When youth minister, husband, and new father Wesley Barrett Cox goes missing in rural Texas in 1984, authorities and his family assume he’s the victim of foul play. But after more investigation, some law enforcement officials think Cox intended to disappear. His family doesn’t buy it. Each theory gets put to the test over sixteen years later…when Cox reappears with a new name and no memory of his family. Conspiracy Theories is on Instagram @theconspiracypod! Follow us to keep up with the show and get behind-the-scenes updates from Carter and the team. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Talitha Cox waits by the phone. It's January 1st, 2001, her 17th birthday. She's anticipating one call in particular. It's one she's been waiting for her entire life. Today, Talitha's getting a phone call from her father. She's heard about him, she knows his name, but she's never met him. After all, he's been legally dead for nine years. Welcome to Conspiracy Theories, a Spotify podcast.
I'm Carter Roy. You can find us here every Wednesday. Be sure to check us out on Instagram at The Conspiracy Pod, and we would love to hear from you. So if you're listening on the Spotify app, swipe up and give us your thoughts. We'd like to give a special thanks to one of our listeners for suggesting today's story. Stay with us.
It's the end of a sweltering day out on the plains of rural North Texas. It's July 1984, and the state is in a drought. Normally, this desolate area doesn't see much traffic. But on this particular evening, the farm road just outside the tiny town of Tuxedo is swarming with cops. A local called them about an Oldsmobile abandoned on the side of the road. It's taken a beating.
The front and rear windshields and other windows are busted. The keys are locked in the trunk, along with an empty beer can. There's some men's clothing in the back seat and some Christian cassette tapes beside the car. A search of nearby roads yields an empty wallet, contents scattered nearby, but no cash. A license plate search confirms that the wallet belongs to the owner of the Oldsmobile...
31-year-old Wesley Barrett Cox. Wesley Barrett Cox's friends call him Barry. He's a youth minister in San Antonio, where he lives with his wife, Beth, and daughter, Talitha. Barry's professional and family life is just beginning. He became a husband, minister, and father in just the last two years. Talitha is only six months old.
This summer, Barry has spent some time away from his new job and family. He's been working on his doctorate in art education at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, about a six-hour drive from San Antonio. Beth and Talitha had visited him a few times, and now, Barry was finally done with the program and on his way home. Beth last spoke with Barry the previous night.
He talked about the toys he was bringing home for their daughter and how excited he was to play with her. This time, when the phone rings in their San Antonio home, Beth picks up expecting to hear Barry's voice again. He should be home any time. Instead, it's a sheriff on the other end. As Beth gets up to speed on the investigation over the next day or so, she and authorities agree.
Barry might have been the victim of foul play. He was carrying cash that's now missing. The empty beer can in the trunk also feels ominous because Barry wasn't a drinker. Even more strange details emerged surrounding the last known sighting of Barry. A little less than 24 hours before his car was found, he'd stopped at a gas station.
He actually walked there in the middle of the night carrying empty jugs. His car ran out of gas two miles away. The clerk who served Barry described him as courteous and friendly, and some folks saw him with a blue helmet. He got the gas he needed, along with water and a 7-Up.
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