PRINCETOWN Mystery from 1986: What happened to Erica Franolich? BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter
Erica Jayne Franolich wore a baggy shirt and blue denim overalls when she vanished from the quiet streets of Middleburgh. It was just before Halloween in 1986, when the troubled 26-yearold mother from Michigan was last seen in Schoharie County. She was last known to be living with her husband, Richard Franolich, after moving to the area during the summer. Now State Police investigators are looking for new leads in Franolich’s disappearance. Authorities are unsure of what happened to the petit, brown-haired, browneyed woman, who left behind two infant sons. “We’ve ruled out that she left on her own,” said state police Investigator William John. John said residents at the time knew the couple and saw them together in the months leading up to Franolich’s disappearance. They spent most of the summer with the husband’s brother, Joe Franolich, in Schenectady County and the fall in Schoharie County, where many residents reported seeing the couple together. “All of a sudden, she wasn’t around anymore,” he said. Nada Thompson, the woman’s older sister, first reported the disappearance in February 1987. She is hoping someone will step forward with new leads so that her sister’s disappearance will finally reach a resolution. “My parents shouldn’t have died not knowing what happened to their daughter,” she said in a telephone interview from Michigan. John hopes to develop leads in Franolich’s disappearance by bringing it back to the public’s attention. Specifically, he’s searching for anyone who may have met the young woman during the months before she vanished. Anyone with information regarding Franolich’s disappearance can contact John at 630-1700.
They should have supplied a photo of Erica Franolich in this article. Although it would have been a 20+ year old picture, it may have helped to stir someone's memory.