Overview

Last seen: March 13, 2022
Location: Franklin, Wisconsin — last known to have been at the American Motel
Age when missing: 62
Alias: Matt / Matthew
NamUs: MP135191
Police case: 22-010022
Investigating agency: Franklin Police Department

Main circumstances: Frye disappeared from the Franklin area in March 2022. His documented date of last contact is March 13, although another case account says he had not communicated with friends or family since April 4. His last known location was the American Motel. Later public discussion indicates he had access to transportation, although a person identifying himself as Frye’s son says Frye did not own a vehicle. No publicly documented resolution has been located.

Detailed Case Breakdown

Manford Bernard Frye Missing Person Case: What Happened to the Wisconsin Man Who Disappeared in 2022?

Manford Bernard Frye, who also goes by “Matt” or “Matthew,” disappeared from Franklin, Wisconsin, in 2022. He was 62 years old when he went missing, and his case remains listed in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System under NamUs case MP135191.

Frye’s documented date of last contact is March 13, 2022. He was last known to have been at the American Motel in Franklin, a Milwaukee County community south of Milwaukee.

Manford Frye’s Disappearance

According to missing-person information published about the case, Manford Bernard Frye was last seen in Franklin on March 13, 2022. The American Motel has been identified as his last known location.

There is an important distinction in the available chronology: March 13 is listed as Frye’s date of last contact, while another account says he had not communicated with family or friends since April 4, 2022. The publicly available information does not explain who, if anyone, had contact with Frye between those dates or how the April 4 date was established.

Description of Manford Bernard Frye

Frye was 62 when he disappeared. He is described as a white male approximately 6 feet tall and weighing between 180 and 210 pounds. He has blue eyes, a bald head and was described as having a goatee.

Identifying features include a scar on his chin and numerous tattoos. Reported tattoos include a sun and the number “13” on his right forearm; “Frye” and “100 wood” on his back; an eagle and tribal design on his left arm; and barbed-wire and eagle designs on his upper left arm.

A person posting on Websleuths in September 2025 and identifying himself as Frye’s son said that Frye also has a religious tattoo on his right arm that was not included in the report. Because that information comes from a forum participant rather than the public NamUs information reviewed for this article, it should be treated as a family-supplied detail.

Questions About Transportation

One later piece of information concerns Frye’s transportation when he disappeared.

A Websleuths contributor reported contacting the Franklin Police Department and posted a January 2, 2025 response attributed to Sgt. Jason Ireland of the department’s Detective Bureau. According to the posted response, Frye had access to transportation at the time.

In September 2025, however, the participant identifying himself as Frye’s son responded that Frye did not have his own vehicle. These statements are not necessarily contradictory: having transportation available would not necessarily mean Frye owned a vehicle. No publicly verified description of a vehicle associated with his disappearance was located in the sources reviewed.

When Was Manford Frye Reported Missing?

There is also public discussion concerning when the missing-person report was accepted.

In September 2025, the person identifying himself as Frye’s son wrote on Websleuths that he initially attempted to file a missing-person report but law enforcement did not accept it. According to his account, Frye’s uncle went to law enforcement several weeks later and a report was then taken. Another post in the discussion states that the initial missing-person report was filed in approximately late April or early May 2022.

Those statements are family/forum accounts and should not be interpreted as an independently verified description of the Franklin Police Department’s actions without the underlying police records.

Latest Public Information on the Investigation

Frye remains represented by a NamUs missing-person record, MP135191. The current NamUs webpage identifies the record as a missing-person case and provides sections for case numbers, circumstances, physical description and investigating agencies.

Wisconsin Missing Persons published a profile of Frye in March 2025, continuing to identify him as missing and directing anyone with information to the Franklin Police Department.

The most recent substantive public discussion located during research comes from the Websleuths thread. On September 20, 2025, the participant identifying himself as Frye’s son said law enforcement had not contacted him since December 19, 2024. The same discussion raised questions about transportation, the timing of the original report and an additional tattoo. These statements provide potential context but are not official investigative updates.

As of the latest sources reviewed, no publicly documented resolution of Frye’s disappearance was located. His NamUs record remains accessible.

What Happened to Manford Bernard Frye?

Publicly available information leaves several significant unanswered questions, particularly concerning Frye’s movements after March 13, 2022.

The records reviewed do not publicly establish where Frye went after leaving or being seen at the American Motel, who last saw him, what transportation he may have used, or the circumstances behind the reference to no communication with family or friends after April 4.

There is also no public evidence in the sources reviewed establishing that Frye was the victim of a homicide. His case should therefore be described as an unresolved missing-person investigation rather than a homicide case unless law enforcement releases information indicating otherwise.

Anyone with information about Manford Bernard Frye’s whereabouts or his activities around March and April 2022 should contact the Franklin Police Department.

Very Brief Case Summary

Last seen: March 13, 2022
Location: Franklin, Wisconsin — last known to have been at the American Motel
Age when missing: 62
Alias: Matt / Matthew
NamUs: MP135191
Police case: 22-010022
Investigating agency: Franklin Police Department

Main circumstances: Frye disappeared from the Franklin area in March 2022. His documented date of last contact is March 13, although another case account says he had not communicated with friends or family since April 4. His last known location was the American Motel. Later public discussion indicates he had access to transportation, although a person identifying himself as Frye’s son says Frye did not own a vehicle. No publicly documented resolution has been located.