old and one of the most loving young men I have ever known.
Jeffrey was a proud person. He was proud to be from Clayton, Oklahoma.
He was proud of his heritage, and family. He was proud of our little
brothers (Mark, 3, and Blake, 7). He was proud to be the son of Linda
Miller and Ronnie Ben. He was proud of me, his big sister. He told
me that "one day I would be very successful." I hope he gets a
chance to see his prophecy.
Physically, Jeffrey was breathless. My mother once told me that when he
walks into a room her heart skips a beat. My brother resembles my father,
Ronnie, during his teens. For the younger readers, my brother resembles
Freddie Prinze Jr. with a southern accent. Many of you reading this may
remember Jeffrey as the year 2000 Clayton homecoming king. Some of you may
remember him walking hand-in-hand with his high school sweetheart, Misty
Buchanan.
A few of you lucky enough to have known him, may remember that when he hugged
you it made you feel special because he hugged you tight; you were family.
Those of you may remember him as a vibrant young man full of life.
What many of you do not know is how I remember Jeffrey. I remember Jeffrey
Lee Ben as a child of God that deserves to be with his family. He and I
were raised in a Christian family, and throughout my spiritual questioning of
Faith he never once questioned. He tried to help me understand. I am
a skeptic and trust no one. He is naive and trusts everyone. Jeffrey
had that certain something that changed your life in some way by simply knowing
him. He is very special. He smiles when he is not happy. He
loves without knowing you. He is very passionate about his beliefs,
family, friends, life, goals and feelings. He will give up a cellular
phone to help his sister pay her bills. This is my brother, and I call him
"bubba." It obviously caught on since so many of you have done
the same.
I am aware that in a small town the rumor mill spins fast. I believe in my
brother just as he believed strongly in me as a sister, friend and soul mate.
My family, friends and neighbors it is time to make a difference, as
Jeffrey has made a difference in my life, your life, the history of Clayton and
whomever may have the key to this mystery. My brother, Jeffrey Lee Ben, is
not simply a "local boy missing." We must not lose sight of this
issue, and it is not about drugs. It is about finding my brother, Jeffrey.
We have to pull together as a community, to find the young man that so
many of us have hugged. As a journalist, I knew before an investigation
into my brother's disappearance that is was not a "missing person"
case. No one disappears in Clayton, Oklahoma without someone knowing
something. It does not happen and never has before Jeffrey to my
knowledge.
I urge you, any of you living with guilt or any knowledge of that mysterious
night on January 28, 2001 to come forward. I will personally make it a
point that no one is in any trouble of any sort if you come forward immediately.
We just want to find Jeffrey. What you do on your own time is your
business and I do not care what that may consist of, but what you know about my
brother is my business. We, his family and friends, deserve to know.
A personal note to whomever may know something about the whereabouts of my
brother -
Jeffrey and I have been together for almost 19 years. I love him so much.
We have gone through childhood, a divorce, new parents, disappointments,
accomplishments and many other private and personal experiences together. We
have two little brothers that miss him greatly. We have a 7-year-old
brother that cries bloody murder when I leave for fear of not returning like his
"bubba." Where are you when I wake up at night to cries of my
mother? Where are you when my 7-year-old brother asks if his
"bubba" is dead and cries? Where are you as our lives are placed
on hold and miserable? We need to continue with our lives and sanity, and
regardless of the outcome we will find out and solve this mystery. Please,
I urge you, come forward and make a difference in hundreds of lives that Jeffrey
has touched. I will live my life trying to find my brother, until we do
find him. When we find him and can get his hugs again, I will rest. Until
then Clayton, Oklahoma, my name is Alisa M. Ben. I am Jeffrey's big sister and a
trained journalist. I dislike gossip and people that withhold information.
I will work with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to find out
what happened on that dreadful night of January 28, 2001 into the early morning
hours of January 29, 2001.
I am not biased and I have not lost the point, which is finding my brother,
Jeffrey. I will solve this case, and those of you that have withheld
information will see how a journalist trained for CNN deals with you. You
will not like it, and when all is said and done you will not like me. As
far as I am concerned, everyone is a suspect. Say hello when you see me.
If a crime was committed, and my brother is no longer with us, I have a few
words to say about that. We simply urge everyone that has any information
to come forward now before it is too late. If my brother is hurt or worse,
I can promise the one that committed such a blasphemy that if he or she does not
come forward now it will be the biggest mistake of your life. I will
expose you, and I will live my entire life prosecuting you. I will make
you wish you could disappear, as my brother appears to have for approximately 5
months. I can be nice and I want to enjoy each and every one of you.
However, my purpose for being in Oklahoma when I am supposed to be in New
York City is not to be your friend. It is to do my job as a journalist,
citizen and sister. That is to find Jeffrey regardless of who and what I
have to expose. Again, I urge you now to come forward before it is too
late. Any information should be directed to the OSBI at (580) 298-5119 or
the Pushmataha County Sheriff's office at (580) 298-2475. All sources will
be held confidential. I believe in ethics, so if you would like to speak
to me I can be reached at (405) 269-3883.
If you did not catch my purpose, it is to work on behalf of my brother, Jeffrey
Lee Ben. He is not simply a local boy missing, and I will prove that.
If you see me with my recorder, notebook and pen, journalists and city
friends say hello and welcome me to Clayton.
Citizens, you will remember my brother each and every day until this case is
solved. You will understand the seriousness of this case, and I will cause
an up roar, here in Clayton, Oklahoma, bigger than the O.J. Simpson ordeal.
It is good to be home!
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