Disappearance of Francis Harris

Francis Muriel Sarah Anne Harris (née Johnson; born 1926) is a Canadian woman who disappeared from her home near Apsley, Ontario, on 21 April 1972. Harris, who was 45 years old and the mother of three children, was reported missing by her husband three days later. The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) continue to investigate her disappearance and have stated that they cannot rule out foul play.

Disappearance

On the morning of 21 April 1972, Harris accompanied her husband, Stanley "Stan" Harris, to a physiotherapy appointment in Peterborough, Ontario. On their return journey, they stopped in Lakefield, Ontario, where Stan went to a bank and Francis visited the post office. A witness later reported seeing the couple together in their vehicle on Highway 28 as they travelled towards their home, located south of Apsley.

According to Stan, the couple arrived home at approximately 11 a.m. and ate lunch together. He said that he left for his job with the provincial Department of Highways, now the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario, by 1 p.m. Their 13-year-old son, Rod, returned from school at approximately 3:40 p.m. and found that his mother was not at home.

Harris was not seen again. Many of her personal possessions, including her purse, remained at the house. Stan reported her missing on 24 April, three days after she was last seen. He maintained that she had voluntarily left the family and denied being involved in her disappearance.

At the time of her disappearance, Harris was described as tall and weighing approximately . She had brown eyes and short, wavy grey hair that may have been dyed black. She wore glasses and had both upper and lower dentures.

Investigation

Police opened an investigation following the missing-person report. No confirmed sighting or communication from Harris has been reported since her disappearance. In later appeals, the OPP stated that investigators could not exclude the possibility that she had met with foul play.

In November 2012, information received by police prompted a renewed search of the family's former property. The house had burned down in 1990, leaving the land vacant. Investigators spent three days searching the site using ground-penetrating radar and heavy machinery, including an excavation of the former house foundation. The search found no human remains or other evidence explaining Harris's disappearance.

On the 48th anniversary of the disappearance in April 2020, the OPP released an age-progressed image created by a forensic artist. The image depicted how Harris might have appeared at the age of 65. Detective Inspector Shawn Glassford of the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch said that police remained committed to determining what had happened to her.

In April 2022, on the 50th anniversary of the case, Harris's son Rod organized a candlelight vigil in Apsley. He continued to appeal for information that could resolve his mother's disappearance.

On 7 November 2023, members of the Peterborough County OPP Crime Unit, the OPP's specialized urban search and rescue response team, and a canine unit searched the former Harris property again. Officers excavated areas inside and surrounding a barn. Police said that the operation resulted from information received from the public but did not disclose the nature of the information.

The OPP announced three days later that the search had produced no evidence that would advance the investigation. The case remained open under the direction of the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch.

See also

• List of people who disappeared mysteriously (1970s)
• List of solved missing person cases
• Cold case

External links

• Francis Muriel Harris at Please Bring Me Home
• Francis Muriel Harris at Royal Canadian Mounted Police