Overview

• Full name: Earnest Edward Francis
• Nickname: Earnie
• Age when missing: 32
• Date last seen: May 4, 2011
• Last known area: New Martinsville, West Virginia, near a hydroelectric dam
• Hometown: Sistersville, Tyler County, West Virginia
• Investigative jurisdiction: New Martinsville, Wetzel County, West Virginia
• Classification: Endangered missing person
• Case status: Unresolved; no publicly confirmed recovery or resolution located
• NamUs identification: MP11021
• Investigating agency: New Martinsville Police Department
• Main circumstances: Francis disappeared after an afternoon involving a family appointment, a telephone call, and a documented gas station stop. The vehicle he was driving was later found locked near a hydroelectric dam, containing several personal belongings.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Earnest Edward Francis: The Unsolved 2011 Disappearance of a Father of Four in Sistersville, West Virginia

On May 4, 2011, 32-year-old Earnest Edward Francis disappeared after leaving his family’s home in Sistersville, West Virginia. He had spent part of the afternoon with his children, attended an appointment, and stopped at a gas station before reportedly heading toward a hydroelectric dam near New Martinsville.

Two days later, his family learned that he had never arrived at work. His father subsequently located the vehicle Francis had been driving, parked and locked near the dam. His wallet, cellular phone, keys, money, and several other personal belongings were still inside. Francis himself was nowhere to be found.

Despite searches of the surrounding area and the Ohio River, investigators could not establish what happened to him. More than 15 years later, the disappearance remains unresolved, leaving his family without definitive answers.

Case Summary

• Full name: Earnest Edward Francis
• Nickname: Earnie
• Age when missing: 32
• Date last seen: May 4, 2011
• Last known area: New Martinsville, West Virginia, near a hydroelectric dam
• Hometown: Sistersville, Tyler County, West Virginia
• Investigative jurisdiction: New Martinsville, Wetzel County, West Virginia
• Classification: Endangered missing person
• Case status: Unresolved; no publicly confirmed recovery or resolution located
• NamUs identification: MP11021
• Investigating agency: New Martinsville Police Department
• Main circumstances: Francis disappeared after an afternoon involving a family appointment, a telephone call, and a documented gas station stop. The vehicle he was driving was later found locked near a hydroelectric dam, containing several personal belongings.

Sources: The Charley Project and Uncovered Case Profile.

Background: Who Was Earnest Edward Francis?

Earnest Edward Francis was born on November 8, 1978. He lived with his mother on McKinley Street in Sistersville, a small community along the Ohio River in northern West Virginia.

A 1993 graduate of St. Mary’s High School, Francis worked for Rice’s Construction. He was also pursuing an online bachelor’s degree in criminal justice through Colorado Technical University.

Francis was the father of four children, who lived with his estranged wife but visited him regularly. According to accounts from his loved ones, he maintained a meaningful relationship with his children, and they did not believe he would voluntarily abandon them.

His mother reported that he appeared to be behaving normally on the day he disappeared. There was no publicly documented farewell or confirmed statement suggesting that he intended to leave his family permanently.

Physical Description and Identifying Characteristics

At the time of his disappearance, Francis was described as approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 190 pounds. He had red or auburn hair, blue eyes, and wore eyeglasses.

Several tattoos and other identifying characteristics could help distinguish him:

• A red-and-green Grim Reaper tattoo with Indigenous-style feathers beneath it on his left shoulder.
• A scorpion tattoo on the inside of his lower right arm.
• The word “METALLICA” tattooed on his right wrist.
• A spider skeleton tattoo on his upper back.
• Cartoon-style googly eyes tattooed on the left side of his chest.
• A circular, indented scar on his lower leg.
• Three piercings in his left ear and possibly additional facial or body piercings.

His reported clothing on May 4 included a green, black, and cream checked flannel shirt, a camouflage-patterned tank top, dark pants or jeans, sandals, a watch, and a wide black leather wristband.

His family believed he might have had diabetes or prediabetes, although a confirmed diagnosis was not established in the available case records. He was also reported to have an allergy to mustard.

These identifying details are documented by The Charley Project.

May 4, 2011: The Day Earnest Francis Disappeared

Leaving His Mother’s Home

At approximately 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 4, 2011, Francis left his mother’s residence with his three oldest children to attend an appointment.

He was driving a Geo Tracker belonging to his brother. Nothing publicly documented about his departure suggested an immediate emergency.

Following the appointment, Francis continued with what appeared to be his normal evening plans.

The Last Known Telephone Call

At approximately 5:36 p.m., Francis called his mother’s home using his cellular phone.

He spoke with his brother and asked whether he could drive the Geo Tracker to work. His brother agreed.

According to the published case history, this was apparently the final telephone call Francis made.

He subsequently stopped to purchase gasoline, and surveillance cameras at the gas station recorded his presence. The available summaries do not establish the exact time of that recording or identify any suspicious activity in the footage.

The surveillance recording is significant because it provides a documented sighting during the final period before his disappearance.

The Reported Trip to the Hydroelectric Dam

Francis’s estranged wife later reported that, when she last saw him, he said he intended to stop at a nearby hydroelectric dam to use the restroom.

The dam was in the New Martinsville area, north of Sistersville.

This statement became important after the vehicle Francis had been driving was discovered near the facility.

However, the statement does not independently establish that Francis entered the dam’s restroom, met anyone there, or remained in the area after parking the vehicle.

No publicly verified account establishes his movements after that point.

May 6: His Family Realizes Something Is Wrong

Francis sometimes worked through the night, so his failure to return home immediately did not initially alarm his family.

On May 6, his employer contacted his mother and explained that Francis had not reported to work and was not answering his telephone.

His father began searching for him and located the Geo Tracker parked near the hydroelectric dam.

The vehicle was locked.

Inside were several belongings associated with Francis, including his cellular phone, wallet, money, keys, belt, and a medallion from his necklace.

There was no sign of Francis at the vehicle.

The discovery raised an important unanswered question: why would Francis leave behind items that he would ordinarily need to communicate, travel, or identify himself?

The published evidence does not establish whether the belongings were deliberately left inside, whether Francis expected to return shortly, or whether another circumstance prevented him from returning.

Source: Earnest Edward Francis Case Profile.

Investigation History and Evidence

Initial Ground Searches

Following Francis’s disappearance, law enforcement and search personnel examined areas associated with his last known movements.

Historical reporting discussed in the May 2011 case coverage identifies participation by the New Martinsville Police Department, New Martinsville Volunteer Fire Department, and Tyler County Search and Rescue.

Searchers used motorized and foot-search methods while attempting to identify any trace of the missing man.

Early police statements did not establish that Francis had been the victim of a crime. Investigators were seeking to determine whether he had suffered an accident, left the area, or encountered another unexplained circumstance.

The searches did not produce a publicly confirmed discovery of Francis.

Searching the Ohio River

Because the vehicle was discovered near a hydroelectric facility on the Ohio River, investigators considered the possibility that Francis had entered the water.

Search efforts extended to the river, including the use of boats and canine teams, according to historical reports reproduced in contemporary case discussions.

The river searches were unsuccessful.

In a May 4, 2016, report by WTAP, investigators confirmed that searches of both the surrounding area and the Ohio River had failed to locate Francis.

The absence of a recovery does not conclusively establish what happened. It also does not prove that Francis entered the river.

Source: WTAP’s Fifth Anniversary Report.

The Geo Tracker and Personal Belongings

The discovery of the Geo Tracker remains one of the most consequential documented elements of the case.

Its location corresponded with the area Francis reportedly intended to visit, but investigators have not publicly established what happened after he reached that area.

The vehicle was accounted for, and several of his possessions were recovered from inside.

The publicly accessible sources reviewed do not establish whether investigators obtained usable fingerprints, DNA evidence, or other forensic findings from the vehicle.

There is also no verified public report identifying a suspect vehicle, a confrontation at the dam, or an individual who witnessed Francis being harmed.

It would therefore be inappropriate to characterize the vehicle as a confirmed crime scene.

Surveillance and Witness Information

The gas station surveillance footage documented Francis during the period immediately preceding his disappearance.

His estranged wife’s account provided another important part of the timeline.

However, the available public reporting does not identify a confirmed eyewitness who observed the precise moment Francis disappeared.

There is no verified public description of additional surveillance footage establishing his route after leaving the gas station.

The Importance of New Tips

On May 4, 2016, WTAP revisited the case for the fifth anniversary of Francis’s disappearance.

Retired New Martinsville Police Sergeant Daver Byers explained that investigators needed additional information to make progress in a longstanding missing-person investigation.

His comments emphasized the importance of tips from individuals who might remember something relevant, even years after the event.

The anniversary coverage did not announce an arrest, the discovery of remains, or a new forensic identification.

Theories and Unresolved Questions

The circumstances surrounding Francis’s disappearance have prompted questions about an accident, a possible medical emergency, voluntary departure, and potential third-party involvement.

None of these explanations has been publicly established as the cause of his disappearance.

Could Francis Have Suffered an Accident?

The vehicle’s proximity to the hydroelectric dam makes an accidental disappearance a reasonable investigative possibility.

Francis could theoretically have encountered danger near the water or surrounding terrain.

However, searches did not locate him, and no publicly confirmed physical evidence demonstrates that he fell into the Ohio River.

An accident remains a possibility, not a proven conclusion.

Could a Medical Emergency Have Played a Role?

Francis’s family believed he might have been diabetic or prediabetic.

A medical emergency could potentially cause confusion, disorientation, or an inability to seek help, depending on the underlying condition.

Nevertheless, no publicly verified medical finding establishes that Francis experienced such an emergency on May 4, 2011.

Medical explanations should not be presented as confirmed simply because relatives expressed concerns about his health.

Did Francis Leave Voluntarily?

Another unresolved question is whether Francis could have intentionally left the area.

His family strongly disputed the idea that he would abandon his four children.

His reported plans to go to work, along with his personal belongings being left in the vehicle, raise questions about a deliberate departure.

Still, these circumstances do not definitively exclude it.

No verified public record establishes that Francis deliberately disappeared or subsequently contacted anyone to confirm that he was safe.

Was Another Person Involved?

The unexplained nature of the disappearance leaves open the question of whether Francis encountered another person after his last known movements.

However, no suspect, criminal motive, or act of violence has been publicly confirmed in the sources reviewed.

The available record does not establish that Francis was murdered.

His case should therefore continue to be described as an endangered missing-person investigation rather than a confirmed homicide.

Questions That Remain Unanswered

Several fundamental questions have persisted since May 2011:

• What happened after Francis reportedly headed toward the hydroelectric dam?
• Why were his wallet, phone, keys, and other belongings left in the locked vehicle?
• Did anyone see Francis near the dam after his documented gas station stop?
• Did he experience an accident or medical emergency?
• Was anyone else involved in the circumstances of his disappearance?
• Could information that seemed unimportant in 2011 now help investigators reconstruct his final movements?

These are investigative questions, not established findings.

Latest Publicly Available Investigative Updates

May 2016: Fifth Anniversary Coverage

WTAP’s May 4, 2016, anniversary report confirmed that Francis remained missing five years after his disappearance.

The report revisited the original searches and included comments from retired New Martinsville Police Sergeant Daver Byers about the importance of new leads.

No investigative breakthrough was announced.

March 6, 2019: Charley Project Profile Update

The Charley Project records a March 6, 2019, update to Francis’s case profile involving photographs and distinguishing characteristics.

This was a case-information update, not a confirmed investigative development.

The profile continued to classify Francis as endangered missing.

Community Records-Request Efforts

The West Virginia Missing Persons Project reports that it submitted a public-records request to the New Martinsville Police Department.

According to the organization, the department responded that it could not locate files or documents concerning Francis.

The organization also reported unsuccessful attempts to obtain documentation from the Wetzel County Sheriff’s Department. It subsequently contacted NamUs, which reportedly indicated that it would reach out to New Martinsville police to offer assistance.

These statements describe the community organization’s account of its correspondence. They do not establish that the original investigation was closed, that investigative records were destroyed, or that law enforcement no longer possesses information about the case.

The project does not provide a precise public date for these reported exchanges, so they cannot reliably be assigned to a particular year.

Source: WV Missing Persons Project.

Status as of October 19, 2026

The publicly accessible sources reviewed continue to describe Earnest Edward Francis as missing.

No publicly confirmed recent investigative developments were located involving an arrest, criminal charges, identification of remains, a forensic DNA match, investigative genetic genealogy, or an official determination of his fate.

The existence of an updated missing-person webpage or a recent database check should not be mistaken for a new law enforcement breakthrough.

The latest publicly verifiable information reviewed does not resolve what happened on May 4, 2011.

Conclusion: Remembering Earnest Edward Francis

Earnest Edward Francis was 32 years old when he vanished from the New Martinsville area of West Virginia.

He was a father of four, a construction worker, a student, and a son whose family expected him to return home.

The final known events of May 4, 2011, offer a partial timeline, but they do not explain his disappearance. The gas station footage, his last reported telephone call, the account of his intended stop at the dam, and the discovery of his locked vehicle remain central to understanding the case.

More than 15 years later, there has been no publicly confirmed resolution.

Anyone with firsthand information about Francis’s movements on May 4, 2011, or the circumstances surrounding the Geo Tracker discovered near the hydroelectric dam, is encouraged to contact the New Martinsville Police Department at 304-455-9100.

Even information remembered years later could help clarify an unresolved part of the timeline.

Earnest’s disappearance deserves continued attention, careful reporting, and answers grounded in evidence.