EPISODE 456: Case Update - Eric Franks - Plausible Deniability

We first shared the story of Eric Franks’ disappearance in October 2021. While his case is still unsolved, we have significant new information to share with you nearly three years after our original episodes aired, which could potentially shed light on this mystery. 

In March 2011, 38-year-old Eric Franks disappeared from Saginaw, Michigan. In 2010, Eric learned he had a teenage daughter, so he traveled to the Saginaw area to connect with her. Eric went radio silent in early March, but then his family began receiving emails from Eric periodically. They went along with this for a time, as they had no reason to question that Eric was sending the emails. Still, something was off about the whole thing, and later, they decided to report Eric missing. Over the last 13 years, a bizarre string of events has unfolded, unraveling disturbing clues about what may have happened and who may be responsible for Eric’s disappearance.

If you have any information about the disappearance of Eric Franks, please call the Michigan State Police at 989-495-5555.

EPISODE 455: Patricia Jane Wagner

On the night of October 20, 1972, 26-year-old Patricia Wagner left her Jersey City apartment for a coffee date with her new boyfriend, Dennis. Her mother, Marie, agreed to watch Patty's two young sons, Kenny and Michael, for a few hours. Before leaving, Patty's oldest son, Kenny, begged her not to go. He was overcome by a bad feeling about his mother going out that night, but he didn't know why. Patty reassured her young son that she would return later and headed out of her apartment for her date. That was the last known sighting of Patricia Wagner. Patty never came home, and her family never heard from her again. Although Patty's mother quickly jumped into action to report her daughter missing, Patty's case went ice cold. Decades later, a younger family member became determined to do what she could to find her long-lost cousin. 

If you have any information about the disappearance of Patricia Jane Wagner, please contact the New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit at 609-882-2000.

You can follow the efforts to find Patty on social media at "Where Is Patricia Jane Wagner?" Be sure to follow Madison's page and Facebook group, "AVoice4TheLost."

EPISODE 454: Andy Puglisi - Open Investigation

In the early days of the show, I came across a website called haveyouseenandy.com. The website focused on the case of Andy Puglisi, a 10-year-old boy who disappeared from a pool in Lawrence, MA, in August 1976. Andy's friend, Melanie Perkins McLaughlin, created and maintained the website. Melanie had previously directed an HBO documentary about Andy's case, which won an Emmy in 2008 for Outstanding Investigative Journalism.

When I contacted Melanie to inquire about featuring Andy on the show, I was surprised that she responded and agreed, given my limited experience in podcasting at the time. After Andy's original episode aired, Melanie and I stayed in touch, and she even provided her expertise when we covered similar cases from that era. 

Through her research, Melanie discovered that there were more missing and murdered children with stories similar to Andy's. This realization led her to shift her focus from Andy's individual case to a broader perspective, uncovering shocking new information along the way. Melanie always expressed a desire to continue telling Andy's story after realizing that this story was more extensive than just one boy disappearing from a pool in 1976. 

Melanie often discussed a project she was working on during our conversations. This project that she was chipping away at, a podcast called Open Investigation, is set to be released starting September 3. Melanie joined us again this week to discuss the developments in Andy's case and tell us about her podcast. The trailer is available today, and the first episode will be released tomorrow. You can subscribe to Open Investigation now wherever you listen to podcasts.