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Case Description

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Summary based on the NamUs case record (MP55259) and 4 other sources
Franklin Eugene Marston, also known as “Skip,” was 32 years old when he disappeared from Lewiston, Maine, on July 31, 1977. He was a White/Caucasian man with brown hair and blue eyes, described as approximately 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 9 inches tall and 155 to 165 pounds. He wore glasses and had a scar on the right side of his abdomen. When last documented, he was reportedly wearing a white V-neck T-shirt, coverall jeans, and green combat boots. His case is listed in NamUs as MP55259, with the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office identified as the investigating agency.

The known story of Franklin’s disappearance begins at home in Lewiston. According to public case summaries, Franklin left with the intention of going to Rams Island to take pictures along the Androscoggin River in Turner, Maine. That detail gives the day a quiet, ordinary beginning: a man setting out with a camera, apparently drawn to the river landscape. The public information does not describe an argument, a known threat, or a confirmed destination beyond the Rams Island area, leaving the purpose of the trip as one of the few human details preserved in the record.

After Franklin was last seen, his vehicle was found abandoned at the Center Bridge in Turner. That discovery shifted the focus of his disappearance from Lewiston to the Turner area along the Androscoggin River, but the available public sources do not say what condition the vehicle was in, whether his camera or personal belongings were recovered, or whether there were signs explaining why he did not return. The abandoned vehicle remains one of the central known facts in the case, standing as the last public marker between Franklin’s planned photography trip and the long silence that followed.

The case has remained publicly documented for decades, but the available online record is sparse. NamUs lists Franklin’s date of last contact as July 31, 1977, and identifies Lewiston as the place he was missing from, while other public missing-person listings repeat the same core details: his age, physical description, last known area, and the discovery of his abandoned vehicle near Center Bridge. Few additional circumstances have been made public, and one public case summary states that few details are available and that Franklin’s whereabouts remain unknown.

Franklin’s case is still remembered through the identifying details that remain: a 32-year-old Lewiston man nicknamed Skip, a planned trip to photograph the Androscoggin River near Rams Island, and a vehicle later found abandoned at Center Bridge in Turner. The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office is listed as the investigating agency, with agency case number 77-3496. In overview, Franklin Eugene Marston’s disappearance is a long-unsolved Maine missing person case centered on a brief final journey from home toward the river, a found vehicle, and decades of unanswered questions for those who knew him and for anyone still hoping the truth of what happened to him can be brought to light.

Last Seen: Jul 31, 1977

Possible Unidentified Matches (4)

Unidentified remains cases whose details are consistent with this person, ranked by how closely they compare. Fields that are unknown in either case are left out of the score.

81%Moderate
John Doe — Woolwich, Maine
UP99044 • Found Sep 3, 1986
View case
Sex ✓Male
Age 100%Est. 35–45 vs 32 when missing
Race 100%White
Location 96%24 mi away, same state
TimingFound 9 years after last seen
Height 100%5'2"–5'7" vs 5'7"–5'9"
Hair 100%Brown vs Brown
75%Possible
John Doe — Somerville, Massachusetts - unidentified case UP14725
John Doe — Somerville, Massachusetts
UP14725 • Found Dec 13, 2009
View case
Sex ✓Male
Age 100%Est. 44–46 vs 32 when missing
Race 100%White
Location 70%126 mi away
TimingFound 32 years after last seen
Height 100%5'8" vs 5'7"–5'9"
Weight 99%182 lb vs 155–165 lb
Hair 100%Brown vs Brown
75%Possible
John Doe — Boston, Massachusetts - unidentified case UP15937
John Doe — Boston, Massachusetts
UP15937 • Found Jun 20, 2006
View case
Sex ✓Male
Age 100%Est. 47 vs 32 when missing
Race 100%White
Location 70%127 mi away
TimingFound 29 years after last seen
Height 100%5'7" vs 5'7"–5'9"
Weight 93%133 lb vs 155–165 lb
Hair 60%Black vs Brown
Eyes 100%Blue vs Blue
75%Possible
John Doe — Methuen, Massachusetts - unidentified case UP14202
John Doe — Methuen, Massachusetts
UP14202 • Found Oct 28, 2000
View case
Sex ✓Male
Age 100%Est. 35–45 vs 32 when missing
Race 100%White
Location 74%107 mi away
TimingFound 23 years after last seen
Height 84%5'11"–6'5" vs 5'7"–5'9"
Weight 100%165 lb vs 155–165 lb
Hair 100%Brown vs Brown

These comparisons are generated automatically from public NamUs case data and are not confirmed identifications. Only DNA, dental or fingerprint comparison by investigators can confirm an identity. If you believe two cases are connected, contact the agency handling the unidentified case.

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