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

[zwiebel]

Erics mom, I can't find Frank on this site. They are very helpful and kind there. Can you contact them with Frank's details and a few links to media articles or this thread?

http://ihavevanished.com/

ETA: Meant Eric

 

[zwiebel]

If Eric had been asked to go hunting, was he likely to have gone?

 

[SStarr33]

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.

Someone should start a website so it comes up first.

 

[FBEye]

Great ideas, Z!!
With the weather getting warmer now, how about if we get proactive with WHERE IS ERIC?? SPIRIT and all work together to blitz out a fresh batch of updated missing flyers? With the anonymous tip line for the Mich St Police now, someone might be more likely to call in "a little detail or two"!!
(This idea is what prompted me to suggest getting Eric listed on the MSP missing site and updating the Charley Project and Jason Project sites with the current investigating agency number and tip line..)

We could work together through email, regular mail, and locals posting in person.
In High traffic public locations: Businesses, major intersections, stores, truck stops, rest areas, restaurants, gas stations, Chamber of Commerce, ballparks, convenience stores, parks, churches, libraries, malls, telephone poles, bulletin boards, medical facilities, dentists, bus and train stations, social service offices, local media stations, newspapers, court houses, taxi cab companies, shelters, Red Cross, SAR teams, fire departments, salvage/junk yards, roller rinks, cable companies, bowling alleys, video rental shops, city and county staff, mayors, politicians, etc.
ie Saginaw, Buena Vista, Bridgeport, Clio, Flint, Millersburg, Birch Run, Marlette, Daytona, etc

Someone knows something, and it just takes ONE anonymous tip to bring Eric home!
Detective Thomas needs more information!!



more ideas at http://www.4themissing.net/uploads/5/8/7/1/5871085/where_to_put_flyers_flyer_distribution.pdf

 

[Eric's mom]

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.

Our last name is Franks (with an s). When I google Eric Lee Franks missing , I get several sites about it. Maybe I'm not understanding what you mean.

 

[FBEye]

https://www.facebook.com/findericlee.franks

And how can we publicize the "Find Eric Lee Franks" Facebook page?

 

[Eric's mom]

If Eric had been asked to go hunting, was he likely to have gone?

With FG, yes. He would have probably gone anywhere with her. He would have just watched. He came from a family of hunters, but Eric never had an interest in hunting and fishing. He liked movies and books. That was his interest in CA, where he visited occasionally, but never stayed long. He loved to write stories and hoped someday to write a novel. He helped out with a movie once with behind scene things. He and his first wife made a home movie once and it was adorable. It was too expensive to live in CA or he would have loved to live there.

 

[veestevens]

Eric's mom. All that sounds about right. I was told about how he met her etc and at some point she did go back to her home state, Michigan.
Yes he had been married 3 times. Two of the wives from Mississippi.
He and the 3rd did go to Ohio as stated above.
Once Eric found out this FG was in Michigan he tried talking the 3rd wife into moving to Michigan so he could have a relationship with the FG.
The 3rd wife said no that if he wanted to be with her he could go by himself. That is why the 3rd wife left - because of everything going on involving this FG.
September 24, 2010 was the last time 3rd wife ever had any contact with Eric. 3rd wife found out about some of what has been going on months later online.

 

[Eric's mom]

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.



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.

I never thought of doing all that you mentioned. Thanks. A close friend in TN advised us to make copies of everything we send to officials and send the copies to a superior of that official or to someone in the media we trust to keep it safe. Then if the info is left out of Eric's file, we have proof we sent it. This was because when the state police received Eric's case file, we were told it did not include the fact that Eric had a wife or that his DNA was listed with NAMUS. I KNOW the original BV investigator knew about both things for sure.

 

[zwiebel]

Our last name is Franks (with an s). When I google Eric Lee Franks missing , I get several sites about it. Maybe I'm not understanding what you mean.

Sorry Eric's mom, I had a friend way back who looked very, very much like your boy, named Frank. So not only has it got me leaving the S off his name, it's got me repeatedly thinking his first name is Frank too.

Although I made the mistake in my post, it was Eric Franks I googled. All that came up first page on google for Eric Franks in relation to missing was this, for me;

http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/942810-borderlands/51993821

 

[veestevens]

Wow! They were not aware he still has a wife somewhere. Would a search of maybe a SSN# and public record not tell them something. Just like if he did have a real job as FG said they could search his SSN# to get the info for employer etc... There is so much not making sense here. Sounds like Michigan has no real people working on the case or somebody is covering it up.

 

[zwiebel]

Our last name is Franks (with an s). When I google Eric Lee Franks missing , I get several sites about it. Maybe I'm not understanding what you mean.

Ah, just realized - you are googling Eric Lee Franks missing, I'm just googling Eric Franks. I think lots of searchers wouldn't think to put the missing in? So you want his case to come up first, just with googling the name alone...

 

[zwiebel]

https://www.facebook.com/findericlee.franks

And how can we publicize the "Find Eric Lee Franks" Facebook page?

Post love, sympathy, support and condolences on other FB pages for missing people, from Eric's.

 

[zwiebel]

https://www.facebook.com/findericlee.franks

And how can we publicize the "Find Eric Lee Franks" Facebook page?

And comment underneath other missing persons media articles, with a link back to Eric's missing FB page.

 

[zwiebel]

Someone should start a website so it comes up first.

It's easy enough to start a website, but someone has to maintain it, and post new articles and keep it updated so visitors keep coming back to learn more.

That's the hard part. It is really time consuming and difficult. What if there is no new news? What do you say? If you run it as an interactive one, where people can make posts and contact, it's even harder. You have to be there every day.

This is just my opinion, but I think it can be very, very damaging to discover a missing person's website that hasn't been updated for weeks or even months. People lose interest because they think the person or loved ones running the website have lost interest too.

I would say, unless you have a person (or two) who can both write and is technically capable of updating a website (or can pay someone to do it for them), Facebook or a blog's a better option.

 

[SStarr33]

It's easy enough to start a website, but someone has to maintain it, and post new articles and keep it updated so visitors keep coming back to learn more.

That's the hard part. It is really time consuming and difficult. What if there is no new news? What do you say? If you run it as an interactive one, where people can make posts and contact, it's even harder. You have to be there every day.

This is just my opinion, but I think it can be very, very damaging to discover a missing person's website that hasn't been updated for weeks or even months. People lose interest because they think the person or loved ones running the website have lost interest too.

I would say, unless you have a person (or two) who can both write and is technically capable of updating a website (or can pay someone to do it for them), Facebook or a blog's a better option.

I guess you need to decide which is more damaging--having a stale site or no site that comes up when you google his name? A blog is really no different from a website--I've done both. And if it is set up as a blog, Eric's mom can update with any new stories and answer questions posted on the blog.

Plus, it would be an easy way to quickly get it on the first page of google.

 

[Eric's mom]

Erics mom, I can't find Frank on this site. They are very helpful and kind there. Can you contact them with Frank's details and a few links to media articles or this thread?

http://ihavevanished.com/

ETA: Meant Eric

Thank you for making us aware of the I Have Vanished website. Family will see what we have to do to get Eric on there. It's so sad thousands of people vanish and are never see or heard from again....and in most cases someone "out there" knows what happened and refuses to have compassion on the families of those with missing loved ones.

 

[EmiLove832]

It's easy enough to start a website, but someone has to maintain it, and post new articles and keep it updated so visitors keep coming back to learn more.



That's the hard part. It is really time consuming and difficult. What if there is no new news? What do you say? If you run it as an interactive one, where people can make posts and contact, it's even harder. You have to be there every day.



This is just my opinion, but I think it can be very, very damaging to discover a missing person's website that hasn't been updated for weeks or even months. People lose interest because they think the person or loved ones running the website have lost interest too.



I would say, unless you have a person (or two) who can both write and is technically capable of updating a website (or can pay someone to do it for them), Facebook or a blog's a better option.

Wix.com is a great place to get a free site. They have tons of really nice templates as well.

If you need help creating a site, let me know. I'm happy to help.

 

[Eric's mom]

Wow! They were not aware he still has a wife somewhere. Would a search of maybe a SSN# and public record not tell them something. Just like if he did have a real job as FG said they could search his SSN# to get the info for employer etc... There is so much not making sense here. Sounds like Michigan has no real people working on the case or somebody is covering it up.[/QUOTE) Oh, the BV detective knew Eric had a wife. I personally talked to him about that. He just said someone in the state where she was should talk to her. He also knew that Eric's DNA had been registered with NAMUS because he was the one family and NAMUS notified we were submitting his baby tooth. We asked whether it should be done through MI police. It actually was done through Archbold police because it was close to family. IT JUST NEVER WAS PUT IN ERIC'S FILE ACCORDING TO STATE POLICE. So, I wanted to make sure the tip that was called in by Eric's friend that was a very important tip was put in his file by BV police. I think it was. We are not allowed to see his file to make sure it contains all info we know should be in it because it's an open case. Families can apply thro the Freedom of Information Act, but will be denied when it's an open case.

 

[veestevens]

So basically there is really nothing in the file that seems like it would have been some of the first things done?