Family of missing man hopeful he'll be home

Nicholas Francisco's family remains confident that he will return home safely.

Francisco, 28, disappeared last Wednesday after leaving his job at a Queen Anne advertising agency. He had planned to stop at Costco to run an errand before coming home to his pregnant wife, Christine, and their two small children.

"Nicholas is a family man; he is really committed to all of his family," his sister-in-law, Janel Fox of Seattle, said Tuesday. "We're still maintaining hope. We're waiting to bring him home."

The King County Sheriff's Office has several detectives tracking down leads in Francisco's disappearance, spokesman John Urquhart said.

On Monday, Francisco's red 1992 Toyota Paseo was found abandoned outside the Heritage Condominiums at 123 S. 340th St. in Federal Way.

Detectives found nothing inside the car that indicated foul play or that pointed to Francisco's whereabouts, Urquhart said. Deputies, as well as the missing man's friends and family, searched areas near the condo building after the vehicle was found.

"We obviously canvassed the condominium complex [Monday] night. We can't find any link from him to that condo development, nor can we find any one who saw him there," Urquhart said. "King County is almost 2,400 square miles. Where do you search?"

Detectives tried to use his cellphone to track him — a technique that sheriff's detectives had luck with last fall when they located a missing Maple Valley woman who was trapped in her overturned vehicle for eight days. But, Urquhart said, Francisco's T-Mobile cellphone appears to either be dead or turned off.

Detectives also are checking Francisco's financial records to determine whether they reveal any clues to his disappearance. "There's no indication that there is foul play or any incident in his life that would lead him to go missing voluntarily," Urquhart said. "It's a real 'where is he?' "

Francisco is about 6 feet tall and was last seen wearing a light-blue and white button-down shirt, a plain black jacket and a pair of bluejeans.

The missing man's family has set up the Nicholas Francisco Family Fund at Washington Mutual to assist his wife, who is due in October, and their children, 4-year-old Zea and 2-year-old Noah, until he comes home, Fox said. A reward of $5,000 is being offered for information about Francisco's whereabouts.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com