| Age at missing | 32 years old |
| Case ID | earnest-edward-francis |
| City en | Sistersville |
| City geo ID | 4822313 |
| City slug | sistersville |
| Classification | Endangered Missing |
| Classification en | Endangered Missing |
| County en | |
| County fips ref | 54095 |
| County slug | tyler-county |
| Created at | 2026-01-12T14:48:27+00:00 |
| Date of birth | 1978-11-08 |
| Disappearance details | Francis was last seen in Sistersville, West Virginia on May 4, 2011. That day at 3:00 p.m., he left his mother's home with his three oldest children to go an appointment. He was driving his brother's Geo Tracker at the time. After the appointment, at 5:36 p.m., Francis called his mother's home from his cellular phone to ask his brother if he could drive his car to work. His brother consented. This was apparently the last call Francis made. He got gasoline after the call, and was filmed on the gas station's surveillance cameras. His estranged wife stated the last time she saw him, he said he was going to the nearby hydroelectric dam to use their bathroom. He never arrived at work and has never been heard from again. It wasn't unusual for Francis to work through the night, so his family wasn't concerned when he didn't come home and they didn't realize he was missing until May 6, when his boss called his mother to say he hadn't been to work and wasn't answering his phone. His father went looking for him and found the Geo Tracker parked at the dam. It was locked and Francis's cellular phone, wallet, money, keys, belt and the medallion from his necklace were inside it, but there was no sign of him at the scene. Francis is a 1993 graduate of St. Mary's High School. He lived with his mother on McKinley Street in Sistersville and worked for Rice's Construction at the time of his disappearance. He was also studying at online for a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Colorado Tech University. Francis has four children who lived with his estranged wife but visited him regularly, and his loved ones stated they don't think he would have abandoned them. His mother said he was behaving normally on the day of his disappearance. New Martinsville, West Virginia police are investigating his case; he is missing under unclear circumstances. Investigating Agency New Martinsville Police Department 304-455-9100 Source Information NamUs Facebook Page for Earnest Francis The Tyler Star News North American Missing Persons Network The Wetzel Chronicle Missing in West Virginia Updated 2 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated March 6, 2019; picture added, distinguishing characteristics updated. |
| Disappearance details en | Francis was last seen in Sistersville, West Virginia on May 4, 2011. That day at 3:00 p.m., he left his mother's home with his three oldest children to go an appointment. He was driving his brother's Geo Tracker at the time. After the appointment, at 5:36 p.m., Francis called his mother's home from his cellular phone to ask his brother if he could drive his car to work. His brother consented. This was apparently the last call Francis made. He got gasoline after the call, and was filmed on the gas station's surveillance cameras. His estranged wife stated the last time she saw him, he said he was going to the nearby hydroelectric dam to use their bathroom. He never arrived at work and has never been heard from again. It wasn't unusual for Francis to work through the night, so his family wasn't concerned when he didn't come home and they didn't realize he was missing until May 6, when his boss called his mother to say he hadn't been to work and wasn't answering his phone. His father went looking for him and found the Geo Tracker parked at the dam. It was locked and Francis's cellular phone, wallet, money, keys, belt and the medallion from his necklace were inside it, but there was no sign of him at the scene. Francis is a 1993 graduate of St. Mary's High School. He lived with his mother on McKinley Street in Sistersville and worked for Rice's Construction at the time of his disappearance. He was also studying at online for a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Colorado Tech University. Francis has four children who lived with his estranged wife but visited him regularly, and his loved ones stated they don't think he would have abandoned them. His mother said he was behaving normally on the day of his disappearance. New Martinsville, West Virginia police are investigating his case; he is missing under unclear circumstances. Investigating Agency New Martinsville Police Department 304-455-9100 Source Information NamUs Facebook Page for Earnest Francis The Tyler Star News North American Missing Persons Network The Wetzel Chronicle Missing in West Virginia Updated 2 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated March 6, 2019; picture added, distinguishing characteristics updated. |
| Disappearance details word count | 374 |
| Distinguishing marks | White male. Red hair, blue eyes. Francis's nickname is Earnie. He has a circular indented scar on his lower leg, three piercings in his left ear, and possible piercings in his right ear, tongue and eyebrow. Francis wears eyeglasses. He has the following tattoos: a red and green Grim Reaper on his left shoulder with Indian feathers underneath it, a scorpion on the inside of his lower right arm, the word "METALLICA" on his right wrist, a spider skeleton on his upper back and a cartoon of googly eyes on the left side of his chest. Pictures of some of the tattoos are posted with this case summary. |
| Distinguishing marks en | White male. Red hair, blue eyes. Francis's nickname is Earnie. He has a circular indented scar on his lower leg, three piercings in his left ear, and possible piercings in his right ear, tongue and eyebrow. Francis wears eyeglasses. He has the following tattoos: a red and green Grim Reaper on his left shoulder with Indian feathers underneath it, a scorpion on the inside of his lower right arm, the word "METALLICA" on his right wrist, a spider skeleton on his upper back and a cartoon of googly eyes on the left side of his chest. Pictures of some of the tattoos are posted with this case summary. |
| Full name | Earnest Edward Francis |
| Full name en | Earnest Edward Francis |
| Height | 5'10 |
| ID | 4809 |
| Investigating agency | New Martinsville Police Department 304-455-9100 Source Information NamUs Facebook Page for Earnest Francis The Tyler Star News North American Missing Persons Network The Wetzel Chronicle Missing in West Virginia |
| Missing since | 2011-05-04 |
| Official last updated | 2019-03-06 |
| Official update count | 2 |
| Official update history | picture added, distinguishing characteristics updated. |
| Path | west-virginia/tyler-county/sistersville |
| Race | White |
| Race en | White |
| Sex | Male |
| Source info | NamUs Facebook Page for Earnest Francis The Tyler Star News North American Missing Persons Network The Wetzel Chronicle Missing in West Virginia |
| State en | West Virginia |
| State ref | WV |
| State slug | west-virginia |
| Status | active |
| Updated at | 2026-01-12T14:48:27+00:00 |
| URL path | west-virginia/tyler-county/sistersville |
| Weight | 190 pounds |
Francis was last seen in Sistersville, West Virginia on May 4, 2011. That day at 3:00 p.m., he left his mother’s home with his three oldest children to go an appointment. He was driving his brother’s Geo Tracker at the time. After the appointment, at 5:36 p.m., Francis called his mother’s home from his cellular phone to ask his brother if he could drive his car to work. His brother consented. This was apparently the last call Francis made. He got gasoline after the call, and was filmed on the gas station’s surveillance cameras. His estranged wife stated the last time she saw him, he said he was going to the nearby hydroelectric dam to use their bathroom. He never arrived at work and has never been heard from again. It wasn’t unusual for Francis to work through the night, so his family wasn’t concerned when he didn’t come home and they didn’t realize he was missing until May 6, when his boss called his mother to say he hadn’t been to work and wasn’t answering his phone. His father went looking for him and found the Geo Tracker parked at the dam. It was locked and Francis’s cellular phone, wallet, money, keys, belt and the medallion from his necklace were inside it, but there was no sign of him at the scene. Francis is a 1993 graduate of St. Mary’s High School. He lived with his mother on McKinley Street in Sistersville and worked for Rice’s Construction at the time of his disappearance. He was also studying at online for a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Colorado Tech University. Francis has four children who lived with his estranged wife but visited him regularly, and his loved ones stated they don’t think he would have abandoned them. His mother said he was behaving normally on the day of his disappearance. New Martinsville, West Virginia police are investigating his case; he is missing under unclear circumstances. Investigating Agency New Martinsville Police Department 304-455-9100 Source Information NamUs Facebook Page for Earnest Francis The Tyler Star News North American Missing Persons Network The Wetzel Chronicle Missing in West Virginia Updated 2 times since October 12, 2004. Last updated March 6, 2019; picture added, distinguishing characteristics updated.