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

[SeriouslySearching]

Eric Franks is missing. He could very well be a walkaway Joe meaning he went out on his own to start over (which is a plausible theory), but if not...there are a slew of people who could have been in a position to do him harm not just two.

I am sorry if some feel I am not handling this matter with kid gloves, but that isn't why I am here. I am here to dig and try to find a break in this case. I don't know why we appear to be on opposite sides. Since the start, it has been this way and all I can figure is my reluctance to jump on the go after KF and JC bandwagon. If I saw real proof of guilt maybe I would...but I don't.

KF and JC are not considered suspects by LE (Law Enforcement). LE doesn't have evidence they lied because neither one has been charged with Obstruction of Justice in this case. There has been no evidence to show motive of financial gain and on the contrary...things seem to point to KF and JC having their own money. There has been no evidence they did anything to Eric except start the emotional roller coaster that ensued after he became aware he could have a daughter.

Adults rarely go missing due to good decisions and because they were model citizens unless it was a totally random act. Often the answers are in the details people want to hide. This isn't about creating drama. I could care less what Eric did or did not do on a personal level. However, those things become important when looking for a lead. Any lead. This case has been stalled for 3 years and LE is not going to go out of their way to solve it.

 

[WithEyesWideOpen]

eric franks is missing. He could very well be a walkaway joe meaning he went out on his own to start over (which is a plausible theory), but if not...there are a slew of people who could have been in a position to do him harm not just two.

I am sorry if some feel i am not handling this matter with kid gloves, but that isn't why i am here. I am here to dig and try to find a break in this case. I don't know why we appear to be on opposite sides. Since the start, it has been this way and all i can figure is my reluctance to jump on the go after kf and jc bandwagon. If i saw real proof of guilt maybe i would...but i don't.

Kf and jc are not considered suspects by le (law enforcement). Le doesn't have evidence they lied because neither one has been charged with obstruction of justice in this case. There has been no evidence to show motive of financial gain and on the contrary...things seem to point to kf and jc having their own money. There has been no evidence they did anything to eric except start the emotional roller coaster that ensued after he became aware he could have a daughter.

Adults rarely go missing due to good decisions and because they were model citizens unless it was a totally random act. Often the answers are in the details people want to hide. This isn't about creating drama. I could care less what eric did or did not do on a personal level. However, those things become important when looking for a lead. Any lead. This case has been stalled for 3 years and le is not going to go out of their way to solve it.

are you hearing what you are saying......."adults rarely go missing due to good decisions and because they are model citizens unless it was a totally random act" ...what? So either , eric made bad decisions and was less than a model citizen and that caused someone he knows to have harmed him ......or.... What happened to him was a totally random act by someone he did not know( and how would that explain kf's lies and emails recieved up to time police got involved) and if random then where is his car and belongings and why did kf say he was with her in june2011 and was fine ans she would have him contact sean (a friend of theirs in az).....everything points to kf and jc......please show me where someone else had more motive....i will be more than glad to look them over in detail.....and YES.. the LE do look at them as suspects...they have said so on many conversations...they even said "KF and JC did a good job hiding Eric's body"...

 

[zwiebel]

By stating that he allowed someone to clear out Eric's room while Eric wasn't there, the motel owner opened himself up to a legal claim for damages.

I believe him. I believe Mr Patel? has done his best to help police find a man who has gone missing. Thank you very much Mr Patel, on behalf of all missing people. They need all the help they can get.

Unless Eric's mistress could produce proof she had his permission to remove his things, police should have brought charges. Let a court decide whose story was true. There may have been vital evidence there, and if she did remove it, that was a terrible thing to do. Even a halfway competent prosecutor could bring that case, let alone a good one.

Where is Eric? It's an absolute disgrace in my opinion, what has happened here. Eric's just been written off by authorities it seems. As a victim, because he is a missing person, he and his family have rights. What happened to them?

 

[zwiebel]

Anybody know if it succeeded? This article was from 2012.

"Not to say Saginaw can't work its way down or off the Forbes list," he said.

http://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2012/05/the_effect_of_crime_on_the_eco.html

 

[zwiebel]

OMG, no it didn't. Scroll to the bottom and look at the latest murder rate in Saginaw, compared to all the others!

http://www.movoto.com/blog/top-ten/dangerous-small-cities/

 

[SeriouslySearching]

are you hearing what you are saying......."adults rarely go missing due to good decisions and because they are model citizens unless it was a totally random act" ...what? So either , eric made bad decisions and was less than a model citizen and that caused someone he knows to have harmed him ......or.... What happened to him was a totally random act by someone he did not know( and how would that explain kf's lies and emails recieved up to time police got involved) and if random then where is his car and belongings and why did kf say he was with her in june2011 and was fine ans she would have him contact sean (a friend of theirs in az).....everything points to kf and jc......please show me where someone else had more motive....i will be more than glad to look them over in detail.....and YES.. the LE do look at them as suspects...they have said so on many conversations...they even said "KF and JC did a good job hiding Eric's body"...

Please show me where LE named them as "suspects" in public. And show me the quote where LE claimed they "did a good job hiding Eric's body". Everything does not point to KF and JC. Again, if LE had proof they were lying...there would be Obstruction of Justice charges or other charges being brought against them. There is a distinct difference when LE NAMES people as suspects instead of POIs because it moves them into a new level of the investigation. LE's view of this investigation appears to be to let it go because they cannot build a criminal case against anyone and chances are they won't investigate further unless someone can bring them damning evidence to change the course.

Eric did make some bad choices, like it or not. People on this very thread indicated the area where he lived and the motel he lived in were plagued with a criminal element. I am not going to go into more, but there definitely other things which worked against him and were brought on by himself.

I could certainly give you another POI with definite motives, but not here. And there may not be a real suspect at all if nothing happened to him...

Eric could easily have made the call to the salvage yard and sold the car to them because he needed the money, could not take the car out of state and title or tag it, and he wouldn't need the title from his mom to sell it. He could have gotten a bus ticket to CA and taken off knowing he could do maintenance at any little motel along the way. It very well could have been Eric sending all those messages in his own cryptic way telling people what he was up to with planning on leaving to avoid the confrontation.

Eric does appear as if he was setting things into motion for him to leave and not anyone else being responsible for him going missing. It is easy to blame others instead of a walkaway Joe. Do some research into other WJ cases and see it happens to people in all walks of life who one day left it all behind...they left friends and family they loved, possessions, and their life because they desperately wanted to start over fresh. Cutting ties means no explanations and they can become anyone they want to be. Eric had more than enough reason to go away as his dreams were shattered and he would have to live with the "love of his life" going back to her husband with his newly found possible daughter (who has never acknowledged Eric in any way that I have ever seen). He would never have to speak of it again.

Walking away is a selfish act. It is also a self-preserving act for some. No one knows Eric's mental status after a certain time because no one was speaking directly to him via phone or video calls. They can't speak to his thoughts or what he may have been feeling at the time he actually went missing. People talk about how close they were to Eric, but the truth sounds more like Eric held people at an arm's length away.

His actions of moving into a home and not sharing the details with family and friends doesn't sound like he was so close. He didn't take phone calls, but instead listened to messages then returned information via texts/emails which once again is a strange way to treat close loved ones. The whole "will be out of touch because of no satellite" thing is another because he could have gone to any wi fi hot spot to talk to anyone or found a phone to call. No one noticed Eric was missing for months....it is the biggest clue he had distanced himself on purpose from his family and friends. None of the above raised alarms. It isn't what I would consider normal for a close family and no one has mentioned being estranged from him, but it sounds like there was a disconnect there long before he went missing.

How is it anyone would expect to know where Eric was after he left the motel? He could have been in BV off and on when they split for a time making her stories true, but unable to be verified. I could see Eric in a desperate attempt to regain his relationship going to her home to try and talk her into coming back. I could envision his anger, his sense of loss, and his last ditch attempt at reconciliation with his "kryptonite" love of his life as she turned against him. I could see him popping in and out before he finally left for good. He had gained and lost everything that ever meant anything to him in a course of 5 months. Some may not recover from such a blow after many failures before. Could he have then experienced a mental type breakdown? He would have been a prime candidate for it, but he could have simply left and possibly planned his own demise. Or he decided to let it go and start all over somewhere else with no one to remind him of what he lost.

 

[Eric's mom]

Seriously Searching, who are the slew of people who could have done him harm ? If you'd rather PM me, that will be fine. I understand your not putting their names on here. I seriously would like to know who you are thinking could have done something to him. I appreciate your help. No one has expected you to jump on the blame JC and KF wagon , but neither does anyone expect you to jump on the find fault with a missing man wagon either. Maybe that was not your intent, but several people felt that way. You have to realize we have more insight with our connections and have analyzed this case from every conceivable angle and it always points back to the same people. I have said all along that if those people didn't harm Eric, they sure have hindered this case. The police are convinced based on what they do know, that those same persons are guilty. As I said, we are privy to some, but not all right now, of what the police know. Seriously though, let's look at the slew of people who had opportunity to harm Eric and see if we can either rule them out or take a good look at what you are thinking about them. You know it is confusing about the financial situation of JC and KF because as EyesWideOpen stated, KF is in the news stating they are poor. Many people are raising thousands of dollars in donations, benefits, etc. to help them financially. So,if they are not poor, that is really sad for all those friends and strangers who are giving up their hard earned money to help people who have plenty of money. The government might be interested to know that people who own businesses, land, airplane, camper, cars are receiving aide paid for by taxpayers. I know of an elderly woman who could sure use some help paying for her health care, but because she had a small amount put back in savings, she didn't qualify for help. As for the investigation, I know things weren't handle correctly with the original investigating officers. The MI state police will look at anything anyone can produce that's new. So, please let's discuss those people you say could have done him harm. I'm open to that. I just want to know what happened to Eric. If he's alive, something is really wrong and we still need to find him. The police believe he's dead , our family feels that's true, his friends also believe that and JC told the police he believes that. He went so far as to tell Eric's aunt that his wife or one of her many boyfriends may have harmed Eric and that if it was true, he had better watch his back. When the police questioned him on that, he whispered that he didn't really believe that. I was told by police that this is the hard part, waiting till someone finds his body. The police issued a public statement on Ch 12 ABC news in Saginaw for hunters to be on the lookout for him. We have been told by police that they are not telling us everything they know. I have been told by someone who knows you and has worked with you, that you are good at helping with missing cases. So, let's start by discussing those people you spoke of and see if we agree they could have hurt my son. We probably should not do that in PM, because everyone I'm sure wants to know who you are referring to , so could we use their initials also? Thanks.

 

[Eric's mom]

Eric's daughter, Emily, did acknowledge Eric. Where did you see a time that she wrote anything? She told Eric's aunt that she knew Eric, but was cut off quickly by her mom, so the conversation couldn't continue. The police questioned her and she told them about her times with Eric. I plan to try to meet her someday, so maybe I can ask her more about her feelings. Her mom shared lots of baby pictures of her and pictures of her growing up that Eric shared with me.

 

[Eric's mom]

Seriously Searching, again, Eric told us he was moving to a rural area where the service was bad. Looking back , we do not know that those messages were from him. Do not judge how close Eric was to his family and friends by your guesses. You do not know him. He was a human trying to make it in this world like all of us. You are being too judgmental and critical of someone you know nothing about. He did not text, there were emails that may not have been from him. The police said based on the info they got from his phone company, KF had Eric's phone using it to make a personal call to her dentist after Eric disappeared. The officer went to the dentist office and was told that they did not have Eric as a patient. but KF was their patient. No, there was not a disconnect before he went missing. He was living in my house when he moved to MI. He lived near or with family all of his life. KF and his daughter were not everything that ever meant anything to him. I agree that finding this child was one of the best things that he had ever experienced. All the more reason to live and be around her. He told me that if things didn't work out with KF, he was not leaving Saginaw as long as EC was in school there. Also, Eric was in touch with me often while he was in Saginaw, and even more often with his close friends. If you knew Eric, you would realize how wrong your assumptions are, but I understand not knowing him how you could imagine some of your scenarios. I believe it was you or Skiptracker who said the police should not have said Eric's car was crushed without some proof. I will politely say you shouldn't speak of Eric killing himself without some proof to make such a statement. How could he kill himself and then send an email to me afterwards? How could he kill himself and hide his own body and his car? Even if someone took his car after he killed himself, they would probably not want to be connected to hiding a dead person that they did not kill. If he planned his own demise, selling his car for money, how did he plan to spend that money in the after life? It isn't true that no one noticed Eric was missing for months. If you could see the constant stream of emails to and from someone passing themselves off as Eric if it wasn't him and he had killed himself, and you would know that is totally wrong. We weren't so concerned at first because he was in a rural area getting to know his daughter. He was sending pictures and emails. When the emails stopped I got worried. We started calling people trying to find out what was wrong. We turned in a missing report.

 

[Eric's mom]

Seriously Searching, the only credible eye witness to what happened the day Eric's things were removed from his room said that KF said Eric had a job and wouldn't be back to his motel. So, she placed him somewhere around that area and took his things somewhere. As for the police saying they did a good job of hiding his body....you don't know me, but I am a Christian and I don't lie. That statement was said to me personally by the current investigating officer. So, let's get on to some other scenarios and dissect that slew of people you spoke of......and in particular the one you singled out as having motives to kill Eric.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

Eric's daughter, E, did acknowledge Eric. Where did you see a time that she wrote anything? She told Eric's aunt that she knew Eric, but was cut off quickly by her mom, so the conversation couldn't continue. The police questioned her and she told them about her times with Eric. I plan to try to meet her someday, so maybe I can ask her more about her feelings. Her mom shared lots of baby pictures of her and pictures of her growing up that Eric shared with me.

I read her Facebook page clear back during the time when Eric was in BV. There is absolutely no hint of Eric at all. She mentioned plenty about other people and her relationships with them, but it is like Eric didn't rate a mention which I do say for a teenager is very odd. They are emotional. They are quick to share it, too. She has not put up one single thing about him missing. She seems to have completely ignored the whole situation ever happened.

Just because her mother shared things does not mean her daughter was really aware of the implications that Eric could be her father. Even photos taken with Eric are not a sure sign she knew or she accepted him as such. Of course she would know Eric since she went to live with them (again no mention she moved during that time), but he could just be another in a long line of mom's boyfriends and nothing more to her.

As for the mother and/or daughter trying to scam anyone. I don't believe that is true. I read every article and FB page I could find on their illness and support system last night. For starters, I see no reason not to believe them about their illnesses. A news crew followed the daughter through actual treatments and the support team have been there for both of them going through it.

The daughter being considered an adult now means she is responsible for her own bills and she obviously is in no position to pay them. Astronomical bills for catastrophic illnesses often require outside help to pay. Even people with insurance and good jobs need help to pay deductibles and things insurance fails to pick up. Besides, I didn't see in the articles where the mother was asking for donations for herself...but she did for her child. I saw where she mentioned not having insurance when her child was taken ill, but maybe I missed the part where she was trying to collect funds for herself and you could give me a link to the statement.

I cannot imagine what it would do to the daughter if she ever read the things written about her parents. Regardless of anything else, she obviously loves them and she is clinging to them for hope right now.

Now moving on to other things...

I have some questions :

Who is entitled to Eric's inheritance if he is not found and is declared legally dead?

Did anyone else move out of the area after Eric went missing?

 

[WithEyesWideOpen]

I read her Facebook page clear back during the time when Eric was in BV. There is absolutely no hint of Eric at all. She mentioned plenty about other people and her relationships with them, but it is like Eric didn't rate a mention which I do say for a teenager is very odd. They are emotional. They are quick to share it, too. She has not put up one single thing about him missing. She seems to have completely ignored the whole situation ever happened.

Just because her mother shared things does not mean her daughter was really aware of the implications that Eric could be her father. Even photos taken with Eric are not a sure sign she knew or she accepted him as such. Of course she would know Eric since she went to live with them (again no mention she moved during that time), but he could just be another in a long line of mom's boyfriends and nothing more to her.

As for the mother and/or daughter trying to scam anyone. I don't believe that is true. I read every article and FB page I could find on their illness and support system last night. For starters, I see no reason not to believe them about their illnesses. A news crew followed the daughter through actual treatments and the support team have been there for both of them going through it.

The daughter being considered an adult now means she is responsible for her own bills and she obviously is in no position to pay them. Astronomical bills for catastrophic illnesses often require outside help to pay. Even people with insurance and good jobs need help to pay deductibles and things insurance fails to pick up. Besides, I didn't see in the articles where the mother was asking for donations for herself...but she did for her child. I saw where she mentioned not having insurance when her child was taken ill, but maybe I missed the part where she was trying to collect funds for herself and you could give me a link to the statement.

I cannot imagine what it would do to the daughter if she ever read the things written about her parents. Regardless of anything else, she obviously loves them and she is clinging to them for hope right now.

Now moving on to other things...

I have some questions :

Who is entitled to Eric's inheritance if he is not found and is declared legally dead?

Did anyone else move out of the area after Eric went missing?

As for nothing being said on EC fb page about Eric...I did not see it either ...even back in the begining...I was the first to see her page and I can tell you it has had a lot of changes made to it and things removed from it after their move to Florida....

 

[skiptracker]

I have some questions, <modsnip>

Did Eric smoke, Any certain brand? Did he roll his own? What type of tobacco and tubes?

Did Eric drink, what did he drink? What brand?

Did he have any vices? Sex, , strippers, drugs, etc. These are examples so don't get upset.

What did he do for fun, hobbies? Golf, fish, model trains etc

What type of food was his go to food?

What kind of driver was he?

Was there any large or unusual purchases on his credit cards?

Did he withdrawal large amounts of money from his bank accounts prior to missing?

Has there ever been any mental illness or suicide in his family, or did he suffer from it ever?

Did he have an unique blood type?
Did he have any special skills? Electrical, plumbing, concrete, tile, painting etc.

I know these seem like odd questions, but they are location pins. For instance, I smoke a certain type of cigarettes not found in most stores. If he did electrical work, I check out electrical supply stores and see if they remember him and if things were put on an account for a company. You get the idea.

 

[Eric's mom]

I read her Facebook page clear back during the time when Eric was in BV. There is absolutely no hint of Eric at all. She mentioned plenty about other people and her relationships with them, but it is like Eric didn't rate a mention which I do say for a teenager is very odd. They are emotional. They are quick to share it, too. She has not put up one single thing about him missing. She seems to have completely ignored the whole situation ever happened.

Just because her mother shared things does not mean her daughter was really aware of the implications that Eric could be her father. Even photos taken with Eric are not a sure sign she knew or she accepted him as such. Of course she would know Eric since she went to live with them (again no mention she moved during that time), but he could just be another in a long line of mom's boyfriends and nothing more to her.

As for the mother and/or daughter trying to scam anyone. I don't believe that is true. I read every article and FB page I could find on their illness and support system last night. For starters, I see no reason not to believe them about their illnesses. A news crew followed the daughter through actual treatments and the support team have been there for both of them going through it.

The daughter being considered an adult now means she is responsible for her own bills and she obviously is in no position to pay them. Astronomical bills for catastrophic illnesses often require outside help to pay. Even people with insurance and good jobs need help to pay deductibles and things insurance fails to pick up. Besides, I didn't see in the articles where the mother was asking for donations for herself...but she did for her child. I saw where she mentioned not having insurance when her child was taken ill, but maybe I missed the part where she was trying to collect funds for herself and you could give me a link to the statement.

I cannot imagine what it would do to the daughter if she ever read the things written about her parents. Regardless of anything else, she obviously loves them and she is clinging to them for hope right now.

Now moving on to other things...

I have some questions :

Who is entitled to Eric's inheritance if he is not found and is declared legally dead?

Did anyone else move out of the area after Eric went missing?

First of all, it is no one's business who will get Eric's money or things. I can assure you that it will not be going to anyone who would ever have entertained a thought of murdering anyone ! As for who moved out of the Saginaw area, other than JC ,KF and their extended family, when Eric went missing, I have no idea. As for what has been written about my granddaughter's parents, I have written that I have prayed for her mom and for her in their cancer situation. You can't imagine what you are doing to me with things you are inferring about my son. I have sympathy for anyone with cancer, but as someone on this thread said to me concerning my sadness over learning of my granddaughter's cancer...I have to stay focused on finding Eric. The FB page says the money is going to EC and her family. I believe they do have cancer. I never said it was a scam, even tho the police and many others have thought so. I was talking about their fundraising because you said they had money. If what you are saying is true that EC never knew Eric was her dad.....you proved our point.....JC and KF are guilty of lying to the investigators. I have a copy of the police record where JC told the police that in November 2011 he and KF told their daughter that Eric was her dad.

 

[WithEyesWideOpen]

i have some questions, <modsnip>

Did eric smoke, any certain brand? Did he roll his own? What type of tobacco and tubes?

Did eric drink, what did he drink? What brand?

Did he have any vices? Sex, , strippers, drugs, etc. These are examples so don't get upset.

What did he do for fun, hobbies? Golf, fish, model trains etc

what type of food was his go to food?

What kind of driver was he?

Was there any large or unusual purchases on his credit cards?

Did he withdrawal large amounts of money from his bank accounts prior to missing?

Has there ever been any mental illness or suicide in his family, or did he suffer from it ever?

Did he have an unique blood type?
Did he have any special skills? Electrical, plumbing, concrete, tile, painting etc.

I know these seem like odd questions, but they are location pins. For instance, i smoke a certain type of cigarettes not found in most stores. If he did electrical work, i check out electrical supply stores and see if they remember him and if things were put on an account for a company. You get the idea.

as soon as you are verified with ws ..i will be glad to answer any questions you have. <modsnip>

 

[veestevens]

And may I ask who is it that you think had something to do with Eric's disappearance?
I would love to know so we can check into it.

 

[skiptracker]

As a matter of fact an email was sent asked how to go about becoming verified. I am not looking for trouble. I am here to help. If you don't want my help just say so.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

I didn't infer that the emails or anything else would come after Eric decided his course of action. I think they could have come from him and nothing happened to him until after they stopped. After the car was sold/gone. After the pleas to get KF back were over. After all was said and done in Buena Vista, MI that had any connection to him. I think it is possible he left on his own free will and that is why there has been no sign of him. I am also saying if he is deceased, as so many seem to believe, there could be a chance it was not murder at all. There is no proof either way so really it is as much of a guess as LE has made.

It is standard for LE to ask hunters to be aware of missing people in the area when hunting season rolls around. It happens in other areas, too. It is always a good idea to make them aware because they are the extra set of eyes for the searchers going out into remote parts. It is true that hunters do find remains.

I honestly don't have time to do this anymore. I gave you some ideas to ponder and tried to help direct this investigation into a more cohesive collection of facts vs. hearsay. I was not putting down anyone especially Eric. I tried to be respectful of everyone including the daughter and her family. I am sorry if anyone feels offended because it certainly was not my intent. I do advise to open your minds and take off the blinders. This case needs fresh eyes and new avenues because this is going nowhere. I hope you find Eric. I hope he is alive and well when you do. Good luck.

 

[veestevens]

Eric Franks is missing. He could very well be a walkaway Joe meaning he went out on his own to start over (which is a plausible theory), but if not...there are a slew of people who could have been in a position to do him harm not just two.

And just who is this slew of people you speak of???

 

[Eric's mom]

I didn't infer that the emails or anything else would come after Eric decided his course of action. I think they could have come from him and nothing happened to him until after they stopped. After the car was sold/gone. After the pleas to get KF back were over. After all was said and done in Buena Vista, MI that had any connection to him. I think it is possible he left on his own free will and that is why there has been no sign of him. I am also saying if he is deceased, as so many seem to believe, there could be a chance it was not murder at all. There is no proof either way so really it is as much of a guess as LE has made.

It is standard for LE to ask hunters to be aware of missing people in the area when hunting season rolls around. It happens in other areas, too. It is always a good idea to make them aware because they are the extra set of eyes for the searchers going out into remote parts. It is true that hunters do find remains.

I honestly don't have time to do this anymore. I gave you some ideas to ponder and tried to help direct this investigation into a more cohesive collection of facts vs. hearsay. I was not putting down anyone especially Eric. I tried to be respectful of everyone including the daughter and her family. I am sorry if anyone feels offended because it certainly was not my intent. I do advise to open your minds and take off the blinders. This case needs fresh eyes and new avenues because this is going nowhere. I hope you find Eric. I hope he is alive and well when you do. Good luck.

After Eric supposedly left the Saginaw area, months later, the day after a close friend of Eric's posted on a group fb page that we had gone to the police, I got another email. There were only 8 people who could read that post. Our family and the police are convinced it did not come from Eric. He supposedly was in CA, but the email came from the Burger King in Clio, MI.