Silver Alert becomes suspicious disappearance investigation

COTTON COUNTY, Okla. (KSWO) -Authorities said 69-year-old Grady “Bruce” Benson was last seen November 9, but the details of that sighting have become unclear.

“When I came in, everything was in its place, the door was locked, and garage doors were down. He wasn’t here, he didn’t look like he had been here at all,” said Bruce’s son, Grady Benson II.

That’s why his family is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to his whereabouts, and Tuesday, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation announced it would be helping Cotton County’s Sheriff’s Office look into Benson’s disappearance, which they called “suspicious.”

“He never came back in this house. Because I had made him a pie the night before, and if he had come back in this house after we ate Bill’s Catfish, he would’ve had some of that pie. And, it was still like it was when I left,” said Bruce’s wife Maxine Benson.

7News previously reported Benson was last seen at Bill’s Catfish Restaurant, but his son Grady said Tuesday his dad had brought him a plate of food after eating dinner at a Jefferson County restaurant with his wife the night he allegedly disappeared.

“He brought me back fish from there, and everything was fine. Normal. Sometime between there and the next day, he was just gone,” Grady said.

OSBI’s statement said he was last seen at his Randlett home by a family member around 8 p.m.

The statement also said Benson was wearing a red jacket and blue jeans, and that all his cars have been located.

“His wallet and his phone were in his pickup, It’s just like he stepped out of his pickup and just vanished. And, he always took his keys and his wallet,” Maxine said.

As for the family, they said the worst part is not knowing.

“You can see for miles outside this house, I walk out every morning and look all around, and he’s not here,” Maxine said.

All raw footage and interviews from Nov. 29, 2022 are below:

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