Earnest Edward Francis
Earnest Edward Francis, known by friends and family as "Earnie," was last seen on May 4, 2011, in Sistersville, West Virginia. That afternoon, he left his mother's home with his three oldest children to attend an appointment. Later that evening, he called to ask his brother if he could borrow his car for work, and surveillance footage captured him stopping at a local gas station soon after. The last known account of Earnie came from his estranged wife, who said he planned to stop by a nearby hydroelectric dam to use the restroom. After that, he never made it to work and was never heard from again.
His father later found the car Earnie had been driving, a Geo Tracker, abandoned near the dam. Inside were his belongings: his wallet, cell phone, money, keys, belt, and even the medallion from his necklace. The car was locked, and there was no sign of Earnie nearby. His loved ones have never believed he would simply walk away from his four children.
Earnie's case remains unresolved.
Physical Description
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 190 pounds
Hair Color: Red
Eye Color: Blue
Tattoos:
A Grim Reaper in red and green with Indian feathers on his left shoulder
A scorpion on the inside of his lower right arm
"METALLICA" written across his right wrist
A spider skeleton tattooed on his upper back
Cartoon-style googly eyes on the left side of his chest
Distinguishing Marks:
A circular indented scar on his lower leg
Other:
Multiple body piercings
What You Can Do
If you have any information about the disappearance of Earnest Edward Francis, please contact the New Martinsville Police Department at (304) 455-9100.
Earnest is listed in the NamUs database under case number MP11021.
Even after all these years, Earnie is not forgotten. Every detail, no matter how small, could help bring much-needed answers.
Behind the Scenes of the Project
A FOIA request was submitted in connection with this case. We received a response from the New Martinsville Police Department, which was that they could not locate any files/documents on Earnest. We then reached out the Wetzel County Sheriff’s Department, in hopes that they may have documentation. We did not receive a response back after several attempts. After attempts to reach out to the above agencies went unanswered, we contacted NamUs. They responded that they will contact New Martinsville Police Department to try to offer aid in the case.