PROJECT: COLD CASE PODCAST, WEEK 1: Frances "Frankie" Gordon
After 20 years of questions, Frances Gordon's father opens up about his daughter’s murder.
In this Action News Jax partnership with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and Project Cold Case, we're putting the spotlight on crimes that have gone cold — and how you can help bring families justice.
Frances Gordon was the youngest daughter of Joe Hogue’s seven children. There was something about Frankie — as he called her — that made her different.
“[She was] such a sparkling little girl, and she just loved her dad,” Hogue said. “She hugged me every chance she got. [She was] a little more emotional than the others, I guess.
Frankie was 37, married and had three kids when her life was taken in a violent way.
His one wish before dying: seeing his daughter's murder SOLVED. At 5:45 @ActionNewsJax, the story of #FrancesGordon pic.twitter.com/hLZDJyhf3T
— Lorena Inclán (@LorenaANjax) October 25, 2017
The date was Sept. 30, 1996. Her body was found on Waller Street, hidden under debris and bushes. She had been hit with a hammer. Her casket was closed at her funeral.
Hogue was in New York when he got the news.
“I drove [home] like a crazy man,” Hogue said. “I cried all the time.”
Hogue is 85 now, and he worries he will die without knowing who killed his daughter.
Hunt for the killer
Action News Jax spoke JSO Cold Case Supervisor Sgt. Dan Janson about the evidence in this case.
“I noticed there was some blood evidence that was collected, and this was ’96 so that's what's really piqued my interest,” Janson said. “I don't know that they've done a tremendous amount of DNA processing in this particular case. That’s what I want to see.”
Janson said his team is giving everything a fresh set of eyes. In Gordon’s case, he hopes new technology holds the key.
Gordon's family said they've always suspected they knew who killer.
“I think he's been walking around long enough — this person i'm referring to — and I think he needs to pay for what he did,” Hogue said.
No one has ever been named a suspect in the case. Hogue has this message for anyone who may have information:
“Just do the right thing,” Hogue said.
Cox Media Group
