Saginaw MI Elisa

Eric Franks traveled to Saginaw in 2011 to meet a teenage daughter of his that he had not known existed. The ex girlfriend who had contacted him with this information is believed to be the last person that saw him before he vanished without a trace. The hotel where he was staying informed the police that this former girlfriend emptied out his room and it is believed that she used his phone after his disappearance. Eric was 38 years old when he disappeared and his car is also still missing.

It's pouring and windy when we pull into the rally stop. Luckily, Eric's mother and aunt have tents set up. In addition to family photos and pictures of the missing, they have one table with the tablecloth acting as a banner on which messages are and can be written to the missing. A wreath stood on a stand with cut out pumpkins and acorns below on which to write your missing loved one and hang it onto the wreath. Eric's Aunt Debra encouraged me to write Mathew down and when I informed her that he had been recovered she was even more adamant that I put up a remembrance pumpkin.

There were a few Michigan State Police Officers in attendance, some of which spoke. Multiple media outlets were there and in the small space under the tents (ok, not so small but) I kept getting in the way of the cameras. Excuse me was my middle name for the hour and a half we were there. Debra introduced everyone and as Eric's mother Jo Ann spoke Debra knew when to step in and stand beside supporting her sister.

They were both wearing yellow shirts with Eric's picture on the front and while Debra's said "Have You Seen Eric?" Jo Ann's said "Have You Seen My Son?" The back of Jo Ann's had a baby picture of Eric on it and said "Everybody Is Somebody's Baby". I really liked that and it's a nice play on CUE's tag line "Every Missing Person Is Somebody's Child".

Originally while Jo Ann was speaking her face began to become covered with blotches of red. It happened slowly and I was unsure at first, but as someone who gets red and breaks out in hives I could tell and feel her stress rising. By the time she was done giving multiple interviews her face was more red than white and all I wanted to do was put my arms around her and give her a giant mother to mother hug. She told how in the two years prior to Eric going missing,  her husband, mother, and brother had died. So much to handle in such a short period of time. My husband died two years and one week before Mathew went missing, both Jo Ann and I were married to our high school sweethearts, so I think I know pretty well how she feels. At least with a death you have the ability to fully grieve, when you have a missing person all control is removed and all you are left with the unknown. As a recent widow you have additional angst. I often tried to think of what Danny would do, how he would handle this or that, and I missed him besides me while OUR son was missing, taking control so I could fall apart, and holding me at night.

The rain subsided enough to do a balloon release. There were 42 yellow balloons, one for every year of Eric's life as he would be 42 now. Before we left I got to give Jo Ann that hug. This case and this family will stay with me.

Elisa