Francis was last seen in Santa Ana, California on April 9, 1979. He had gone to work that day with his father, Dennis, who delivered water tanks to businesses and private homes. After Dennis finished work, he left Charles at the corner of Chestnut Avenue and Lyon Street while he went to unload his truck. Dennis told his son to walk to an address in the 300 block of south Lyon Street and wait to be picked up. When Dennis went there ten minutes later, Charles was gone. Dennis searched the neighborhood for half an hour, then notified the police.

Charles's parents were fighting over custody of him at the time of his disappearance. His mother had legal custody, but he had lived with Dennis for most of his life. He and his father had traveled from Colorado to California three weeks beforehand, in order for Dennis to attend a custody hearing scheduled for April 26. Authorities looked into the possibility that one of the child's parents was hiding him, but found no evidence to support this theory.

Charles is missing under suspicious circumstances and investigators believe he may have met with foul play. His case remains unsolved.