In the summer of 1979, Francis 'Frank' Joseph Houle was working as a ranch hand in Colorado Springs, Colorado. At 46 years old, he maintained a connection with his family primarily through letters. An enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North Dakota, Frank had a life that had taken him from his birthplace in Belcourt, North Dakota, to Washington state, and eventually to Colorado.
He was a father of five children, three biological and two adopted, whom he had raised with his ex-wife. After their divorce in 1972, his children had lived with him in Washington for a time before returning to North Dakota. Despite the distance, he kept in touch, and his letters were a regular and cherished form of communication for his children, arriving at least once a month. His correspondence was filled with affection and fatherly love, a tangible link to a man they remembered as present and loving.
The last communication his family ever received from him was a letter postmarked in August 1979. In it, he wrote to his daughter, wishing her a happy birthday and expressing his love. After that letter, the correspondence abruptly ceased. Weeks turned into months, and then years, with no word from Frank. His children grew up, had families of their own, and the silence from their father became a painful and unanswered question in their lives. For decades, his official status was not one of a missing person, a delay his granddaughter attributes to her family's uncertainty and lack of resources to navigate such a process. It wasn't until 2021, driven by a desire to connect with her heritage and find answers, that his granddaughter began to formally investigate. She discovered there was no death certificate and no missing person report, prompting her to contact law enforcement and officially report him missing, more than four decades after he was last heard from.
The investigation into Francis Houle's disappearance faces the significant challenge of a cold case with very few details available. At the time he went missing, he was described as being between 5'8' and 5'10' tall, weighing between 180 and 200 pounds, with graying hair and brown eyes. He wore prescription eyeglasses and had several distinctive tattoos: the name 'Rose' on one arm, and the words 'Sweet' and 'Sour' on his nipples. The Colorado Springs Police Department is the primary investigating agency, though the Williston, North Dakota police are also involved. The case serves as a poignant example of the lasting impact of a person's disappearance on their family and the difficulties faced when a significant amount of time has passed. The lack of information and the decades of silence have left his loved ones with a profound sense of loss and a quest for answers that continues to this day.Last Seen: Aug 1, 1979
