Ricky Franks Missing Person Case

Dec 12, 2008

Jan 12, 2024

Ricky

Franks

65

24

70 inches

145 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

In the summer of 1985, a 24-year-old man named Ricky Lee Franks vanished from Nashville, Tennessee, leaving behind a mystery that has endured for decades. On June 7th of that year, Ricky, who was residing in a group home in Dickson, traveled to his mother's home in Nashville. The day he went missing, his mother saw him walking down the street near her residence on Norvel Avenue and they had a brief conversation before she left to get food. He then went to her house, where his stepbrother saw him. After about fifteen minutes, Ricky left the home on foot, reportedly to go to a nearby grocery store, and was never seen or heard from again. At the time of his disappearance, Ricky was described as a white male with dark blond hair and blue eyes, standing at 5'10" and weighing around 145 pounds. He was reportedly wearing a blue shirt and blue jeans. Ricky is described as being a dependent adult with mental disabilities and behavioral challenges, which has heightened the concern surrounding his disappearance. His case is classified as an endangered missing person. The circumstances of his disappearance are particularly puzzling as he vanished after a seemingly routine visit to his family. The fact that he was last seen heading to a local store adds to the unsettling nature of the case, as it was a simple errand from which he never returned. The city of Nashville at the time was preparing for the "The Country Explosion" Fan Fair, flooding the area with visitors, which may have complicated the initial investigation. Over the years, Ricky's case has remained open, with his family, particularly his eldest sister, Sylvia, relentlessly seeking answers. The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department has been investigating his disappearance since it was reported on June 11, 1985. Despite the passage of time, law enforcement and his family have not given up hope of finding out what happened to him. The investigation has reportedly involved leads that have extended across state lines, though none have brought a resolution. The case serves as a poignant reminder of the hundreds of unsolved missing person cases in Nashville and the lasting impact they have on families who are left without answers. The disappearance of Ricky Lee Franks is a story of a young man who one day simply walked away and disappeared, leaving a void and a series of unanswered questions that continue to echo through the years.

Jun 07, 1985

Nashville

Tennessee

Davidson County

No

6087

Metropolitan Nashville Police Department

Nashville

Tennessee

Davidson County

37201

Matthew Filter

Detective

200 James Robertson Parkway, Tennessee

6158628600

Local

Law Enforcement

https://www.nashville.gov/departments/police

85-114264

1985-06-11

Metropolitan Nashville Police Department

4103

Blond/Strawberry

Blue

Blue

06/19/2026