🖊️ Petition for Legislative Reform in Tennessee: Protecting Families and Pursuing Justice in Hidden Homicides & Missing Persons Cases

✉️ To: The Governor of Tennessee, Members of the Tennessee General Assembly, TBI (Tennessee Bureau of Investigation), The Tennessee Sheriffs Association

My name is Casey Robinson. I am the sister and aunt of Jennifer and Adrianna Wix, who disappeared from Springfield, Tennessee in 2004—presumed victims of homicide. Their case, like far too many others, has been buried beneath years of silence, misclassification, and legal red tape.

Our family, and many others like ours, live in a state of permanent in-between: no justice, no answers, and no protections. We are forced to investigate on our own, to chase the truth through locked doors and loopholes, and to live with the knowledge that those responsible may still walk free—because the system wasn’t built to uncover crimes that are deliberately hidden.

It’s time for that to change.

 
⚖️ What We’re Fighting For: 5 Critical Reforms
We urge lawmakers to take bold, immediate action and create a dedicated section in the Tennessee Code that fully addresses missing persons, suspicious deaths, and hidden homicides—not simply as scattered laws, but as a comprehensive framework.

1️⃣ Search Warrant Reform for Missing Persons and Presumed Homicides
We are calling for the creation of automatic, limited-scope search warrant protocols in missing person investigations, covering:

The victim’s last known residence
The location of last sighting
The residence of the last known contact or witness
This would prevent delays that allow perpetrators to hide or destroy evidence. These early hours matter—and current laws often prioritize the privacy of the accused over the urgency of finding the missing.

2️⃣ Statute of Limitations Reform
In many hidden homicides or suspicious death cases, statutes of limitations expire before the truth is ever discovered—especially when crimes are concealed for years. We are calling for a review and revision of both criminal and civil statutes of limitations in these cases, recognizing the unique nature of concealed crimes and allowing families to pursue justice without arbitrary deadlines.

3️⃣ A True Statewide Missing Persons & Unidentified Remains Clearinghouse
The current Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) clearinghouse represents only a fraction of the missing and unidentified individuals in our state. We need a centralized, fully staffed, and transparent clearinghouse, modeled after successful programs in other states. This clearinghouse must:

Include every known missing person reported in Tennessee
Provide consistent updates and public access
Cross-reference with unidentified remains in Tennessee and nationwide databases

4️⃣ Mandatory Cold Case Review Departments or Task Forces
Most agencies, especially in rural areas, lack the manpower or funding for dedicated cold case units. We propose:

A state-level Cold Case Division, housed under the Governor’s Office, TBI, or Department of Safety
Review cases that are 10+ years old with no new movement
Provide families with a "Right to Know" option: transparency on what’s been done, and the ability to request outside review
Too many families are trapped in jurisdictions where conflicts of interest and apathy delay or destroy investigations. This policy would ensure every family has access to accountability.

5️⃣ Victim and Family Support Liaisons
Families should not have to chase down updates from overworked detectives—or be left in the dark when investigators are promoted, retire, or simply stop responding. We are calling for the creation of a Family Support Liaison role to:

Offer clear guidance on media, legal steps, and case developments
Provide trauma-informed support and connect families to resources
Serve as a consistent point of contact between law enforcement and the family
This role would reduce the pressure on detectives and provide critical stability to families navigating grief and legal uncertainty.
 

💔 Why This Matters
The laws we currently have were not written with hidden homicides in mind. They were not built for families whose loved ones vanish without a trace. They were not made for the mothers, sisters, children, or aunts forced to become investigators, lawyers, and advocates just to be heard.

This petition is about building a better path forward—for Tennessee, and ultimately, for families across the country. Because every delay, every denial, every “we can’t do that” may cost a family the chance to bring their loved one home… or to finally get the truth they deserve.

 
✊🏼 We, the Undersigned, Call on Lawmakers to:
Acknowledge the systemic gaps and legal loopholes that allow hidden homicides to go unpunished
Work with survivor families, advocates, and experts to draft and pass legislation
Create a standalone section of the Tennessee Code dedicated to missing persons, suspicious deaths, and long-term unsolved cases
 
🖋️ Sign your name. 
Share their stories.
Join the movement.
Because we deserve answers.
Because our loved ones deserve justice.
Because the truth cannot stay buried forever.

#Justice4EveryFamily | #UnburyTheTruth | #WixFamilyStrong | #TNMissing | #HiddenHomicides | #BuriedBetweenTheLines