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

[Eric's mom]

That's strange that you said that because that is exactly what Eric's family thought when we were told by BV police that one of the calls on Eric's phone after he went missing was a woman known for doing and selling drugs! The police even gave me her name which I thought was odd. Eric did not take drugs. But what Vee stated earlier about FG and husband and drugs (if true) might explain the call to get rid of the car...some sort of trade. I agree with what a family friend asked us about FG. IF she is totally innocent, why in the world would she not HELP the family!

 

[Eric's mom]

The house where the FG and her family lived was not searched inside, only the crawl space according to state police. Also, the grounds. The dogs were taken all over the property and in the well, we were told. I don't guess they were ever questioned about other properties. The adult care facility we went to was 4 stories with only 1 resident...that's strange. FG'd husband told a member of Eric's family that he put one of the businesses in his sister's name to keep his wife from taking it. He told so many negative things about his wife to Eric's family member more than once and to the police.

 

[Eileen730]

Thank you for your kind comment and interest in finding out what happened to Eric. I know several of you are trying to help and Eric's family truly appreciates that more than we can say. Anything no matter how small it may seem will be appreciated greatly. My husband and I were high school sweethearts. When we wanted to start a family with children we were blessed with a precious little 5 wk old baby boy with big dark brown eyes and an adorable face! Later, we were blessed with an equally precious little girl. Eric is a grown man, but to me he's my little boy and I will never give up on finding out what happened to him. I talk to his picture sometimes and say,"Son, I'm trying."

(((((((((((((((((((((((Eric's Mom))))))))))))))))))))))

 

[veestevens]

I was told about drug dealing involving both FG & Husband and that he supposedly had done some jail time for such acts. That may or may not be true. Also I was told these supposed drug deals involved the plane they owned. Possibly smuggling in/out of country via plane. I do not remember the type drug that they were supposedly dealing but that they were doing so. Or the husband was with her help at times especially with the flying of the plane because I was told she had a pilot license not sure if the husband did or not

 

[veestevens]

Rumor has it the FG has been known for stealing money in the past. Supposedly she took $500 from the safe at a place she worked at many years ago. The employer never filed charges just terminated her employment or maybe it was she quit right after taking the money.
So from what I have heard about her from many years ago this newer stuff doesn't really surprise me much. She has never really tried to live an honest life.
And all this about her husband having negative things to say about her that sounds about right. From what I knew they were having problems. I am not sure what problems but she was saying she was trying to leave him but reasons were complicated being these businesses were in both their names and if course the children.

 

[veestevens]

I seriously heard so much about this FG from past years and then the more recent from the time Eric found a way to contact her and some of things going on I heard so much talk of it all within roughly 6 months time I can't remember all of what I was told. There was so much talk of Eric and FG wanted to get together and they were going to live happily ever after etc etc. There was so much talk about everything my brain could not process it all.

 

[FBEye]

If you like it I'll put a little more of the info a missing poster needs to have on it, then make it into a pdf and put it in our missing flyers thread, so it can be printed out at any time. I'll link it as soon as I've done it.

SBM

Thank you so much, dear Zwiebel, for the missing poster for Eric! You did some fantabulous techie artistic work for the other case we worked on together, too!! I think Detective Thomas's number & the MSP tip line should be on there if it gets copied or posted anywhere. Please post a new image to the thread if you change it.

 

[Eric's mom]

I was told about drug dealing involving both FG & Husband and that he supposedly had done some jail time for such acts. That may or may not be true. Also I was told these supposed drug deals involved the plane they owned. Possibly smuggling in/out of country via plane. I do not remember the type drug that they were supposedly dealing but that they were doing so. Or the husband was with her help at times especially with the flying of the plane because I was told she had a pilot license not sure if the husband did or not

Family was told by Eric that they both had pilot's license. Of course, she also told him she liked to go hunting further up north and when Eric's family asked FG's husband about that he said as far as he knew she had never shot a gun.

 

[veestevens]

Don't remember anything about her hunting or shooting guns.

 

[Eric's mom]

Don't remember anything about her hunting or shooting guns.

I think this was said to him after he went up there from the way he told me about it.

 

[veestevens]

Very possible because i only have so much info prior to him going there. Even some things told to me by our contact did not make much sense to me like the # of children total between the FG &Husband. I knew of ? # and come to find out there was a different # so I don't know the whole story just some of the things that led up to him finding her and what I was told within a certain time frame after he got in touch with her.

 

[Eric's mom]

Someone asked (way back on pg 13) what kind of car did the motel owner say FG had. Searching family replied that he said it was a reddish van like vehicle) FG denied owning one according to police. However, when Eric's family asked the manager of the Adult Care facility who knows and works for FG, she said the one FG usually drives is maroon or red and that she has "Oh,so many cars." The motel owner saw it about every day. He said he watches who comes on his motel property and he got to know her. As I said before, he knew her by name. The maid had seen her so often that she even knew that she came every Friday to pick Eric up to take their daughter skating.

 

[Eric's mom]

Rumor has it the FG has been known for stealing money in the past. Supposedly she took $500 from the safe at a place she worked at many years ago. The employer never filed charges just terminated her employment or maybe it was she quit right after taking the money.
So from what I have heard about her from many years ago this newer stuff doesn't really surprise me much. She has never really tried to live an honest life.
And all this about her husband having negative things to say about her that sounds about right. From what I knew they were having problems. I am not sure what problems but she was saying she was trying to leave him but reasons were complicated being these businesses were in both their names and if course the children.

Personally, I never heard that theft story, but when we spent time in Saginaw talking to FG's neighbors, we were told of an instance involving stolen copper wiring being installed in neighbors house remodel. Neighbor was convinced FG and husband did it and lied to officers that came to investigate. Neighbor said while incident was being "looked at" by police, she just happened to stop and tell officers she saw a white van there and probably they did it.

 

[veestevens]

The story about the money from the past was supposedly something that happened during the TN years.
And what you just said about her saying it was a white van that is the oldest trick in the book. Remember the one guy that was going around shooting people and everyone said there was a white van then when they actually caught the guy it was some kind of car of a different color. The police always fall for the white van trick

 

[zwiebel]

SBM

Thank you so much, dear Zwiebel, for the missing poster for Eric! You did some fantabulous techie artistic work for the other case we worked on together, too!! I think Detective Thomas's number & the MSP tip line should be on there if it gets copied or posted anywhere. Please post a new image to the thread if you change it.

I will. it'll be tonight or tomorrow at the latest. I can't do it on my own so I have to wait until weekends when help's available (in other words, Mr Z).

 

[FBEye]

Speaking of the TN years, did Eric and FG both grow up in TN and originally met in high school? I remember reading Eric grew up in TN, moved to Nashville as a young adult, then California with 1st wife, then Tupelo, MS, then OH, then MI.

 

[zwiebel]

Bolded by me. (BBM)Hope you don't mind Eric's mom, I've broken your quoted post into paragraphs, just to make it easier for people to see the bits I've bolded in context.

The prosecutor we met with was not reelected and he was on his way out. Family had called the prosecutor and asked for a meeting. We were discouraged by the lack of action with the BV police much of the time. Family had asked by email to meet the lead investigator earlier and he said he was going on vacation. So family asked to meet with his partner and he emailed back that his partner was doing road patrol work. So family asked to meet with whoever he was turning the case over to and we NEVER heard back again.

Thus, the request to the prosecutor. He kindly said he would call the detective in charge and set up a meeting with himself, the detective and our family. We went there expecting such a meeting. The detective never came even though we knew he was in town and sent his partner instead.

I've stated before, that partner said he knew very little about Eric's case. He brought nothing with him...no file...NOTHING. The family came with info and pictures that proved one statement by FG's family was not true. The partner asked where we got the pictures. He obviously had never seen them. We told him they were on Eric's FB. They did give us 3 hrs of their time, then one had to go Christmas shopping for his wife and one had to go out of town. A different prosecutor took office soon after we were there. I called to see if the out going prosecutor left Eric's info and the Assistant Prosecutor told me there was nothing on his desk, but he didn't know about the Prosecutor.(That was Nov. 2012)

Somebody taught me this years ago. Maybe it will help you too?

Get a little media list of press email addresses. Publications you think will write about missing people. 5 or 6 will do. To the news/editorial desk is best.

Whenever you have an important meeting with LE or especially DAs coming up, send out a tiny, advance press release saying how delighted you are about it and the way whoever you're meeting is being so helpful, with the date it is due to take place. Say you'll issue a fuller release after the meeting.

Send a copy of that same press release to the media dept of the person you are going to meet (or the person themselves, if they don't have one). With - and this is important - a list of the media outlets you have also sent it to.

In my experience, it is very rare to have an important meeting cancelled if the above has been done in advance.

 

[zwiebel]

And never forget to send out the press release after the meeting, saying how grateful you are (even if you can't give any other info because you have been told by DA/LE not to).

 

[Eric's mom]

Speaking of the TN years, did Eric and FG both grow up in TN and originally met in high school? I remember reading Eric grew up in TN, moved to Nashville as a young adult, then California with 1st wife, then Tupelo, MS, then OH, then MI.

Eric moved with family, of course, so we moved to TN when he was 7 and and he lived there until a few years after high school. He and his girlfriend took a trip to CA and got married there. They only stayed there a short time and moved back to TN. Following the death of his grandfather, he moved to MS, where his dad was born and raised and Eric's grandmother still lives. That's where he met other 2 wives. He lived there around 15 yrs. He and his current wife moved to OH because I moved here when my husband died (to be near my daughter and her family). He went to MI for reasons already stated. As far as I know, FG was born and raised in MI. Eric met her in TN when she moved there with her mom and family when she was a teenager for a brief time. They moved back to MI and FG came back to TN on her own for a brief time, then back to MI, as I recall.

 

[zwiebel]

It's very disappointing; when you google Eric Frank, nothing about this Eric being missing comes up on the first page of google, and that's the page that counts. His pic comes up on images, but there's nothing on them saying he's missing, unless you click on the link.

The first link is WS, on the second page.