Frances Mary Kiefer

Updated: Jan 19

Missing Since 03/22/1994

Case File Details

In the early morning hours of Tuesday, March 22, 1994, a 44-year-old woman named Frances Mary Kiefer suddenly disappeared. The report indicates her last sighting at her home on South Hoffert Street in the 500 block. She left behind her sleeping teenage son, Adam, and her husband, Thomas Kiefer.

Frances had been hibernating in her Fountain Hill residence for 18 months prior to her disappearance. Her hibernation was attributed to a medical condition known as fibromyalgia syndrome. This condition is characterized by muscle pain throughout the body, sleep disorders, and an inability to function normally.

Thomas Kiefer, her husband, last saw his wife in bed before taking a shower at 5:30 a.m. When he returned to the bedroom, she was gone, along with her medication and possibly two jackets. She was wearing a powder-blue jogging suit, family members reported. Thomas called the police shortly after Frances’ disappearance but was told he had to wait 24 hours to file a missing person’s report.

The family car was also missing and would later be found illegally parked on Millside Drive near Saucon Park in Bethlehem. A Conrail employee noticed the car parked illegally on private property at 5:30 a.m. but failed to report it until that evening.

Thomas received a call from the police informing him that his car was found. Kiefer stated that his wife was last seen in that car when she left their home at 5 a.m.

Police investigated the car and found no evidence of Frances or foul play. They also searched the immediate area with family members but found no signs of her.

The Fountain Hill Police Chief at the time of her disappearance, Wallace Fry, described Frances as being 4 feet 10 inches tall, weighing 85 pounds, and 44 years of age. She had dark eyes and short dark hair. Family and police stated that she was depressed when she left.

Case Updates

Brian Steckel, who lived 50 feet from Frances Mary Kiefer at Broadway and South Hoffet Street, was charged with the murder of Sandra Long in Delaware 6 months after Frances went missing. He claimed that he also raped and murdered Frances. In his letter to the Fountain Hill Police Chief and the Morning Call Newspaper, he wrote, “The only person that will identify Franny is the dentist. I’ll tell you that.”

In interviewing neighbors of Kiefer and Steckel, Cold Case Mysteries’ (CCM) team discovered a location where Brian may have disposed of Frances’ body, should his claims be truthful. The area is still under investigation for evidence of human remains, and the authorities have been notified. CCM was informed that the area in question would be investigated by Federally Trained Human Remain Detection Dogs.