Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Case Updates with Photos

Anthony Bernard Franko







Anthony, date, approximate 1983; Age-progression to age 36 (date, approximate 2008)
Date Missing 05/08/1983
Missing From
Lemmon Valley, Nevada
Missing Classification Non-Family Abduction
Sex Male
Race
White
Date of Birth 08/15/1972 (50)
Age 10 years old
Height and Weight 4'11, 85 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A red San Francisco 49ers t-shirt, blue jeans, a blue down hooded jacket, and hiking boots.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, brown eyes. Anthony has a slight gap between his upper front teeth and small birthmarks above his left eyebrow and on the right side of his neck. He has two light-colored moles on his cheek and nose and a scar under his lower lip. His nickname is Tony.
Details of Disappearance Anthony was last seen walking to his school on the morning of May 8, 1983 in Lemmon Valley, Nevada. He was a fifth grade student at Lemmon Valley Elementary School, and lived with his mother and stepfather a half-mile from the school.
Although Anthony's normal route to school was to walk north of Fremont Street, he apparently went in the opposite direction the morning he disappeared.
A witness saw him in a cul-de-sac on the south end of Fremont Street, talking to an unknown individual driving a rusted out vehicle, possibly a Ford Pinto or a Camaro. He never arrived at school and has never been heard from again.
The school didn't notify Anthony's family that he didn't show up for class; as a result, they didn't realize he was missing until later that day, when he didn't call his mother as he was supposed to do every day after he got home from school. She notified the police after she came home, it got dark and Anthony had still not arrived home.
Anthony was a member of the 4-H Club, and the day before his disappearance he won a blue ribbon for showing his pet pony and two rabbits at a 4-H show. He took his ribbon with him when he left for school the next day, planning to show it to classmates.
A month before his disappearance, he ran away from home and went into the mountains after his mother punished him for poor grades. But that time he took some food and dishes with him, left a goodbye note, and then returned home within hours. When he came back, he cried and told his mother he would never run away again.
When Anthony vanished in May 1983 the police initially assumed he'd run away a second time, and didn't start to investigate other theories until several days had passed. His mother never believed he had run away, because he was very happy on the day of his disappearance due to his 4-H ribbon.
Both his mother and stepfather took polygraph tests and were ruled out as suspects. His mother stated Anthony was somewhat naive for his age and would have talked to a stranger.
Investigators believe Anthony was abducted while walking to school and probably murdered. His mother continues to hope he's still alive. No strong suspects have ever been identified in his disappearance; it remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
Washoe County Sheriff's Office
775-328-3001
775-328-3369
Other
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
NamUs
Operation Lookout
California Attorney General's Office
KOLO TV
The Encyclopedia of Unsolved Crimes
The Reno Gazette-Journal

Missing Person Photos

A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe. By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends. A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.

Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Case Updates with Photos