MI MI - Eric Franks, 40, Buena Vista Twp, 21 March 2011 - #1

[EXIA15145]

Gotcha - what I meant was...there has to be a reason she chose to tell him now. Not that she had to. Sorry.

And no, she didn't just find out. She and hubby have told police they always knew child was Eric's.

I keep thinking she lured him out there, I think she encouraged him to come out to see the child for nefarious purposes. I believe this was her whole plan. One of you suggested insurance, and that's a really great motive.
If you think this thru either from the beginning or backwards, especially since he was there five months, there was a purpose for her telling him about the child and I don't think she asked him out there to be nice, I think it's part of the plot. JMHEO.

 

[Kiln Wood]

I keep thinking she lured him out there, I think she encouraged him to come out to see the child for nefarious purposes. I believe this was her whole plan. One of you suggested insurance, and that's a really great motive. If you think this thru either from the beginning or backwards, especially since he was there five months, there was a purpose for her telling him about the child and I don't think she asked him out there to be nice, I think it's part of the plot. JMHEO.

BBM

But how is she or anyone else going to collect as a beneficiary on a life insurance policy if no death certificate has been issued?

 

[EXIA15145]

BBM

But how is she or anyone else going to collect as a beneficiary on a life insurance policy if no death certificate has been issued?

Great question. I didn't say I had all the answers or did I? Has a death certificate been issued? Has anyone checked to see if his ssn is on the death registry? Would they necessarily notify his family if one was issued?
What about the possibility that while there may not be a death certificate issued for Eric, there may have been one issued under another name?
Does it at least make sense to you, considering all that has happened, that when she told him about the child, whatever her motivation was, it wasn't altruistic?
SF, has anyone asked or have you said whether or not Eric kept in touch with the family or anyone back 'home' by phone while he was gone? Did he ever say anything to anyone to indicate how he was getting along with the eGF and her husband as well as the child? Did he ever say if the child was ill? Did he ever indicate if there was any difficulties or bad feelings?
Back to the motel owner. Did the motel personnel say if Eric ever confided in them about any of the situation as to why he was there or how things were going or if he planned to be there awhile longer? If he was there for five months, had he said anything to anyone about any plans he may have been considering as in looking for a more permanent place to live?
If he said he was going out there to live with the child and its mom, after he was gone, did he ever tell anyone that was no longer a possibility? Or did he say the eGF planned to leave her husband for him?

Ok, if we say that the insurance angle has a major snag, what about the medical and the jealousy?

 

[EXIA15145]

Yes, please PM his contact info to us.

We are planning a trip there - keep putting it off in hopes of being able to get an appt. with BVPD detective, but no luck with that after repeated requests. We know he's busy with a murder trial of a former BVPD officer, but..we'd really like a meeting.

BBM
The person is a police detective. I would expect one to have a regular work schedule, maybe 40 hours a week. During this time, the detective is supposed to be available for new cases as well as working the old. Therefore, do you really need an appointment with the person or do they take walk-ins? I don't know if it would be a good idea to call and say, when is Det. Doe working next week, I'd like to know when I can reach him? And instead of calling, you show up in person.

 

[EXIA15145]

Here is the entire text of the article since it is a subscription site. We were generally pleased with the article.


Franks Feared Dead By Police, Family

Eric Franks, son of Joann Franks, Archbold, has been missing and is feared dead by police and family members.

Reports say he was last seen in March of 2011 at Miller’s Motel in Bridgeport, Mich.

Since then, there has been no contact with friends or family, and the car he was driving has disappeared as well.

Lived In Archbold

Joann Franks said her son moved to Archbold in 2008. He left in late 2010 to be near a former girlfriend who lives in Buena Vista Township in the Saginaw, Mich., area.

While there, he lived at the motel while working odd jobs in the area.

J. Franks said while Eric was living at the motel, he kept in touch with family by phone calls, email messages, and photos sent home.

She said March 10, 2011, was the last time any of his family or friends heard from him.

Greg Klecker, Buena Vista Township police sergeant, said the last reported sighting of Eric was on March 21, 2011. The girlfriend told police he was with her at the motel on that date, but J. Franks said another witness disputed her claim.

J. Franks owns the car Eric was driving at the time of his disappearance. She officially filed a stolen car report on Thursday, Sept. 13, over a year after the car went missing.

She had filed a request for a check of her son’s welfare in November 2011. Archbold police only recently released the report.

Klecker said E. Franks and the car are now listed on the National Crime Information Center computer system. If a law enforcement officer stops Eric or the car, the Buena Vista Township police request for information will come up.

Active, But...

Klecker said the Buena Vista Township police are still treating the Franks case as an active investigation, but there is no tangible evidence to link the disappearance to any suspect.

“We’ve interviewed the girlfriend,” he said.

“We can’t tie (the disappearance) to anyone, because there’s no physical evidence.”

Klecker said the culture of Saginaw is different from that of Archbold.

“We’re in a high-crime area. There’s nothing to rule out that he got hooked up with some local people” and was killed, he said.

The township police department has been investigating the case.

“I’m looking at the file right now,” Klecker said. “It’s two or three inches thick.”–David Pugh

BBM
That size doesn't sound impressive to me, JMO. I think police reports from one day's work might generate that much paper. Come to think of it, it might not be generating much paper at all these days with everything being computerized. I still don't think that size of a file for an 18 month period is that big, even if it's filled with computer records. Now that I think about it, I worked in more than one place where I went thru that amount of paperwork in a day, and in a week.

 

[EXIA15145]

Has anyone else seen the profile pic on his FB page?

It was updated 11 months ago, so Aug 2011.

It is a picture of Eric and what appears to be a female fingernail holding it while it is being burned.
Very odd pic...

I'm not a Facebook person, so, forgive my ignorance on the subject please.
Doesn't someone need a password or something to put something on Facebook? Wouldn't they have to sign in? Would someone other than Eric be able to put something on his page?
Also, does it work with Facebook that whatever is added can be traced thru an IP address or some way? Does Facebook keep a log of who said or did what at a certain time during a specific date? (I tried to see his FB but there were too many to figure out which could be his.)
You may call it an odd pic, I'd say it's creepy. The person burning the pic might mean it as a symbolic gesture.

 

[RemingtonSteele]

I'm not a Facebook person, so, forgive my ignorance on the subject please.
Doesn't someone need a password or something to put something on Facebook? Wouldn't they have to sign in? Would someone other than Eric be able to put something on his page?
Also, does it work with Facebook that whatever is added can be traced thru an IP address or some way? Does Facebook keep a log of who said or did what at a certain time during a specific date? (I tried to see his FB but there were too many to figure out which could be his.)
You may call it an odd pic, I'd say it's creepy. The person burning the pic might mean it as a symbolic gesture.

Here is the link:

http://www.facebook.com/pip.pip.good.fellow

I'm not sure you can see it if you don't have a Facebook account.

 

[Aluev]

Hello you guys, first post here even though I 've been reading for quite a while, actually years.

Has anyone else seen the profile pic on his FB page?

It was updated 11 months ago, so Aug 2011.

It is a picture of Eric and what appears to be a female fingernail holding it while it is being burned.

Very odd pic...

I checked this facebook profile too and if it is the same person, the profile picture is really creepy. The facebook profile has his full name Eric L. Franks and actually if you google Eric L. Franks the picture comes up in the image search. I am not 100% sure it is him, though.

Facebook keeps a log whenever someone logs in into their account and not only shows you the date/time of your last logins but also the IP, the operating system and browser you used. This is a somewhat new feature that the user has access to but that doesn't mean that the logs don't exist from beyond that period.

Another thing to note is that it is not that difficult for someone else to gain access to your account if they have access to your personal belongings, including your smart phone.

 

[JaimeSommers]

Hello you guys, first post here even though I 've been reading for quite a while, actually years.

I checked this facebook profile too and if it is the same person, the profile picture is really creepy. The facebook profile has his full name Eric L. Franks and actually if you google Eric L. Franks the picture comes up in the image search. I am not 100% sure it is him, though.

(Respectfully snipped)

Welcome, Aluev! I'm almost positive the photo was confirmed to be him in an earlier post, but I don't have a post # handy so I could be wrong.

Given the circumstances of Eric's disappearance, I can see how the picture could be considered creepy, but (circumstances aside) I actually really like it. My tastes run kind of dark, though, so I'm probably in the minority here.

 

[EXIA15145]

searching.... since there isn't a lot about last known whereabouts (100% for sure) it may help to know more addresses associated with last known to see him...it could help narrow down areas...

Also, I can't recall, but did motel guy ever say what kind of car she was putting his stuff into, or just that it wasn't Eric's?


ETA: point is - if he was trying to run off/get away/start anew/whatever....perhaps he sold Mom's car (trust me it's saginaw, you can sell a car easily without title), got some cash and an older car and took off?

BBM
Older than the one he had? Besides, is Eric the type of person to sell something his mom legally owns? LTC, maybe Eric wouldn't sell it, but I think someone else would.
You said something else that's important that's another indication she was lying. Why load all his stuff in her car, and then have to move it (at least some of it) back into his car? That makes no sense. To pack things up, if he was there, if he was going to CA, he'd pack in his car what he wants/needs, and be done with it. Packing and unpacking and repacking makes absolutely no sense. If she even took his clothes and packed them in her car, that leans more to Eric didn't leave there.

 

[EXIA15145]

Here is the link:

http://www.facebook.com/pip.pip.good.fellow

I'm not sure you can see it if you don't have a Facebook account.

Thanks a bunch, I got a peek at it before the screen fogged over and it told me to open an account. SF, would Eric put a photo like that up? It looks like a female holding that photo, and it wouldn't surprise me at all to find out it's the eGF. That looks like a symbolic gesture to me. Something like, here you go, Eric, and you're gone. That's creepy. And if you're someone that did away with Eric, it's really stupid. That's my opinion, of course.

 

[EXIA15145]

Hello you guys, first post here even though I 've been reading for quite a while, actually years

:wagon: :greetings:

 

[EXIA15145]

Eric really enjoyed creative, artistic photos of himself. His FB had a bunch.

Are you saying he'd have done the profile photo of himself like that? I even thought his expression was one where he was caught off-guard, as if someone he trusted turned on him. Maybe it's my overactive imagination. If he created that to creep people out, he certainly succeeded.

 

[EXIA15145]

We have to remember, however, that it was the exgf who approached Eric about the child. He didn't even know he had a child until she contacted him.
It does look bad for her to be moving his stuff, if true, but one has to question why she would contact him after all that time. Money? Some speculated the child started asking questions about dad. Why wouldn't the husband raise the child as his own? Did she want to give custody of the child to Eric, perhaps the husband forced it? Did Eric refuse because of money issues or his lifestyle? Did the husband get angry at that point? Did the motel guy even see a man there with the exgf or was she alone?

So many questions. I'm still not seeing a motive for murder.

I don't believe the exGF told him about the child because she wanted to do so, unless she had some ulterior motive. For some reason, I think this whole thing is strange from the very beginning, when she first notified him.
1. He said he was going out there to be a family with exGF and child, but she was/is married.
Did he assume that was what would happen, they would be a family? Or did she give him some reason to believe that was how it would be? If she gave him reason to believe that, there's a problem right there because she was married.
2. He got out there and stayed for five months. Why that long? Did she encourage him to believe she'd leave her husband and that's why he stayed?

You know, we could be looking at this all wrong. We've all worked under the assumption that Eric was there, was staying because of the child and didn't plan to leave. What if Eric decided things weren't going well and he decided to leave and go home because it wasn't working out . Suppose for some reason the exGF and husband wanted him to stay, and when Eric said he was going home, that's what caused the problem. Does that change how we look at this? Or does it give us reasons to explore other scenarios?
Have we tried thinking outside the box?

 

[Bubblyone]

BBM

But how is she or anyone else going to collect as a beneficiary on a life insurance policy if no death certificate has been issued?

When planning, humans don't always tend to think things through. I cannot tell you how many times in my life, I have started a project, only to get to the end, and realized "uh dummy what you should have done was this..." I often listen or read about some criminal who did something really stupid like robbing a bank and leaving their wallet behind.

It is conceivable that "someone" did not think things through. Perhaps someone did not know what was needed in order to claim death benefits. The same documentation is needed to collect social security benefits for a minor child. At least that would be the case in a perfect world, not sure about our system after reading the news these days.

 

[Bubblyone]

Great question. I didn't say I had all the answers or did I? Has a death certificate been issued? Has anyone checked to see if his ssn is on the death registry? Would they necessarily notify his family if one was issued?
What about the possibility that while there may not be a death certificate issued for Eric, there may have been one issued under another name?
Does it at least make sense to you, considering all that has happened, that when she told him about the child, whatever her motivation was, it wasn't altruistic?
SF, has anyone asked or have you said whether or not Eric kept in touch with the family or anyone back 'home' by phone while he was gone? Did he ever say anything to anyone to indicate how he was getting along with the eGF and her husband as well as the child? Did he ever say if the child was ill? Did he ever indicate if there was any difficulties or bad feelings?
Back to the motel owner. Did the motel personnel say if Eric ever confided in them about any of the situation as to why he was there or how things were going or if he planned to be there awhile longer? If he was there for five months, had he said anything to anyone about any plans he may have been considering as in looking for a more permanent place to live?
If he said he was going out there to live with the child and its mom, after he was gone, did he ever tell anyone that was no longer a possibility? Or did he say the eGF planned to leave her husband for him?

Ok, if we say that the insurance angle has a major snag, what about the medical and the jealousy?

A death certificate cannot be issued without a body. It must be issued by a doctor. If a person dies on the side of the road in an accident, they cannot be pronounced dead at that accident, unless a coroner is present. This is why usually they are sent to an emergency room, and are pronunced dead there by a doctor. (my father was an undertaker, my brother a doctor)

 

[searchingfamily]

So, to clarify, SF, are you saying he paid for past the time the exGF came and got his stuff?

Yes, that is correct.

 

[searchingfamily]

Are any of LE biased? Related to the husband or wife? Friends with them? Friends with the dad or mom of one or the other? Neighbors? Old high school friends?

Not that we know of.

 

[searchingfamily]

BBM

I have thought, for as long as I've been reading Eric's thread, that Eric's family needs an advocate, and it would be best if that advocate was local to his last known whereabouts. I believe I have suggested that before, but it's been a long day, and I am not going to have a chance now to look through my earlier posts.

As my late mother used to say, "the wheel that squeaks the loudest gets the most grease." Perhaps it may be a better idea for searching family to telephone, rather than email as they have been doing, the BVPD. Can't hurt, and it may help.....

Oh, there've been plenty of phone calls too.

We have set a date and are going. Still have no confirmation of a meeting with BVPD, but we're pursuing media angles and hoping BVPD finds some time for us.

 

[searchingfamily]

Ok, if we say that the insurance angle has a major snag, what about the medical and the jealousy?

Insurance or any other type of death benefits seem unlikely since you need a deceased person to make that work, and no one can prove Eric is deceased.

Jealousy seems the most likely motive, but that is played off by the couple, who consistently tell police what they told us - that Eric was, according to the husband, far from the first boyfriend, and that they don't get on well and are basically only together for the child's sake.

The other angle for jealously we've discussed would be jealousy over the child, since there is obviously some love there for a guy who is not her biological father to stay married to a woman who has lots of boyfriends out of a desire to give the child some stability. So it may not have upset the father for the wife to talk of leaving, but...what if there was talk of the child leaving too? Eric's FB posts indicate there was.

The most this gets us is a decent guess on motive, though.