On the morning of April 21st, 1972, Francis and her husband Stanley went to an appointment in Peterborough. They then went to the post office and bank in Lakefield. It is believed that they both returned home by 11 a.m. Stanley left for work by 1:00 p.m. Francis’s son Rod returned home from school around 3:40 p.m. and his mother was not there. Francis was a wife and mother of three at the time of her disappearance. She did not take any personal belongings with her and hasn’t been seen or heard from since. Excavation of the foundation of the old family house was completed in November 2012 by a specialized search unit from Bolton with no findings.
Summary
- Date of Disappearance: April 21, 1972
- Location of Disappearance: Apsley, Ontario
- Age at Disappearance: 45 years old
- Date of Birth: November 3, 1926
- Height: 5’1″
- Weight: 100 lbs
- Hair Color: Grey coloured black
- Eye Color: Brown
- Gender: Female
- Race: Caucasian
- Investigating Agency: Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes OPP detachment 705-329-6338 Case #20090023
- Shawn Glassford – Criminal Investigations Branch Orillia 705-329-6338
- J.P Cantin (retired now)
- Dental Information: Upper and lower false teeth
- Medical Information: None to note
- Notable Identifiers: None to note
- Clothing/Jewelry: Glasses, a blouse, black shoes, pink and black cardigan, white gold engagement and wedding rings
- Tattoos: None to note
Additional Information
The unexplained disappearance of Francis has been documented over the years — including by Ryan Scott, a licensed private investigator who volunteers with Please Bring Me Home, a Canadian non-profit dedicated to helping families find missing loved ones. Over the summer of 2021, Scott published a three-part series on the case in Apsley Backroads magazine.