Disappeared - General Discussion

[Tabbygirl521]

The Michael Chambers case is being hotly discussed on Websleuths. Many do not feel it was suicide and are offering a lot of food for thought. I can’t decide. I did think so but I can’t get past the body not being found. To me that suggests foul play. Or if he did hide himself that well before suicide, it seems especially cruel to his family, and he did not sound like a cruel person. 

[SunnyBeBe]

REF. the mother who went missing from her home.  Meat was discovered in her freezer that a convicted killer used to sell to gain access to homes, but, he denies he ever met this lady.  A glass of wine and an empty glass were found in the house, like she had drank some and was going to pour another person a glass.  A co-worker admitted that he had gone over that night, but, denied seeing her.  Said she wasn't home.  He later died. She still hasn't been located.  Anyone recall her name? 

[peachybean]

Nancy Moyer. 

I liked this episode. People acknowledged her riskier behaviors so she wasn’t treated like a saint without judging her as deserving a terrible fate. 

[SunnyBeBe]

10 hours ago, peachybean said:

Nancy Moyer. 

I liked this episode. People acknowledged her riskier behaviors so she wasn’t treated like a saint without judging her as deserving a terrible fate. 

Yes, you're right.  So tragic.  There was another mother who was featured last weekend as well.  This one was blonde. 

[Wierzbowski]

Hearing the daughter speak on her missing mom, Nancy Moyer, was absolutely heartbreaking. Sometimes the pain of the other victims of these crimes-- sweet, innocent little kids-- isn't made as clear. 

I was watching this with my husband, saying "you just can't be a woman in this world." I know of course there are plenty of male victims, but these shows and stories sometimes make me cautious even in my own home and are the reason why my husband (6' 4" + strong) can go running alone in woods whenever and I won't (I think that is how that meat guy found and killed the other woman mentioned in the show?). Or why I park close to the building I'm entering, directly under streetlights, look all around me when I get out of my car, have secret code talk with my husband when I'm leaving for and arrive at a place, etc.  

And the fact that there are TWO super creepy men who could've hurt Nancy. Ugh. About the meat guy: did he OWN the company? Was he its only employee? Because the interviewees kept saying he HAD to have met her even though he claimed he didn't. Were there prints on the meat packaging in the freezer? WHY WAS HE DRIVING WITH A MURDERED BODY IN HIS PASSENGER SEAT? And the other guy Jim, the one time lover, was suspicious with the lying and rolling into her house ininvited. I don't know who is more likely guilty...

[Annber03]

1 hour ago, Wierzbowski said:

Hearing the daughter speak on her missing mom, Nancy Moyer, was absolutely heartbreaking. Sometimes the pain of the other victims of these crimes-- sweet, innocent little kids-- isn't made as clear. 

Yes. She sounded on the verge of tears throughout the entire episode and I just wanted to hug her. Poor girl. 

Quote

About the meat guy: did he OWN the company? Was he its only employee? Because the interviewees kept saying he HAD to have met her even though he claimed he didn't. Were there prints on the meat packaging in the freezer? WHY WAS HE DRIVING WITH A MURDERED BODY IN HIS PASSENGER SEAT? And the other guy Jim, the one time lover, was suspicious with the lying and rolling into her house ininvited. I don't know who is more likely guilty...

All your questions about the meat guy are mine as well. Didn't they mention that he was only given a few short years in prison at one point in the episode, too? Why not longer? 

The thing I wondered about Jim, he claims he went into her house and didn't find her there and was concerned. Yet he didn't think to, like, report his concerns to the police right away, apparently? It took a few days, I believe, before he even mentioned his trip to her house. That's rather suspicious right there, I'd say.

[The Closer]

I don't recall what was said on the show, but the meat guy (Bernard Howell) is currently in a Washington state prison and his scheduled release date is in 2036. 

I really lean towards the co-worker, Jim. Of course it's speculation and it's not like there isn't good reason to suspect Howell, but the woman Howell killed was walking or bicycling on a trail. He slit her throat and she died from a blunt force blow to the head and strangulation. He got caught when he randomly stopped and asked some guy he didn't know to help him move the body that was in the passenger seat of his truck wrapped in a sleeping bag. When the police showed up, Howell said he found the body on the trail and was only trying to "help" the family by saving them $5000 for funeral costs. While he denied killing her, he did admit to having sex with her. Hard to say if all that was the result of drugs or mental illness, but it seems like a totally different scenario (and crime scene) than the disappearance of Nancy Moyer. 

It's hard for me to get over the hurdle that an innocent co-worker (one who wants to date the missing person, none-the-less!) would learn that Nancy was missing and just not say anything to anyone about how he had been to her house that weekend. So, he calls her up to ask her out on a date and then withholds information about what he knows? He only decides to bring it up after the police have interviewed him and he realizes they have his phone messages asking her out and that they are looking at him as a potential suspect. My guess is he called her, got no response back, waited outside her house, saw her get out and go inside, and he went to the door. Not sure whether he immediately killed her or she let him in willingly (hence, the second wine glass), but I do think she was killed that night and that he had all weekend to clean up the crime scene and move her body. It's too bad they couldn't ever get probable cause to search his vehicle. 

[Guest]

On 6/27/2018 at 9:11 PM, The Closer said:

It's hard for me to get over the hurdle that an innocent co-worker (one who wants to date the missing person, none-the-less!) would learn that Nancy was missing and just not say anything to anyone about how he had been to her house that weekend. So, he calls her up to ask her out on a date and then withholds information about what he knows? He only decides to bring it up after the police have interviewed him and he realizes they have his phone messages asking her out and that they are looking at him as a potential suspect. My guess is he called her, got no response back, waited outside her house, saw her get out and go inside, and he went to the door. Not sure whether he immediately killed her or she let him in willingly (hence, the second wine glass), but I do think she was killed that night and that he had all weekend to clean up the crime scene and move her body. It's too bad they couldn't ever get probable cause to search his vehicle. 

OMG. Yes, I think it was totally this guy Jim who killed her. And I think his wife (ex-wife?) was covering for him by not allowing the children to be interviewed by police. The evolving story is never a good sign that anyone's being truthful, but to come back and later say he was in the house but only to "check" on her (or whatever) is totally insane. 

To me, the larger mystery of this episode was why anyone was buying meat from some rando who happened to knock at the door.

[GoldenGirl90]

On 6/27/2018 at 9:11 PM, The Closer said:

He only decides to bring it up after the police have interviewed him and he realizes they have his phone messages asking her out and that they are looking at him as a potential suspect.

And don't forget, the police said he was physically agitated and nervous when they showed up. Of course that doesn't mean he's guilty but when you add everything up, he doesn't come out looking innocent at all.

[SunnyBeBe]

I think Disappeared needs to do some updates on their episodes.  ID aired the one on Elizabeth Salgado today and didn't do a follow up that her remains have been found in a canyon in Utah.

https://www.apnews.com/e47439d115064f2981dbb35b4e473ab0

I watched the one on the 17 young man who also went missing in Utah and this time, I got a different perspective.  The night before he went missing, his father took away his phone and computer as punishment.  No one else saw him after that.  The father did not appear on the Disappeared episode, personally.  Just some old video.  Did anyone see this? Also, While the mother said that she and her husband passed the polygraph, the police offer no comment on whether they did or didn't. 

[tobeannounced]

4 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I think Disappeared needs to do some updates on their episodes.  ID aired the one on Elizabeth Salgado today and didn't do a follow up that her remains have been found in a canyon in Utah.

https://www.apnews.com/e47439d115064f2981dbb35b4e473ab0

I watched the one on the 17 young man who also went missing in Utah and this time, I got a different perspective.  The night before he went missing, his father took away his phone and computer as punishment.  No one else saw him after that.  The father did not appear on the Disappeared episode, personally.  Just some old video.  Did anyone see this? Also, While the mother said that she and her husband passed the polygraph, the police offer no comment on whether they did or didn't. 

Yeah, I hate when they don't update their episodes at the end when the person is no longer missing.

I remember the one about the 17-year-old. Are you thinking the father was involved somehow?

[SunnyBeBe]

12 hours ago, tobeannounced said:

Yeah, I hate when they don't update their episodes at the end when the person is no longer missing.

I remember the one about the 17-year-old. Are you thinking the father was involved somehow?

I hate to accuse an innocent person.  Nothing worse than to be accused of something that you didn't do, but, there are some amusing pieces that would really cause me to question if something happened in the home that is not being disclosed. And, it seems the police are also suspicious based on their limited and carefully worded comments. This is what I speculate, based on watching the episode again. 

There was a lot of resentment that was brewing in the home.  The son had an aversion to practice driving the car. He had made up an excuse in order to avoid doing it with his dad. His dad was insistent that he do it.  That was one storm that was brewing.  Then, the son violated house rule by using computer after his cutoff time. Dad was upset.  Up at 1:30 a.m. to take away his phone and computer. More intensity.  Son was so upset that he wrote out his misery after that.  Then, the son is never seen again.  To me, mom would have known that son would have been devastated with such a loss of his phone and computer.  Would she really have not spoken to him, hugged him or comforted him before going about her day?  I mean, this is a young man who had threatened suicide before.....it's difficult for me to buy that she thought she heard him moving around in his room and that she thought she heard him leave through the garage door, yet she didn't lay eyes on him.  I don't buy that.  Not sure if she's just covering for husband or what. 

And then, husband stays at home at all that day.....the same day that son doesn't make it to school......it's a lot to swallow.  I don't believe the account of some lady who says she saw the boy when dropping off her child at a neighbor's house later that day.  Eyewitness accounts are very unreliable, so, I think she was mistaken about the day, it was another kid or she's just trying to be helpful. 

I suspect that both parents did not pass polygraph test and that's one reason that they have not been eliminated as suspects. And, that's why police will not comment on them. It's likely dad didn't appear due to legal advice.  I noticed that the detective said she believed that there was one person who could come forward and solve this.  I suspect she's talking about the mother and mother knows that if she comes clean, it would implicate her husband.  

There was an extensive search of the areas around their house and no body was found.  This was a very immature young man with no real skills at surviving outside of his bedroom.  I find it unlikely that he's hitchhiking around, imo.

Edited July 9, 2018 by SunnyBeBe

[tobeannounced]

Interesting points, SunnyBeBe.  If you haven't already read the discussion on the episode, it starts on page 3, April 3 post. 

[SunnyBeBe]

34 minutes ago, tobeannounced said:

Interesting points, SunnyBeBe.  If you haven't already read the discussion on the episode, it starts on page 3, April 3 post. 

Thanks for the heads up.  I hadn't read them, but, just did.  I think that most of those sentiments were similar to mine, the first time I saw the episode of Macin in Utah, however, for some reason, I saw it differently the second time.  I'm not sure why.  

I am also suspect of the note mother claims that she found much later after her son's disappearance.  Did it have date on it? Was it in his handwriting?  Could it  have been written much earlier, before they moved to Utah?  It just seems rather convenient to me. It really seems that with a good private investigator, they could locate this young man.  I didn't recall that they ever hired one.   

Edited July 9, 2018 by SunnyBeBe

[GoldenGirl90]

Does anyone know if there will be another season? I couldn’t find any information online.

[Kitty Redstone]

On 1/28/2018 at 5:36 AM, mamadrama said:

David Riemens, the guy who built the "hobbit house" and lived in a treehouse, was found a couple of days ago. Or rather, his body was found. His body was discovered only 4 miles from the Dollar Store and VERY close to the property in which he lived. They are investigating it as a crime, though they haven't released any details yet. 

 

I am still trying to put this one together. I think it's someone he knew. 

Just catching up after being away from this forum for awhile.  I'm sad to hear about David Riemens but also glad that his family and friends finally have some closure. 

I'm also sure it was someone he knew ... or more importantly, someone who knew David would have a fair amount of cash on him for his upcoming trip.

[Josette]

The disappearance and murder of Mike Williams will be featured on 48 Hours on CBS tonight.

[Jillwillis68]

Why did he type that note? Did he know she wasn't going to answer the door? 

[Josette]

Mike Williams' widow has been convicted of his murder.

[badhaggis]

4 minutes ago, Josette said:

Mike Williams' widow has been convicted of his murder.

Thank God!! I am glad his mom finally knows what happened to her son.

Edited December 15, 2018 by badhaggis

[walnutqueen]

The McStay murder trial starts tomorrow 1/7/19.

[chenoa333]

On 1/6/2019 at 10:48 AM, walnutqueen said:

The McStay murder trial starts tomorrow 1/7/19.

I'm trying to keep up on this trial which is, I'm guessing,  going to take a long time. I happened upon a news article from 2017 from the San Bernardino News and it stated that prosecutors believe Summer was raped before (?) she was killed. It's also possible she was raped after she was killed but ether way.....could this get any worse? Chase Merritt was arrested in November of 2014 and we're just now starting his trial. 

[walnutqueen]

31 minutes ago, chenoa333 said:

I'm trying to keep up on this trial which is, I'm guessing,  going to take a long time. I happened upon a news article from 2017 from the San Bernardino News and it stated that prosecutors believe Summer was raped before (?) she was killed. It's also possible she was raped after she was killed but ether way.....could this get any worse? Chase Merritt was arrested in November of 2014 and we're just now starting his trial. 

One look at him was enough to convince me he was a sicko.  This "story" needs resolution & retribution.   Stat.

[chenoa333]

Chase Merrit needs to be euthanized...STAT!

[CrystalBlue]

On 5/9/2016 at 9:16 PM, Giant Misfit said:

During the middle of the Brian Histand Disappeared, I got antsy and Googled him; his remains were found in the desert this past January. So, naturally I waited for the show to mention this seeing that it was a new episode. But, nope! Not even a tacked on title card at the end acknowledging his disappearance had been solved, so to speak. I'm wondering how long this show had been in the can before it was broadcast? I mean, surely the producers were made aware he'd been found, right? 

And what's with these parents who think their kids couldn't possibly be mentally ill because "it doesn't run in the family?" Ugh. 

I'm just now watching this series from Investigation Discoveries available on Hulu, with this episode about BMX rider Brian Histand being in Season 7 (2016).  There is now an update at the end about Brian's remains being found 1.5 miles from the Arizona alfalfa field where he was seen in January 2016.

[garnet207]

On 2/6/2019 at 4:46 PM, chenoa333 said:

I'm trying to keep up on this trial which is, I'm guessing,  going to take a long time. I happened upon a news article from 2017 from the San Bernardino News and it stated that prosecutors believe Summer was raped before (?) she was killed. It's also possible she was raped after she was killed but ether way.....could this get any worse? Chase Merritt was arrested in November of 2014 and we're just now starting his trial. 

 Found guilty on four counts of first degree murder today.

Edited June 10, 2019 by garnet207

[chenoa333]

20 minutes ago, garnet207 said:

 Found guilty on four counts of first degree murder today.

I am thrilled and filled with joy! 😁 This vile POS thought he was going to get away with murdering four people. I'll bet Chase Merritt $hit his pants when he heard the news that a dirt bike rider stumbled upon the remains of the McStay family.

I hope he gets life with no parole. He's an old geezer and the death penalty really doesn't ever get carried out here in California. He will probably be placed in protective custody when he goes to prison. That's typically what happens to convicts who are at risk of being killed/beaten by other inmates who HATE child murderers and men who kill women. I'm just glad this scumball was caught.

You will never be forgotten Joey, Summer, Gianni and Joey Jr. 

[galaxygirl76]

I'm stuck at home recovering from surgery and watching the 8th season of Disappeared on Hulu, which I hadn't seen yet. After watching the Zoe Campos episode I googled her name, as I frequently do after watching these episodes, and found out that her body had been found and someone was arrested about a year ago. I didn't see it mentioned here on the thread, but I could have missed it. 

https://www.newschannel10.com/2018/11/21/police-say-human-remains-found-nov-are-zoe-campos/

Edited October 23, 2019 by galaxygirl76

[Christina]

A bunch of posts disappeared in the upgrade. There was an entire thread with updates.

I was glad that her case was settled, like I'm glad about all of them, but with her specifically because there wasn't any information and her uncles/cousins were treated as suspects from the community because they failed their polygraphs. She disappeared without a trace.

Her family also had difficulty getting emergency visas for the US and that was actually discussed in their area back when she disappeared. I fell into that hole reading about her case back when it first aired. 

[garnet207]

On 6/10/2019 at 5:23 PM, chenoa333 said:

I am thrilled and filled with joy! 😁 This vile POS thought he was going to get away with murdering four people. I'll bet Chase Merritt $hit his pants when he heard the news that a dirt bike rider stumbled upon the remains of the McStay family.

I hope he gets life with no parole. He's an old geezer and the death penalty really doesn't ever get carried out here in California. He will probably be placed in protective custody when he goes to prison. That's typically what happens to convicts who are at risk of being killed/beaten by other inmates who HATE child murderers and men who kill women. I'm just glad this scumball was caught.

You will never be forgotten Joey, Summer, Gianni and Joey Jr. 

 Chase Merritt has been given the death penalty, according to People.com. 

Edited January 22, 2020 by garnet207

[chenoa333]

6 minutes ago, garnet207 said:

   Chase Merritt has been given the death penalty, according to People.com. 

Unfortunately, the death penalty is very rarely carried out in California. Chase will most likely die in prison. He's an old man already so living in prison til he dies is as bad of a punishment that he will endure. He deserves so much worse.

[Christina]

Here is a blog of Disappeared updates. There is also a complete episode list. Reading through the list makes me realize how many of the cases I've forgotten. This was one of the best ID shows and I'm still pissed that they decided not to make more episodes, but since they are not, I can rewatch from the beginning and refresh my memory.

 

 

[chenoa333]

11 minutes ago, Christina said:

Here is a blog of Disappeared updates. There is also a complete episode list. Reading through the list makes me realize how many of the cases I've forgotten. This was one of the best ID shows and I'm still pissed that they decided not to make more episodes, but since they are not, I can rewatch from the beginning and refresh my memory.

 

 

So no more episodes of Disappeared? That's one of my favorite shows 😪

[chenoa333]

Watching reruns today of Disappeared. I don't know why this particular "disappearance" haunts me so much. It's the disappearance of Rico Harris, the 6' foot 9" former Harlem Globetrotter who disappeared while driving from L.A. to Seattle.

I usually draw my own speculative conclusions (right or wrong) but this one has always baffled me. 

His footprints, size 18, his backpack with jumper cables, his car, his phone found.....then no other signs or remnants of him. 

Edited August 26, 2020 by chenoa333

[Christina]

There is an update in this case. You'll see a bit of difference between the blog post below and the news articles also posted, but I cut and copied them in their entirety:

****

Name: Eric Lee Franks
Last seen: March 21, 2011
Location: Saginaw, MI
Status: Still missing
Disappeared: Season 8, Ep. 9 “The One That Got Away”

Case Information

Eric Lee Franks checked into the Miller Motel in Saginaw, Michigan in late 2010. He moved there from Ohio to reconnect with a former girlfriend after finding out that that he had a 15 year old daughter with her. He was there for approximately 5 months when he disappeared.

Eric checked out of the motel on March 21, 2011. His former girlfriend told police that she saw Eric that day removing belongings out of his motel room. The motel owner says he did not see Eric that day, but stated that he did see the former girlfriend removing items from Eric’s motel room.

Eric was reportedly last seen leaving the motel in his dark bronze 2001 Chevy Malibu sedan with Ohio license plate number EMH-4902.

At the time of his disappearance Eric was 38 years old, stood 6’1 tall and weighed approximately 175 lbs. Both of his ears were pierced, he wore complete dentures and part of his left big toe was amputated.

September 2020 Update – Eric’s Car Was Located in Clare County (Northern Michigan)

Eric’ car, which was last seen in 2011 when he disappeared, was found in northern Michigan. The tip came in after a woman in California, who was watching a video about Eric’s disappearance on Youtube, ran a Carfax check on his car and discovered that it had gotten an oil change in Clare on August 31.

The police contacted the shop, and contacted of the current owners of the car. The vehicle is currently at the Michigan State Police Lab being processed.

****

Full episode on ID site, requires log in

****

ABC12 Article on the Car cut and pasted for those who cannot see the site, but without photos or video

Quote

Shocking find: Car of Mid-Michigan man missing for 9 years found in Clare

Eric Franks and his car vanished in 2011. One part of the mystery is now solved.

By Terry Camp

Published: Sep. 9, 2020 at 6:07 PM EDT

SAGINAW, Mich. (WJRT) - A shocking development in the case of a Saginaw-area man missing for nine years.

Investigators now have a major piece of evidence that could help solve the mystery of the Eric Franks' disappearance.

Not only has Franks been missing since March 2011, his car had never been found -- until now.

“We don’t have a body and we didn’t have a car. Those were the two big things we were always told, you need one or another,” said Chad Baus, who is Franks' brother-in-law.

Baus was vacationing on Mackinac Island when his mother-in-law and Eric’s mom, Jo Ann Franks, called him saying she got a tip from a person in California that Eric’s car -- the same one that has been missing since 2011 -- got an oil change in Clare on Aug. 31. The person in California had done a Carfax check on the vehicle identification number.

“That never occurred for me to do because I convinced myself a long time ago that the car had been destroyed a long time ago,” Baus said.

Previous searches by law enforcement of the vehicle identification number with car dealers, salvage yards and other automotive location services showed the car apparently vanished. Baus, a car dealer himself, and his family stopped in Clare on their way back home to Ohio and found the man who eventually bought the car.

“You still have this car, and he said yes, it’s right in the other room here. We get up, walk around the corner through a doorway and there sat his car, and it was pretty powerful, pretty powerful,” Baus said.

He said the man recently bought the car, which was part of an estate sale in Saginaw, and a new title was printed for the car on Aug. 21. The man told Baus he believed there was blood on the floor board of the car.

“He is in the business of buying less expensive cars to help people that need less expensive cars," Baus said. "He has bought cars before where he was aware that had people that had been deceased in them. He said he recognized the odor and he knew that was what was on the floor board.”

The Michigan State Police confirms the car in Clare is Franks' 2001 Chevy Malibu and its now with the Michigan State Police Crime Lab.

Police will not confirm where the car was for all these years in Saginaw, but through court records, ABC12 News can confirm it was in a garage in a west side neighborhood. The home has a connection to a woman Eric had a child with, Kendra Firmingham.

Franks was believed to be last seen at Miller Motel in Bridgeport in March of 2011. Firmingham died in Florida in 2016.

Now that the car has been found, what happened to Franks?

“I have prayed for answers for Jo Ann (Eric’s mother ) and my wife (Beth, Eric’s sister) for years, but I didn’t know if they were going to get answered," Baus said. "I was getting used to the idea that we might never know. This certainly gives us a lot of hope that we might get to know what happened for real, what happened to Eric instead of our theories on what happened to Eric.”

Anyone with information about Franks' disappearance should contact police.

Copyright 2020 WJRT. All rights reserved.

Update on the Above Article

Quote

Cadaver dog searches Saginaw garage where missing man’s car was most likely kept for years

By Terry Camp

Published: Sep. 14, 2020 at 6:07 PM EDT|Updated: 47 minutes ago

SAGINAW, Mich. (WJRT) - Now that a car that’s been missing for nine years has been located, the search for what happened to the owner intensifies.

Police were at the Saginaw home and its garage where it’s believed the car was stored for nine years, ever since Eric Franks and the car vanished in March of 2011.

Investigators today had some concrete in that garage cut up, but its not clear if they found anything. We also spoke with the California woman who gave investigators this big break in the cold case.

“Back in 2018, (the t-v show) “Disappeared” did an episode on Eric and I have been following it ever since,” says Miranda Bofman.

She is a Sacramento State University senior studying criminal justice, and while it appeared that Eric Franks' missing car was possibly scrapped and would never be found, she had an idea.

“Maybe his vehicle isn’t actually destroyed, maybe its somewhere out there,” she thought.

She works at an automotive repair place and knew that the company Carfax would automatically email her if a certain car she inquired about would have any type of service activity. Two years ago, she entered the plate number on Eric’s car with Carfax, got nothing at first, but late last month, she got a surprise.

“I got a notification on my phone asking how my service was for my 2001 Malibu, I said wait a second, I don’t have a, oh my gosh, no way, no way, this can’t happen,” she says.

The oil change was done in Clare, the car was found last week, and investigators believed it had spent most of the last nine years in the Saginaw garage of Gerald Rutledge, an incapacitated adult who had been under the care of Kendra Firmingham for a time.

Firmingham is the mother of Eric Franks' daughter. Franks’s body has not been found. Firmingham died of cancer in 2016. Rutledge, who had dementia, died in April at the age of 84.

Franks' car was part of the Rutledge estate sale. In a part of the garage that a cadaver dog searched today, an area that appears to have an altered part of the garage floor was examined. Its not clear what the dog or investigators found in the search. Bofman is hoping the Franks' family gets answers.

“If you know something, or have an idea you might know something, and you think it doesn’t matter, it might matter,” says Bofman.

The Michigan State Police is still trying to find out what happened to Eric Franks and are still asking anyone with information to give them a call.

Copyright 2020 WJRT. All rights reserved.

Latest News

The information about the house and Kendra's connection was removed, or super edited, but it said:

Quote

The story continues ....... Missing man’s car was apparently hidden in garage of a vulnerable adult
The caretaker of vulnerable adult was mother of Eric Franks' child By Terry Camp - Published: Sep. 10, 2020 at 6:09 PM EDT|Updated: 12 hours ago

SAGINAW, Mich. (WJRT) - One mystery solved, one to go.

Now that a missing man’s car has been found more than nine years after the man and car vanished, the question remains: what happened to Eric Franks?

There is a clue.

The mother of Franks' child was a caretaker of a man at the home where Franks' car was apparently hidden. The man who lived there was quite wealthy.

Franks was 38 years old when he was last seen in Mid-Michigan. He had moved to Saginaw County in 2010 to be closer to a former girlfriend, Kendra Firmingham, who had told Franks he was the father of Firmingham’s child.

It’s believed he left Miller’s Motel in Bridgeport in late March 2011. Firmingham gave conflicting statements to police about the last time she saw Franks, but did tell them at one time she saw Franks drive away from the motel, possibly heading to California.

The discovery of his car now makes that scenario seem unlikely. So where was Franks' car all this time?

Saginaw County Probate Court records show Gerald Rutledge was an incapacitated adult due to a medical condition, but the former General Motors worker saved a lot of money -- approximately $2.9 million. He lived in a west side Saginaw home until he died in April at the age of 84.

His house was put up for sale and in one of the realtor photos, you see a two-car garage. The darker colored car was Franks'. The car was sold to a man in Clare this summer and is now at a Michigan State Police Crime Lab, as it’s now a key piece of evidence in a murder investigation.

Court records show Firmingham, the woman who had a child with Franks, was a caretaker for Rutledge. But in March 2011, just a few weeks before Franks was last seen, Guardianship Services of Saginaw documents indicate there were suspicions of how Rutledge’s money was being spent.

In one entry, on March 2, 2011, three weeks before Franks was last seen, a guardianship employee writes “spoke with Kendra how she is paid. Mr. Rutledge paid the home-care service that she owns one year in advance on on advice of his banker.”

Rutledge’s banker at that time could not be reached for comment, but an elder law attorney said that is not a customary practice in a guardianship to pay for services in advance.

The documents later indicate Rutledge’s bank accounts were frozen for a time. In another document, Rutledge told an attorney in 2012 that he goes roller skating every Sunday.

Franks told friends before his disappearance that he often went roller skating with Kendra and a man named Gerry. Firmingham died in 2016. And now Franks’s missing car has been found, presumably hidden in Gerald Rutledge’s garage until this summer.

A former neighbor of Rutledge’s, who did not want to be identified, is shocked the missing car was so close to her home for several years.

“Unbelievable, I’m not even sure Gerald would have known about it and I’m not sure if he did, that he would have liked it, because he was exceptionally particular about certain things, certain ways.” she said.

She also talked to Kendra about her care of Gerald Rutledge.

“You worry about older people being taken advantage of, and I don’t know how she became connected with Gerald, so when I saw her over there, I got a little curious,” she says.

The Michigan State Police is hoping the discovery of Franks' car will lead to more tips in this investigation to find out what happened to Eric Franks.

This case was infuriating in that you knew Kendra and her husband were responsible for his disappearance, but they couldn't prove it.

[Annber03]

Glad they found the car, at least. Hopefully that can lead them to finally closing this case. 

[Queena]

On 4/24/2018 at 9:02 AM, Yokosmom said:

No bodies yet, but they have discovered what happened to Ashley Freeman and Lauria Bible, and it ain't pretty.  They were the two girls who disappeared after the parents of one were murdered and had their house burned down.  Turns out that the parents were buying/dealing drugs and were killed by drug contacts, who then proceeded to kidnap, drug and rape the girls.  For days on end.  Apparently, a lot of people knew this, but were too terrified of the dealers to talk.  Here's a link.

I assumed that they were dead, but the poor girls didn't even have the small mercy of being killed the same night that they were taken.  Major kudos to the cold case detective who followed up on a random piece of evidence found in the case files.

ETA: "Allegedly", as the case hasn't been tried yet.

I'm reading Hell in the Heartland and it's so heartbreaking. The PI gave the detectives the insurance card of one of the gf of one of the kidnappers. If they had acted, they could've saved those girls. They were kept alive for up to 2 weeks. 

[chenoa333]

On 12/30/2020 at 7:15 AM, Queena said:

I'm reading Hell in the Heartland and it's so heartbreaking. The PI gave the detectives the insurance card of one of the gf of one of the kidnappers. If they had acted, they could've saved those girls. They were kept alive for up to 2 weeks. 

Just picked up the book at my local public library. Only on chapter 3 and already know I'm going to be crying.

Excellent journalist/writer/author of this book. I like when writers give me an in depth description of the part of the country the crimes occurred...from the social classes, weather, poverty levels, drug use. 

Thanks Queena for mentioning this book. I probably never would of known a book was written about this particular crime. 

A very dear friend of mine was murdered a year ago. Nobody arrested or named in his death. I think the case has been closed. He had no relatives who cared about him. His stepsons were not interested in pursuing the case. But I think it's time I try to do something to find his killers. My friend was a kind, gentle soul. Viet Nam veteran, animal lover and my "true crime fanatic" buddy.

Anyway Happy New Year to all of my true crime friends here on PT Forums!

Edited January 2, 2021 by chenoa333

[Queena]

On 1/2/2021 at 3:53 PM, chenoa333 said:

Just picked up the book at my local public library. Only on chapter 3 and already know I'm going to be crying.

Excellent journalist/writer/author of this book. I like when writers give me an in depth description of the part of the country the crimes occurred...from the social classes, weather, poverty levels, drug use. 

Thanks Queena for mentioning this book. I probably never would of known a book was written about this particular crime. 

A very dear friend of mine was murdered a year ago. Nobody arrested or named in his death. I think the case has been closed. He had no relatives who cared about him. His stepsons were not interested in pursuing the case. But I think it's time I try to do something to find his killers. My friend was a kind, gentle soul. Viet Nam veteran, animal lover and my "true crime fanatic" buddy.

Anyway Happy New Year to all of my true crime friends here on PT Forums!

I'm sorry about your friend. He sounds like a good guy and even if he has no one pushing the police to solve his murder they should still solve it. 

 

There's also a documentary that came on HLN about the book. If you have HBO Max then you can find it on there. It's the same name as the book. 

[azshadowwalker]

Rewatching the episode about Brian Barton, the punk musician who disappeared back in 2005 in Federal Way, WA, and hating this dipshit detective and her snide accusations even more than I did originally. 

They found Brian's body about four years ago behind a church near his home. No foul play suspected. She looks even dumber now. 

I feel even worse about how all his friends were treated. The one everyone was pointing fingers at died of a heart disorder two years before his friend was found. Sucks to die with that hanging over you. 

Edited February 23, 2021 by azshadowwalker

[Surrealist]

Did anyone watch the season premiere reboot yesterday?

[Andyourlittledog2]

19 hours ago, Surrealist said:

Did anyone watch the season premiere reboot yesterday?

Yeah. I hate this format, where they leave the show to the parents to narrate and we follow them around while they proceed not to find anything at all useful to the disappearance. It is so slow and tells us almost nothing and since the person has 'disappeared' we know already that they aren't going to find anything. It's just too soon to tell their particular story in an televised hour format. I prefer the original version of this show where the narration is by the actual narrator (my favorite narrator ever btw) and we are shown the details of the case and the investigation with some talking head interviews of family or police but they aren't the focus.

I wish they would go back to the original format.

ETA: I do want to stress that I feel terrible for the families involved and hope they find their loved one and if it helps get the word out I have no problem with doing a show about that, slow as it is.  But it isn't Disappeared.  I want that show back. The new show is a very different show and it irks me that they morphed it into this. If they want to do a recently missing kind of show then that's fine, but it shouldn't be this show.

Edited September 9, 2022 by Andyourlittledog2
explanation

[chenoa333]

5 hours ago, Andyourlittledog2 said:

Yeah. I hate this format, where they leave the show to the parents to narrate and we follow them around while they proceed not to find anything at all useful to the disappearance. It is so slow and tells us almost nothing and since the person has 'disappeared' we know already that they aren't going to find anything. It's just too soon to tell their particular story in an televised hour format. I prefer the original version of this show where the narration is by the actual narrator (my favorite narrator ever btw) and we are shown the details of the case and the investigation with some talking head interviews of family or police but they aren't the focus.

I wish they would go back to the original format.

ETA: I do want to stress that I feel terrible for the families involved and hope they find their loved one and if it helps get the word out I have no problem with doing a show about that, slow as it is.  But it isn't Disappeared.  I want that show back. The new show is a very different show and it irks me that they morphed it into this. If they want to do a recently missing kind of show then that's fine, but it shouldn't be this show.

I can barely get through an entire episode. This new one I got bored 20 minutes in. 

[Andyourlittledog2]

I know. And the parents made me so sad. I felt terrible for them and at the same time I was mad the show was doing this in this format. I'm torn between the two. And the previews for the season is just more of the same format. I'll watch but I won't be happy about it.

[SunnyBeBe]

What happened to this show?  They even lost their signature music. What a shame.  I’ve watched the first episode of the new season and can’t believe they downgraded the production.  Why?  
 

Ref, Kirsten, did she use her phone at all after leaving the bar?  I didn’t hear them report it.  For some reason, people who are very intoxicated, walk aimlessly for hours, refusing to seek help.  It’s unfortunate.  I wonder if the bar got in trouble for serving underage patrons.  

Edited September 17, 2022 by SunnyBeBe

[SunnyBeBe]

I just watched the episode about the young man lost in the desert, Daniel Robinson.  I did a little more reading about that case on a sleuth website.  After doing so, I’m not inclined to believe that the vehicle was planted in the desert shortly before it was located.  Why it wasn’t discovered earlier, is a mystery.  It still seems that Daniel left the vehicle for some reason….mental illness, drugs, brain damage……?  The shed clothes makes that pretty clear.  
 

I often wonder why anyone who drives or hikes into the desert or mountains, doesn’t  carry a satellite locator.  The same goes for those out on the water.  I just don’t get it. It seems this family may not locate their son in this case.  

Edited September 18, 2022 by SunnyBeBe

[Annber03]

Yeah, I find the idea that the vehicle could've been planted pretty weird, too. I mean, it's not completely out of the realm of possibility, no, because people have done that in other crimes, but in this one, I don't think that's what happened. 

And I totally get his family and friends not wanting to believe that he could've hurt or killed himself somehow, but it's amazing to me how so many people continue to believe that someone can't possibly be suicidal because "they were so happy, they were looking forward, they had plans!" That's not an automatic guarantee they aren't suicidal. How often have we heard about how suicidal people can actually come off happy in the days before they kill themselves, precisely because they've made their decision and are at peace with the fact that they're about to put an end to their suffering. 

Whatever happened, it's a very sad, weird story, and I do hope that the family can finally get some answers someday soon. If he did kill himself, it is odd that his body hasn't been found yet, but given how vast the area was, maybe he found a really good spot to hide away? I dunno. 

[Chris Knight]

I was so excited to see new episodes, but my excitement faded quickly. I only made it thru 1/2 the first episode, and I'm not sure Ill make it much farther in episode 2. Such a dull format. What a waste - a formerly great show with a fantastic narrator has reallytakenawrongturn. It's the poor man's Disappeared. 

[SunnyBeBe]

I agree about the show going downhill in production.  I’m not sure why this happened.  Would it have cost all that much to have kept the quality?  I don’t get it.  

[Guest]

I miss the haunting music and the narration.