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

[Eric's mom]

I hear where you're coming from but I don't feel this with Eric. Especially when people are changing their stories AND phone calls to salvage yards on his cell if I am reading correctly.

BTW, his car is still missing correct? Usually in these cases I automatically think that maybe someone drove off the road by accident, into a lake or ravine. I have never been to Saginaw but when I was researching the area looking at property (it's really really cheap there because of the market) I don't believe this area would fit that theory. Mostly farm land surrounding Saginaw.

Parts of Saginaw are very nice and some parts are not where I would want to be after dark. It's one of the highest crime areas in the US according to things we info we looked up and were told. They never found his car. Family spent 4 days there doing our own footwork ,met with the prosecutor, interviewed neighbors,etc.

 

[Eric's mom]

My post about him leaving his wife for the ex-gf came from the above post. I guess, technically she "left the apartment we shared" but IF the above is true, I can't say I blame her.

(I'm not sure if she was vetted as an insider, or being Eric's wife, so I take it with a grain of salt for now)[/QUOTE) I see you quoted from a post from Eric's wife. If you have a way to talk to her, please let her know we have been trying to get in touch with her for most of the time since she left OH. Family has tried by calling relatives and Facebook with no reply. Thank you.

 

[Eric's mom]

Family has been to the mall where Eric and his wife use to work trying to locate her. We hoped she would have helpful info. The police have been trying to locate her also for info, so she could call the MI state police.

 

[JLSChook]

I see you quoted from a post from Eric's wife. If you have a way to talk to her, please let her know we have been trying to get in touch with her for most of the time since she left OH. Family has tried by calling relatives and Facebook with no reply. Thank you.

Sorry, I don't know her at all, Eric'sMom. I just saw her post here from Dec 2012. Maybe you can send her a message or email via her profile here?

(Tried to link it for you, but it wouldn't let me)

 

[Eric's mom]

She claims she didn't take his stuff (says he did and she was just there to help), but the motel owner is positive she took it and Eric was not there. He even recalls asking her where he was and she told him he had a job and wouldn't be coming back. This is two days or so after he paid for a week's stay in advance. Motel owner was surprised Eric didn't say goodbye because they had developed a friendship.

She did grow up there and has family there.

Some family spent 4 days in Saginaw and talked to several neighbors. Some were surprised the police had not questioned them. Only one said they had been questioned and they had not lived there long. Eric's former girlfriend told police that neighbor thought she might have seen Eric's car there after he vanished. The neighbor said she had never seen Eric or his car and would not have known what it looked like. I won't say what some of the neighbors had to say.

 

[Eric's mom]

Sorry, I don't know her at all, Eric'sMom. I just saw her post here from Dec 2012. Maybe you can send her a message or email via her profile here?

(Tried to link it for you, but it wouldn't let me)

Thank you. Family had contacted her on FB just about a week ago and told her how important it is if she can help out with Eric's FB passwords. She has not replied.

 

[JLSChook]

Thank you. Family had contacted her on FB just about a week ago and told her how important it is if she can help out with Eric's FB passwords. She has not replied.

Well, I hope she answers. I would think she would want to help in finding him. Hopefully she still reads here and responds quickly. I can't imagine how horrible this must be for you and your family.

 

[Eric's mom]

"We have no evidence of foul play at this point," he said. (Buena Vista Township Police Chief Sean Waterman.)

He is "not sure" what happened to Eric who disappeared without a trace. I would want to be sure that nothing happened in my township on my watch. I hope he feels the same. Perhaps the Chief would ask the detective assigned to the case to set up a meeting with the family since they are in such close contact? Thanks, Chief!!

Do they have evidence of something besides foul play? Something suspect? (I mean something besides disappearing without a trace and perhaps conflicting stories?) Would a married woman with a boyfriend she has a child with who didn't know for years who disappears be considered a suspicious event? (Hinky Meter check time!) Especially after the exGF and hubster leave town and move to the far west or down south or somewhere? Is that suspicious? (Hinky Meter check time!)

Did dogs go to the motel room and property at all? What about when the other land was searched by LE? Did they use dogs or just walk around? Just curious.

I think he meant no evidence has been found yet....you have to be looking to find it!! Keep on looking, please. Thank you!

Ahhh more coffee please!

The detective assigned to the case became the Chief of police during the first year of investigation. Family went to Saginaw with appointments for a tv interview with Terry Camp and one with Liz Geraldi and a meeting with the lead detective and the prosecutor. The detective didn't come. He sent his partner who said right off that he knew very little about Eric's case. Our interviews started on the parking lot of the BV police dept at the request of news teams and they were told from within the police station they didn't appreciate the interview on their lot. The reporters were exceptionally nice and kept in contact with family.

 

[Eric's mom]

Well, I hope she answers. I would think she would want to help in finding him. Hopefully she still reads here and responds quickly. I can't imagine how horrible this must be for you and your family. No matter what happened between them, I hope she will help. Thank you.

 

[Eric's mom]

I'm a straight shooter and I'm not sure how to ask you this, but do you think there is a possibility that Eric committed suicide?

After reading this post and going through most of Eric's tweets from 2010, I'm beginning to wonder if there may have been a tendency there for reasons I can't post here.

He left his wife for the ex-girlfriend that had his child, and by your post it sounds like they were fighting. Maybe she completely rejected him and he felt totally distraught.

Just throwing out other ideas but I am definitely not able to explain away some of the ex-gf's actions.

Also, if a person commits suicide, their body is usually found.

 

[Eric's mom]

His FB page also joined the "It's all about Love" group on:

Thursday, September 15, 2011 at 7:12 AM

Going to check the others

ETA:
Missing Sme1(Who Is Very Special In Ur life) Group, his FB page joined on:

Thursday July 28, 2011 at 7:30 PM

ETA:
Limited Edition Manila GROUP, his FB joined on:

Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 9:08 PM

Thank you. Family will look into this.

 

[JLSChook]

Also, if a person commits suicide, their body is usually found.

Very good point, EM. I guess I was a over-reacting a bit to a tweet Eric tweeted about what happened to his dad. Sorry.

 

[Eric's mom]

I'm sorry, I misunderstood. I was going off in a tangent based on the below quote:


Re my bold: I wonder if this reason is big or little. The reason I'm wondering is bc you said so many years, so why all of a sudden surprise Eric like that after he's obviously missed so much? Unless, maybe she just found out & thought the right thing to do would be to tell him?

Eric's former girlfriend and her husband told family they knew the child was Eric's when she was 2 months pregnant. She and Eric had split up and she didn't tell Eric. Then when the child was 16 years old, she posted the dates of her children's births and Eric guessed one was his and she told him he was right.

Eric's former girlfriend told me and another family member that Eric had told her he inherited lots of money when his dad died and he would leave it to their daughter. Former girlfriend's husband told the same thing to a family member.

 

[Eric's mom]

I asked Eric's former girlfriend why she wanted him to come to MI and she told me because he was her first love. But she also said she never, ever intended to be with him. She visited my son about every day according to the motel owner.

 

[JLSChook]

I asked Eric's former girlfriend why she wanted him to come to MI and she told me because he was her first love. But she also said she never, ever intended to be with him. She visited my son about every day according to the motel owner.

I know you can't post her name, but has her name been posted anywhere in Mainstream Media? Ever?
[modsnip]

 

[Eric's mom]

MiMommy - I know the family is far away in Ohio, so that was an obsticle in the early going. I do recall that searching had said the police "talked to" the mom and her bf. I am just leary of how thorough the BV police dept was...that's why I am very glad MSP is on it now!

Trouble is that things that weren't done right to start with can not be done now. Thankfully the state police used dogs to search in one place for his body, which is something we couldn't get the BV police to do.

 

[Eric's mom]

SF,
Please do not give up. Can you contact the MSP yourselves? I think you may have posted something about this previously. I am racking my brain to think if I know anyone on the MSP department. I do not, however, I have 2 contacts on the ISP (which is the state right next to M)department. They might be able to contact one of their contacts if it comes to that.

You may have answered this before too, but is it a possibility that whomever is investigating this case, has any connection to either the egf or her husband?

I agree, the squeaky wheel gets the oil. Your family has been patient and tried to play by the rules, but you have been given no choice but to go above and beyond heads...How about contacting the Govenor of Michigan as well. Someone has to step up to the plate. A person is missing for god's sake!

Family contacted the MI State Attorney General's office.

 

[Eric's mom]

Family contacted the MI State Attorney General's office.

As for family connections you mentioned...family felt we had reason to ask about that and was told that it was hurtful and offensive to suggest an officer would jeopardize a case because of a relative. Family had to ask.

 

[FBEye]

Thank you. Family will look into this.

Hi Eric's Mom,
When you look at Eric's groups on FB, it looks like he started a group called "The Elite" on March 3, 2011. There are 4 posts by Eric after the March 21, 2011 missing date: on April 3, 21, 24, and 30. One member posts that she last talked with Eric "back in June was the latest" (meaning 2011). Eric's last post April 30, 2011 reads "Her first prom. She was so beautiful!"
The friend's June conversation date needs to be verified! Phone records would determine the number he was using on that date. Do you think someone else was using his FB account and posting as him? The Michigan State Police need to analyze these posts with FB to determine the ISP and location! Please have the family look into this also.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/158635567524997/

 

[Eric's mom]

I know you can't post her name, but has her name been posted anywhere in Mainstream Media? Ever?
I would love to sleuth her on the sly but am having zero luck with it.

I doubt that her name has been mentioned in the media.