In the spring of 1965, just before Easter, a 17-year-old wife and mother named Elizabeth 'Beth' Franks vanished from her home in Toledo, Ohio. At the time of her disappearance, she lived with her 20-year-old husband and their young daughter in the 1500 block of Western Avenue. Elizabeth, who was also known as Bethie, was described as having red hair and blue eyes, with a small mole on the back of her left thigh and a chickenpox scar on the bridge of her nose.
She had attended Genoa High School where she was a member of the chess club, and had married about a year before she went missing after becoming pregnant. The circumstances surrounding the last time she was seen remain clouded by differing accounts and the passage of time.
According to her husband, the couple had an argument after he allegedly found her with another man, which he claimed resulted in her packing her belongings and leaving. He admitted to pushing her during the confrontation, with investigators noting he said he knocked her down a set of stairs. However, a visit from Elizabeth's mother a few days later painted a more disturbing picture. When she arrived at the apartment to drop off Easter baskets, she found no one home. The landlady, who let her inside, mentioned hearing a significant commotion from the apartment the night before. Inside, Elizabeth's mother was met with a scene of disarray; the drapes were torn, clothes were strewn about, and the baby's crib was stripped of its bedding. Alarmed by the state of the apartment and the landlady's account, she reported her daughter missing and even hired a private detective to search for her.
For decades, the case grew cold, and the original police report was eventually lost. Elizabeth's daughter grew up believing the story her father told her: that her mother had simply walked out and abandoned her family. It wasn't until 2004 that the investigation gained new momentum when one of Elizabeth's relatives contacted the police, prompting them to reopen the case. Investigators soon announced they believed Elizabeth had been a victim of foul play, citing the complete lack of contact with any friends or family and the fact that her Social Security number has never been used since her disappearance. Her husband was re-interviewed by police and has been described as a person of interest in the case. In 2022, a new lead directed law enforcement to a quarry in Genoa, where dive teams searched for a submerged vehicle they believed might be connected to the case. Although two cars were recovered, neither was the vehicle they were searching for and no evidence was found. The disappearance of Elizabeth Franks is considered the oldest missing persons case in Toledo and remains an unsolved presumed homicide. The lack of resolution has left her loved ones, particularly her daughter, without answers for decades, hoping to one day learn what truly happened and find closure in knowing she was a victim and did not abandon her child.Last Seen: Apr 1, 1965
