MI ERIC FRANKS: Missing from Saginaw, MI - 21 March 2011 - Age 38

We had a thread for Eric before we lost our site info. There is a new development! First, I will give some background:

there's a lot of info at this FB page (remove the spaces) : https:// www.facebook.com/ FindEricFranks/posts/new-development-in-2011-missing-persons-case-by-terry-camp-posted-wed-425-pm-sep/677538002403012/

Fresh eyes looking at new leads in 7-year Eric Franks missing persons case

Franks' disappearance is being investigated as a murder. Three law enforcement agencies in the Saginaw area and another agency from Florida are actively working the case.

www.abc12.com

3/21/2018) - Eric Franks vanished from the Saginaw area 7 years ago along with his car, but investigators are still missing key pieces of information to break open the case.

Franks was 38 years old when he disappeared in 2011. His car vanished too.

"Most likely it's gone," said Michigan State Police investigator Hilary House. "It was scrapped, it was cut into pieces."

Franks' disappearance is being investigated as a murder. Three law enforcement agencies in the Saginaw area and another agency from Florida are actively working the case.

"All of our contacts are down there, our resources," House said. "Anyone that knew the last whereabouts of Eric, they are in Florida."

Kendra Firmingham died in Florida in 2016. She had a child with Franks. Firmingham's husband, who has been questioned in Florida, has given investigators names of two men who knew Firmingham.

"After she passed away we have learned of those names of people he was familiar with that she used to stay in contact with," House said.

She is attempting to track down those two men. She believes both live in Michigan

Additionally, House believes a vehicle that drove away from Miller's Motel in Bridgeport with Franks' belongings was a specific color and authorities believed Firmingham was driving that vehicle.

"There is a possibility that a red car may be involved at this point too that we were unaware of before," House said.

She has some additional help with the investigation. Samiejo Taylor is an intern with the Michigan State Police who is reviewing recorded interviews and three binders of information

"She's a fresh new eyes," House said. "She loves it, she's into it."


There are theories and even strong possibilities as to what happened to Franks, but seven years later police are still looking for that one person to step forward who knows what happened to Franks.

"I'm determined, but its a tough one," House said. "There is no body and there is no vehicle and everyone has moved."

ERIC FRANKS has been missing from Saginaw, MI since 21 March 2011. His car was located in Sept. 2020! WHAT HAPPENED?

Eric checked out of the motel on March 21, 2011. His former girlfriend told police that she saw Eric that day removing items out of his motel room. The motel owner says he did not see Eric that day, but he did see the ex-girlfriend removing items...

www.crimewatchers.net

 

[GrandmaBear]

That is weird "Conceived on". Really?. The rest of it is just as weird.

It is downright strange no doubt.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Investigators hope DNA will solve mystery of foot found in Flint River

Foot discovered in Flint River most likely belonged to a man as police try to determine how it got there.

www.abc12.com

Investigators hope DNA will solve mystery of foot found in Flint River​

New information on a shocking discovery, as a boot with a human foot still inside was found in southern Saginaw County.

There are a lot of angles to cover after the work boot was snagged by two teenagers who were fishing along the Flint River in southern Saginaw County. The remains of a human foot were inside.


“This boot and foot may have been in the water anywhere from sixty days, up to two years, maybe longer,” says Federspiel about the preliminary findings.

“The pictures we have of are of a very wet, soaked boot but it appeared to be made of leather, so it appeared dark, now when it dries out we might have a different color,” he says.

He says the size of the boot was 10 and a half. The discovery has investigators looking at missing persons cases in the region.

The mother of Eric Franks, who vanished from the Saginaw area ten years ago this month, confirms Franks wore a similar size boot.

Franks’ family and investigators are still waiting for DNA results to come back on skeletal remains found in woods in 2018 in Chapin Township.

Federspiel is hoping it doesn’t take that long to get results back on the newly discovered foot.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Investigators hope DNA will solve mystery of foot found in Flint River

Foot discovered in Flint River most likely belonged to a man as police try to determine how it got there.

www.abc12.com

Investigators hope DNA will solve mystery of foot found in Flint River​

New information on a shocking discovery, as a boot with a human foot still inside was found in southern Saginaw County.

There are a lot of angles to cover after the work boot was snagged by two teenagers who were fishing along the Flint River in southern Saginaw County. The remains of a human foot were inside.


“This boot and foot may have been in the water anywhere from sixty days, up to two years, maybe longer,” says Federspiel about the preliminary findings.

“The pictures we have of are of a very wet, soaked boot but it appeared to be made of leather, so it appeared dark, now when it dries out we might have a different color,” he says.

He says the size of the boot was 10 and a half. The discovery has investigators looking at missing persons cases in the region.

The mother of Eric Franks, who vanished from the Saginaw area ten years ago this month, confirms Franks wore a similar size boot.

Franks’ family and investigators are still waiting for DNA results to come back on skeletal remains found in woods in 2018 in Chapin Township.

Federspiel is hoping it doesn’t take that long to get results back on the newly discovered foot.

I am sure it won't surprise anyone here to hear that I don't know about this foot and shoe thing. Either in recent cases or past ones I have seen. In rivers, oceans, ponds, etc...

This one, maybe I can believe if it was a heavy work boot and the foot is not majorly intact after all of this time... Forgive me though if it seems to be foot week...

 

[Kimster]

I am sure it won't surprise anyone here to hear that I don't know about this foot and shoe thing. Either in recent cases or past ones I have seen. In rivers, oceans, ponds, etc...

This one, maybe I can believe if it was a heavy work boot and the foot is not majorly intact after all of this time... Forgive me though if it seems to be foot week...

It does seem really strange, that's for sure.

 

[Jason Futch]

Investigators hope DNA will solve mystery of foot found in Flint River

Foot discovered in Flint River most likely belonged to a man as police try to determine how it got there.

www.abc12.com

Investigators hope DNA will solve mystery of foot found in Flint River​

New information on a shocking discovery, as a boot with a human foot still inside was found in southern Saginaw County.

There are a lot of angles to cover after the work boot was snagged by two teenagers who were fishing along the Flint River in southern Saginaw County. The remains of a human foot were inside.


“This boot and foot may have been in the water anywhere from sixty days, up to two years, maybe longer,” says Federspiel about the preliminary findings.

“The pictures we have of are of a very wet, soaked boot but it appeared to be made of leather, so it appeared dark, now when it dries out we might have a different color,” he says.

He says the size of the boot was 10 and a half. The discovery has investigators looking at missing persons cases in the region.

The mother of Eric Franks, who vanished from the Saginaw area ten years ago this month, confirms Franks wore a similar size boot.

Franks’ family and investigators are still waiting for DNA results to come back on skeletal remains found in woods in 2018 in Chapin Township.

Federspiel is hoping it doesn’t take that long to get results back on the newly discovered foot.

This is very concerning. @KaylaraOwl brought this to my attention yesterday, and will be patiently awaiting the news on this!

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

A decade later family pleads for answers in man's disappearance

One day in 2010 Eric Lee Franks found out he was a father of a teenage daughter. That’s why he moved from Ohio to Saginaw to get to know her.

www.wnem.com

A decade later family pleads for answers in man's disappearance​

One day in 2010 Eric Lee Franks found out he was a father of a teenage daughter. That’s why he moved from Ohio to Saginaw to get to know her.

“Eric met her several times. He’d report back to his mom how they’d gone to the mall or gone roller skating,” said Eric’s brother-in-law Chad Baus.

But in March 2011, Franks disappeared.

A witness told police she’d seen him driving away from Miller's Motel in Bridgeport on March 21. Eric had been living there and the motel manager told family he last saw Eric on March 14.

Either way, Eric has been missing for a decade.

“There’s the normal grief of somebody losing a loved one, but then there’s also this not-knowing and a 'maybe I’m never going to know' kind of feeling,” Baus said.

Baus said he biggest piece of the puzzle so far was Eric’s car. It was found last September in Clare. It had been purchased at a Saginaw estate sale.

"Finding the car after nearly 10 years was a shock,” Baus said. “That gave us hope, especially the location of the car gave us some confirmations about what we think happened to Eric."

The family believes Eric is dead. The last person to claim to have seen him alive died in 2016.

 

[Skitt]

I am always glad to see media reports still. We have been waiting such a long time for answers. Thanks for the latest, peeps. I had not seen anything about this boot/foot.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

‘Did you kill him?’ Audio clips provide insight into Eric Franks mystery

ABC 12 News obtained the audio tapes from someone close to the investigation.

www.abc12.com

‘Did you kill him?’ Audio clips provide insight into Eric Franks mystery​

Eric Franks has been missing for more than 10 years.

Some never before heard audio clips of police interrogating the main suspect in the case and her husband provide more insight on the investigation. ABC12 News received the tape from someone with knowledge of this case and confirmed they are authentic.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Nearly a year after car is found, new details in the Eric Franks case released

While his car has been found, the mystery of what happened to Eric Franks continues.

www.abc12.com

Nearly a year after car is found, new details in the Eric Franks case released​

New details in the investigation of a baffling missing persons case in mid-Michigan as the search for Eric Franks continues.

It was nearly a year ago when a big part of that mystery was discovered.

Franks’ car was found, which vanished with him ten years ago.

Through the Freedom of Information Act, his family received a lot of documents and pictures associated with the Michigan State Police investigation, which included new information on what was found in Eric’s car.


The car apparently had been hidden in the garage at the home for several years after Franks disappeared in March of 2011. The Michigan State Police conducted a forensic search of the car, and did find a small amount of blood on the driver’s seat.

Testing indicated it was most likely Eric’s blood, which disappointed his brother-in-law.

“Once I found out that the blood was there, kind of became my hope that it wasn’t Eric’s blood because if it had been someone else’s blood, again, that would have been a big clue that could have been tracked down,” says Baus.

A picture shows police in the garage where Franks’ car was apparently parked for several years.

They broke open concrete which appeared to have been paved over. No human remains were found.


The state police is still investigating this case and has always asked anyone with information to give them a call.

 

[Kimster]

On the outside, it seems like they don’t have much.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Michigan investigation into missing man Eric Lee Franks continues over a decade later

The 38-year-old was last seen on March 14, 2011, by the owner of the motel where he was staying, when he paid for a week of rent.

www.nbcnews.com

Michigan investigation into missing man Eric Lee Franks continues over a decade later​

38-year-old Eric Franks had two big dreams in life, according to his brother-in-law, Chad Baus.

“One was: He dreamed of working in Hollywood. And he actually moved out to California for a while and worked on some small sets,” Chad told Dateline. “The other one was to have a family.”


Chad, who is the family spokesperson, told Dateline he believes Eric’s dream to have a family may have, unfortunately, been connected to his disappearance. “That dream kind of wound up playing into part of what happened to him, we think.”

He told Dateline that in October 2010, Eric moved to Saginaw, Michigan after he had reconnected with an ex-girlfriend, Kendra Firmingham, on social media in May of 2010. He “figured out that she actually had his biological child and he was never aware of that before,” Chad said.

“He was in contact with the mother -- his former girlfriend,” Chad explained. “The mother was, you know, expressing that she and her husband were having, you know, things weren’t going well.”

Kendra Firmingham was married to a man named John Carnes. But Chad told Dateline that Eric soon moved to Michigan under the belief that he and Kendra “were gonna get together and be a happy little family.”

About a week after Eric arrived in Michigan, he met his daughter, Emily. “He was there for a few months and did -- did meet his daughter and did have a relationship with -- with the mother before -- before he disappeared,” Chad told Dateline.

Chad said that in the few months that Eric was living in Michigan, he would always stay in touch with his family back in Ohio. “I mean, we guys are kind of bad about checking in with our moms,” Chad said, with a laugh. “But, you know, every few weeks -- I mean, she always knew where he was. She always knew what he was doing.”

Chad told Dateline that Eric mainly “stayed in contact by phone and occasionally email.”

So when Eric went quiet for a couple of weeks in late winter of 2011, the Franks family knew something was wrong. “[Jo Ann] hadn't heard from him, she would call and leave messages,” he said. “He wouldn't call back.”

Chad explained that Eric had told his family that he was “going to be moving to a new house” with Kendra and that the “cell service wasn’t going to be great.”

So the family waited, hoping to get back in touch with Eric. “The last day that Jo Ann and another friend of Eric's heard his voice was March 10,” Chad told Dateline.

Then, in the months following, Jo Ann received some emails from her son. “Through the summer, about once a month, she would get something that was supposedly from him,” Chad said. “Even at the time – especially looking back – she was like, ‘That just doesn’t sound like Eric.’”

Chad said that by November of 2011, Jo Ann decided to report Eric missing. “She finally decided, you know, ‘I think something’s wrong,’” Chad told Dateline. “She basically sent a message and said, ‘Unless I hear your voice, I’m going to the police.’”

She didn’t hear Eric’s voice. Jo Ann reported her only son missing to police.


MUCH MORE AT LINK

 

[Kimster]

Michigan investigation into missing man Eric Lee Franks continues over a decade later

The 38-year-old was last seen on March 14, 2011, by the owner of the motel where he was staying, when he paid for a week of rent.

www.nbcnews.com

Michigan investigation into missing man Eric Lee Franks continues over a decade later​

38-year-old Eric Franks had two big dreams in life, according to his brother-in-law, Chad Baus.

“One was: He dreamed of working in Hollywood. And he actually moved out to California for a while and worked on some small sets,” Chad told Dateline. “The other one was to have a family.”


Chad, who is the family spokesperson, told Dateline he believes Eric’s dream to have a family may have, unfortunately, been connected to his disappearance. “That dream kind of wound up playing into part of what happened to him, we think.”

He told Dateline that in October 2010, Eric moved to Saginaw, Michigan after he had reconnected with an ex-girlfriend, Kendra Firmingham, on social media in May of 2010. He “figured out that she actually had his biological child and he was never aware of that before,” Chad said.

“He was in contact with the mother -- his former girlfriend,” Chad explained. “The mother was, you know, expressing that she and her husband were having, you know, things weren’t going well.”

Kendra Firmingham was married to a man named John Carnes. But Chad told Dateline that Eric soon moved to Michigan under the belief that he and Kendra “were gonna get together and be a happy little family.”

About a week after Eric arrived in Michigan, he met his daughter, Emily. “He was there for a few months and did -- did meet his daughter and did have a relationship with -- with the mother before -- before he disappeared,” Chad told Dateline.

Chad said that in the few months that Eric was living in Michigan, he would always stay in touch with his family back in Ohio. “I mean, we guys are kind of bad about checking in with our moms,” Chad said, with a laugh. “But, you know, every few weeks -- I mean, she always knew where he was. She always knew what he was doing.”

Chad told Dateline that Eric mainly “stayed in contact by phone and occasionally email.”

So when Eric went quiet for a couple of weeks in late winter of 2011, the Franks family knew something was wrong. “[Jo Ann] hadn't heard from him, she would call and leave messages,” he said. “He wouldn't call back.”

Chad explained that Eric had told his family that he was “going to be moving to a new house” with Kendra and that the “cell service wasn’t going to be great.”

So the family waited, hoping to get back in touch with Eric. “The last day that Jo Ann and another friend of Eric's heard his voice was March 10,” Chad told Dateline.

Then, in the months following, Jo Ann received some emails from her son. “Through the summer, about once a month, she would get something that was supposedly from him,” Chad said. “Even at the time – especially looking back – she was like, ‘That just doesn’t sound like Eric.’”

Chad said that by November of 2011, Jo Ann decided to report Eric missing. “She finally decided, you know, ‘I think something’s wrong,’” Chad told Dateline. “She basically sent a message and said, ‘Unless I hear your voice, I’m going to the police.’”

She didn’t hear Eric’s voice. Jo Ann reported her only son missing to police.


MUCH MORE AT LINK

That's a really good article and it sums up the case to where we are today. I didn't know Kendra's husband was still alive. I've always wished her daughter would reach out to Eric's mother, her grandmother, but I guess she hasn't.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

What happened to Eric Franks? Audio recordings shed new details

Eric Franks vanished from the Bridgeport area in 2011.

www.abc12.com

What happened to Eric Franks? Audio recordings shed new details​

New audio tapes recently released give details about a cold case in Mid-Michigan.

Recordings of police interviews bring to light how police were lied to when they first started their investigation of Eric Franks.

"She was pretty adamant, and she was furious every time I brought it up," says the daughter of Eric Franks, Emily.

She was the reason Franks left his Ohio home and headed to the Saginaw area in 2010.

His old girlfriend, Kendra Firmingham, had informed him that Emily was his child.

In March 2011, Eric and his car vanished.

Kendra Firmingham, her husband and Emily were all questioned by then-Buena Vista Township Police Detective Sean Waterman in 2012.

He asked Firmingham's husband if he knew what happened to Eric.

"He just kept telling me, go ask Kendra, go ask Kendra," Waterman remembered.

So he did.

"So eventually the question became, somewhere in the interview, did you do this," asks Waterman. "Did you kill him? Of course, her answer was no, no."

The family had moved to Florida shortly after Eric disappeared.

Kendra Firmingham died of cancer in 2016.

The next year, a Florida police detective interviewed Kendra's husband and Emily.

For the first time, we are hearing the recordings of those interviews, and Emily says her mom told her to lie to mid-Michigan police back in 2012.

Emily would have been 16 years old at the time.

"Don't tell them how many times you saw Eric," Emily told the Florida detective. "Tell them you only saw him two or three times at the mall. That is it."

Emily told the Florida detective she saw Eric about eight times.

"I think when I hear that interview in Florida, and then look at my interview, and how nervous she was and how guarded she was, she had been prepped," says Waterman. "She had been told by Kendra that police are probably going to talk to you, and this is what you are going to say."

Police also wanted to find Eric's cell phone.

"The evidence of the phone log was pretty clear that the phone was used after he was missing," Waterman remembered.

Emily says she found a cell phone in 2012 in a purse that belonged to her mom. She showed it to Kendra.

"She lost her mind, screaming, throwing things, threatening me. You are not going to leave my house. Don't go through my stuff," Emily told police on how her mom reacted.

Kendra's husband was also interviewed.

"We both speculated that it could be Eric's phone," Kendra's husband told the detective.

But for some reason, they never called the police. Kendra's husband, who we are not identifying by name, also told Florida police that after Kendra died, he gave Kendra's two guns to Emily with a condition.

"Don't ever sell them because just in case a body turns up and there is a bullet hole, they might say that might be the murder weapon," he explained. "Never sell it."

Kendra Firmingham told police in mid-Michigan that she last saw Eric driving away from the Miller Motel in March of 2011 and that he said he was leaving town. In 2020, police got definite proof that was a lie.

"I think finding the car confirmed what we thought we knew about the person that was most assuredly involved, being Kendra Firmingham," says Chad Baus, Eric's brother-in-law.

Eric's car was found in Sept. 2022.

A man had purchased it from an estate sale after the passing of an incapacitated adult, Gerald Rutledge, who lives on Mason Street.

Eric's car had been in his garage all those years. Firmingham was a caretaker for Rutledge, and neighbors say they saw Firmingham and her husband at the house several times.

Court papers indicate there were questions over Kendra's handling of Rutledge's money in March 2011. Rutledge had about $2.7 million.

"That is the month and the days when Eric turned up missing," says Waterman. "I guess one could assume that could be about the time when that car was moved to Rutledge's house."

Did Kendra kill Eric because he knew she was taking money from Gerald Rutledge?

"Could she have killed him by herself? Probably. There are all kinds of ways," said Waterman. "Could she have disposed of his body by herself? I don't believe so."

"Justice for her is not going to happen on this side of life, but it can for anybody who may have helped her, and that is what we are seeking," says Baus.

The Florida detective who interviewed Kendra's husband asked if he would take a lie detector test.

"They consider you and Kendra suspects, so if you fail, they will still consider you a suspect." the detective told Kendra's husband. "If you pass it, potentially they can move on."

Kendra's husband refused. The search for the answer as to what happened to Eric Franks continues.

"Eric's mom deserves it," says Baus. "My wife, Eric's sister, deserves it, and we are not going to stop."

"You want closure for people," says Waterman. "They want to know where their loved one is, and this is sad because he may never be found."

The Michigan State Police is asking anyone with information on this case to give them a call.

 

[Kimster]

What happened to Eric Franks? Audio recordings shed new details

Eric Franks vanished from the Bridgeport area in 2011.

www.abc12.com

What happened to Eric Franks? Audio recordings shed new details​

New audio tapes recently released give details about a cold case in Mid-Michigan.

Recordings of police interviews bring to light how police were lied to when they first started their investigation of Eric Franks.

"She was pretty adamant, and she was furious every time I brought it up," says the daughter of Eric Franks, Emily.

She was the reason Franks left his Ohio home and headed to the Saginaw area in 2010.

His old girlfriend, Kendra Firmingham, had informed him that Emily was his child.

In March 2011, Eric and his car vanished.

Kendra Firmingham, her husband and Emily were all questioned by then-Buena Vista Township Police Detective Sean Waterman in 2012.

He asked Firmingham's husband if he knew what happened to Eric.

"He just kept telling me, go ask Kendra, go ask Kendra," Waterman remembered.

So he did.

"So eventually the question became, somewhere in the interview, did you do this," asks Waterman. "Did you kill him? Of course, her answer was no, no."

The family had moved to Florida shortly after Eric disappeared.

Kendra Firmingham died of cancer in 2016.

The next year, a Florida police detective interviewed Kendra's husband and Emily.

For the first time, we are hearing the recordings of those interviews, and Emily says her mom told her to lie to mid-Michigan police back in 2012.

Emily would have been 16 years old at the time.

"Don't tell them how many times you saw Eric," Emily told the Florida detective. "Tell them you only saw him two or three times at the mall. That is it."

Emily told the Florida detective she saw Eric about eight times.

"I think when I hear that interview in Florida, and then look at my interview, and how nervous she was and how guarded she was, she had been prepped," says Waterman. "She had been told by Kendra that police are probably going to talk to you, and this is what you are going to say."

Police also wanted to find Eric's cell phone.

"The evidence of the phone log was pretty clear that the phone was used after he was missing," Waterman remembered.

Emily says she found a cell phone in 2012 in a purse that belonged to her mom. She showed it to Kendra.

"She lost her mind, screaming, throwing things, threatening me. You are not going to leave my house. Don't go through my stuff," Emily told police on how her mom reacted.

Kendra's husband was also interviewed.

"We both speculated that it could be Eric's phone," Kendra's husband told the detective.

But for some reason, they never called the police. Kendra's husband, who we are not identifying by name, also told Florida police that after Kendra died, he gave Kendra's two guns to Emily with a condition.

"Don't ever sell them because just in case a body turns up and there is a bullet hole, they might say that might be the murder weapon," he explained. "Never sell it."

Kendra Firmingham told police in mid-Michigan that she last saw Eric driving away from the Miller Motel in March of 2011 and that he said he was leaving town. In 2020, police got definite proof that was a lie.

"I think finding the car confirmed what we thought we knew about the person that was most assuredly involved, being Kendra Firmingham," says Chad Baus, Eric's brother-in-law.

Eric's car was found in Sept. 2022.

A man had purchased it from an estate sale after the passing of an incapacitated adult, Gerald Rutledge, who lives on Mason Street.

Eric's car had been in his garage all those years. Firmingham was a caretaker for Rutledge, and neighbors say they saw Firmingham and her husband at the house several times.

Court papers indicate there were questions over Kendra's handling of Rutledge's money in March 2011. Rutledge had about $2.7 million.

"That is the month and the days when Eric turned up missing," says Waterman. "I guess one could assume that could be about the time when that car was moved to Rutledge's house."

Did Kendra kill Eric because he knew she was taking money from Gerald Rutledge?

"Could she have killed him by herself? Probably. There are all kinds of ways," said Waterman. "Could she have disposed of his body by herself? I don't believe so."

"Justice for her is not going to happen on this side of life, but it can for anybody who may have helped her, and that is what we are seeking," says Baus.

The Florida detective who interviewed Kendra's husband asked if he would take a lie detector test.

"They consider you and Kendra suspects, so if you fail, they will still consider you a suspect." the detective told Kendra's husband. "If you pass it, potentially they can move on."

Kendra's husband refused. The search for the answer as to what happened to Eric Franks continues.

"Eric's mom deserves it," says Baus. "My wife, Eric's sister, deserves it, and we are not going to stop."

"You want closure for people," says Waterman. "They want to know where their loved one is, and this is sad because he may never be found."

The Michigan State Police is asking anyone with information on this case to give them a call.

Oh wow!!!! I'm glad the tapes have been released. Since LE believes Kendra's husband might know more than he's telling, I really really hope he breaks down and gets it off his chest so Eric's mom can finally have closure!!!!!!!

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

WMU criminal justice students help police probe Eric Franks case

Eric Franks vanished from the Saginaw area in March of 2011.

www.abc12.com

WMU criminal justice students help police probe Eric Franks case​

A Saginaw County homicide case is back in the spotlight with a group of students hoping to solve it.

Students from Western Michigan University came to the Saginaw area today as they are helping detectives try to solve the mystery of the disappearance of Eric Franks.

Several students from the Western Michigan University Criminal Justice program got to tour the locations that are part of a 13 year old mid-Michigan mystery.

What happened to Eric Franks?

They visited Miller's Motel in Bridgeport, the last place Eric lived before he and his car disappeared in March 2011.

"It's really different, and its really eye opening to realize that we are here now, this is where this happened," says WMU Junior Haley Scott.

She has been helping the Michigan State Police cold case unit since August.

"The Eric Franks case is our primary case we are working on," she says.

Ashlyn Kuersten is the director of the W-M-U program, which gained national notoriety for helping crack a cold case murder on the west side of the state.

"The biggest thing they do is digitize the case file, some of these case files are 40 to 50 thousand pages," says Kuersten.


The students also went to the Saginaw home where Eric Franks car was found in 2020.

An incapacitated adult lived here, and when he died, it was discovered Eric's car was parked in his garage.

The caretaker of that adult was Kenda Firmingham, the mother of Eric's daughter.

Firmingham died of cancer in 2016, but her husband who lives in Florida has been a person of interest in the case. He's been interviewed by local and Florida detectives.

"There were definitely a few people we thought it would be nice to interview again," says Scott.

Twice now, this Western Michigan program has helped police solve two cold cases.

"We are here to help make the detectives lives easier and to help the victims, the victim's families get the closure they need," says Coha.