TALLADEGA — The family of Benjamin Stanford announced a $100,000 reward for “information leading to the arrest and conviction (of) those responsible for” his death, according to fliers that began appearing around Talladega Monday.Stanford was last seen alive Nov. 5 in Anniston wearing rust colored Carhartt jeans, a purple shirt, a long-sleeved, dark gray fleece and a white Polo cap. He was last seen driving a silver 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
The vehicle was recovered on I-20 East near Villa Rica, Ga., the afternoon of Nov. 5. Stanford’s body was found eight days later in dense foliage about a mile away from the mile marker where the car was found.
A preliminary finding by the Carroll County, Ga., Coroner’s Office ruled that Stanford died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, but several forensic test results remained unavailable Monday and his family is not so sure.
“We haven’t heard any new information today,” Stanford’s mother, Lynne Stanford, said Monday afternoon. “I think they’re still looking at a lot of options.”
Lynne Stanford said, for one thing, she found it curious that “he had a money clip with a couple of dollars and his gas card with him, but his keys, billfold and cell phone have not been found. I know they’re working on enhancing the video from the gas station where he bought a couple of gallons of gas, but there’s a glare on the windshield, so you can’t tell if it’s him in the car or if there’s someone with him,” she added.
Lynne Stanford also said she found it “odd that someone ruled it a suicide when he was shot behind his ear. And I know there is absolutely nothing in his personality that says suicide. He deserves further investigation.”
The Stanford family is still in regular contact with Texas Equusearch, the search and rescue organization that found Ben Stanford’s body two weeks ago. That group became involved after the case began drawing national media attention, including television coverage on the Fox News Network.
“I won’t say I’ve gotten cards from all 50 states, but I have heard from people in Hawaii and Pennsylvania and most places in between,” Lynne Stanford said Monday.
Anyone with relevant information should call 256-223-2482, 256-761-7530 or 866-878-5245.
The Web site www.benstanford.com was temporarily off line Monday evening, but should be back up and running today.
“We’re getting it updated,” Lynne Stanford said. “We were able to get information off the message board, but that doesn’t show the source of the information unless the person types in their e-mail address. We’re going to be changing that, one way or another.”
