New details emerge in 50-year-old cold case of man missing from Colorado Springs
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - After nearly 50 years of Francis Joseph Houle being considered missing, new information has been uncovered.
Samantha Houle is Francis Houle's granddaughter. When she was looking into her family history during the pandemic, she noticed that Francis did not have a death certificate.
She reached out to her mother and other family members only to find that no one knew what happened to him after 1979. That led her on a mission to find out what happened to him, where he is and what anyone knows about him.
She found letters he had sent to her mother, Claudia, that had stood the test of time. The letters helped her to document his last whereabouts and file a missing persons case. Now she's been working in conjunction with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) task force, and the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) to find her missing grandfather.
"I've been able to track him across several states, and then his trail just kind of grows cold in Colorado," shared Houle.
Her mother explained to her the last time they'd seen her grandfather was in Spokane, Washington. That's where they say he said goodbye to his kids and packed up and moved.
"The last document I found was from early summer 1978. So I believe he went from Washington to Colorado between May 1978 and October 1978 because that's where the first letter that we have to my mom is in October 1978," explained Houle.
Houle found the property card for one of the letter's return addresses in Security, which points to him possibly living in a home owned by the VA.
"So that address is owned by the VA. But the other address, the Monterey Drive one, that one kind of stumped me," explained Houle.
The CBI and the MMIR task force helped her to find the past owners and landlords for the Monterey Drive address. A couple that owned a ranch in Cañon City also owned the property at the same time Francis Houle sent letters from that address.
Now knowing that her grandfather was a rancher, Houle believes he may have worked for them.
Houle says the husband in the couple has passed, however, she believes the wife is still alive. She tells KRDO13 she asked the CSPD detective on the case to interview that woman, however, they have yet to get back to her. CSPD tells KRDO13 the detective on the case was out on Tuesday and they will follow up when they're back in the office. KRDO13 plans to update this article with any information CSPD shares.
The new leads coming within the past few months are giving Houle hope for her search.
"Finding this duplex and then finding the land, the landlords, and then they were connected to a ranch within the city. That might be like an exciting lead, in finding somebody else to talk to," shared Houle.
His granddaughter shared these letters with KRDO13 in hopes that someone from southern Colorado would read through them and catch something she had yet to notice.
"We're reaching out to the Colorado Springs community. Somebody out there knows something," pleaded Houle, "That information can be pivotal in finding out what happened to my grandfather. I hope somebody out there says something."
Tuesday, Feb. 4 is Colorado Missing Persons Day. In recognition of all those still missing, a vigil was held at the state capital.
If you have any information about this case you're asked to contact CSPD at 719-444-7598. You can also reach out to Samantha Houle directly at samantha.houle@gmail.com.