The case of Eugene “Gene” Francis Fish is strange. It has ties to NCIS, the KGB, and more questions than answers. Buckle up and let’s get into this one.
Some Background Before Digging In
I can’t tell you exactly when Eugene Fish went missing, and I will explain why later. I can say that he disappeared sometime around June 21, 2004, from his home just west of Canon City, Colorado. His birth name was Eugene Francis Fish, and he was born and raised in New York. He went by “Gene” to his friends and family. Gene was five foot eleven inches tall, and weighed about 190 pounds. He was Caucasian with dark strawberry blond hair and blue eyes. He also had a crippled left finger. His birth date was May 24, 1950. He was reported missing at the age of fifty-four.
I can tell y’all that the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, Gene’s family, and his friends believe foul play is involved with his disappearance. No arrests have been made as of March 2023.
I can also tell you that this case has me scratching my head for several reasons. One reason is that one of the investigating officers has been investigated for mishandling evidence and misconduct that may or may not relate to this case. Also, this case has me intrigued about when exactly the first no-body murder case that led to a conviction in Colorado took place. Finally, there are a whole lot of contradictory statements from Gene’s wife, Lynn.
Gene’s Work History
Let’s get to know a bit about Gene. First, he was the only child of Bill and Agnes Fish. Most of Gene’s family, including his parents, lived in New York. Gene graduated from high school there and later graduated from Siena College, also in New York. Then he served in the Air Force. When Eugene retired from the Air Force, he moved on to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, NCIS. After his time in the NCIS, he worked with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Magna, Utah. In this position, he was a point of contact for the Soviets when they came to the US for inspections as part of the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT). This was part of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty functions between the US and Russia. Gene retired in 2002 or 2003 and moved to Colorado with his wife, Lynn. This will come into play later.
His last job sounded very much like the mutual disarmament at the end of the Cold War between Mikhail Gorbachev (the last leader of the Soviet Union) and Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. Not playing, y’all; I can hear Sting’s song, “Russians,” playing in my head. Anyhow, let’s get back to the case.
What Was Gene Fish Like?
Gene called his parents every Sunday, mostly to talk to his mother, Agnes. Sometimes, Gene and his father, Bill, didn’t see eye to eye and would argue. Some family members report that Gene would still accept gifts from his father, like money, land, and other valuables. Bill was taking care of Agnes, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, in their home in New York at the time of Gene’s disappearance.
Gene would buy homes, fix them up, and resell them. I think this was something like modern house flipping. Bill would also invest in some of these ventures for Gene.
Gene maintained friendships with people he had met throughout his life, some extremely longstanding, and he is reported to have made friends easily. People commented on his other traits, such as his charisma, punctuality, and dedication. Some of his cousins reported that he could be a bit of a lady’s man.
Lynn and Gene were married on February 18, 1997, in Las Vegas, Nevada. They had met four years before. This was Lynn’s second marriage, and she had a daughter from her previous marriage. I couldn’t find any sources that said if the daughter had lived with the couple or any further information on this aspect of Gene’s life.
I can see how being in the military might have fostered punctuality. My father raised me as a military brat, and his motto was, “If you’re on time, then you’re late!” Hence, I developed the habit of being at least five to ten minutes early from a very young age. Nonetheless, I’m telling you this so that when we get into some statements later, you can understand a bit about what I mean about shade being thrown on Gene by Lynn. Some of her statements seem to be a stark contrast to those made by Gene’s friends and family. At the end of the day, he was a person, good, bad, or otherwise. He was human.
Gene and Lynn Fish moved to Colorado
The pair moved from Utah to Colorado. Where they purchased a thirty-five-acre parcel of land and began setting up their new modular home. The land was in the Tallahassee area in the Bar T gated community west of Canon City off Highway 9. This area is close to the Royal Gorge Bridge and is still very remote.
This part of Colorado is a nature lovers’ paradise. It’s close to many areas for fishing and hunting. It isn’t uncommon to see deer, bears, mountain lions, coyotes, bighorn sheep, and even elk wandering through these valleys. This would be a great base for access to ski resorts, hiking, and general tourist opportunities since it’s centrally located. According to some of Gene’s friends and family, hunting attracted Gene to this area. He had an extensive gun collection that included four or five pistols and several long guns.
Lastly, according to interviews with friends and family, no one was aware of any issues or problems in Lynn and Gene’s marriage prior to his disappearance.
The Disappearance of Eugene Francis Fish
On June 29, 2004, Lynn called Gene’s father, Bill, and told him that Gene had left on June 20 (later, she said it was June 21). When Bill asked her what had led up to this. Lynn said that he (Gene) had left in an agitated mood after he had smashed up his computer and cell phone. He had also cut up his credit cards. She believed Gene was tired of it all and was planning to go and start over in Mexico or South America. He had also told her he would return the 2000 Ford F-150 to her at a later date. She then said he returned the truck just outside the gated community gate on June 23, 2004.
Is anyone else seeing red flags? Lynn waited more than a week to tell anyone Gene was missing; this alone seems suspect. Next, Lynn didn’t notify the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office. The truck reappeared three days later. Hmm. . .
Wait! Who Notified Authorities That Gene Was Missing?
Gene’s friend, Chuck DeLuca, filed a missing person report on September 1, 2004. Chuck was a police officer in New York, and he found out his friend was missing through a concerned call from Bill. Bill had told Chuck everything that Lynn had told him. Things weren’t adding up, so Chuck reached out to the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office.
One of the concerning points for Chuck and Bill was Gene’s weekly calls to his mother, Agnes. This was highly unusual. In addition, Bill had heard from Gene on June 20. It was Father’s Day and a Sunday. Gene had mentioned no issues with Lynn. He didn’t seem agitated or in any way different from usual.
First Visit to question Lynn September 2, 2004
On September 2, 2004, Sheriff Officer Robert Dodd went to Gene and Lynn’s home to investigate the missing person’s report from Chuck DeLuca. The papers aren’t clear if Officer Dodd was alone or if another officer was with him on this initial visit. Lynn recounted the same story she had told Bill. Officers from the sheriff’s office later interviewed neighbors, members of the homeowner’s association, and Gene’s family and friends.
Around September 9, 2004, Lynn hired a lawyer. She was no longer cooperative with the investigation and asked that all questions go through the lawyer. Lynn could have done this for many reasons, but the lawyer stated that the investigation of Gene having gone missing overly stressed her.
Bill Hires Private Investigators
After a few months of not getting any additional information from the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, Bill decided to hire a couple of private investigators. Some of you might recognize at least one of their names if you’re a fan of the television series Homicide Hunter, since it has been mentioned often in the eight-year series. Lou Smit and his partner, Dave Spencer, both retired as homicide detectives from the Colorado Springs Police Department.
A Reward Is Offered
A Colorado Springs newspaper, The Gazette Telegraph, ran a new story about Gene’s friends and family, offering a $10,000 reward for anyone who could provide information to help locate Gene Fish. This article points out that after Gene’s thirty-year career working for the federal government, it seemed suspicious that he wouldn’t tap into his retirement revenue of $4,500 a month since his disappearance.
I think the friends and family raise a valid point: If he were going to start over, why wouldn’t he use his retirement money? He wasn’t running from the law; he wasn’t hiding from anyone. What would his 2004 monthly retirement of $4,500 be today? It would be roughly $7, 247 a month in 2023.
Search Warrant for Eugene Francis Fish’s Property
Time marches on and finally, a search warrant was issued with a thirteen-page affidavit. What I find interesting are all the conflicting statements gathered from Lynn that were used to establish varying search areas and items. What really gets me, though, is that it took almost two years!
I’m going to keep to some of the discrepancies for this part, and I’m going to follow the timeline that Officer Robert Dodd outlines in this affidavit. Here goes . . .
credit to The Canon City Daily Record Newspaper
Mid-2003, when the modular home was being set up, Lynn stated that Gene complained constantly and was obnoxious, and arrogant and that he threatened physical violence to work crews.
In late 2003, Lynn called Nopolitan, a member of the work crew for the home setup, crying and saying that Gene had beaten her up and had knocked out a tooth. She didn’t report this to the sheriff’s office. Lynn made a statement to Nopolitan that she didn’t want to be stuck with Gene’s unfinished house. (Nopolitan’s statements were added after his interview with the sheriff’s office.)
In January 2004, Lynn reported a shoving incident to the sheriff on a phone call. She stated that Gene had shoved her, and she also told the sheriff she didn’t want to make an official report. Later, when the sheriff followed up at the home and spoke with Gene, he indicated that he had taken care of the problems.
On June 20, 2004, Gene called his father to wish him a happy Father’s Day. Lynn told Bill that Gene had taken off on June 20, but when they questioned her about Gene’s phone call with his father on the same day, she said Gene had left on June 21.
for reference to the nearest highway access.
Officer Dodd stated that the truck reappearing seemed suspicious because it would have had to mean that either Gene brought it back and walked miles back out to Highway 9 or that he would have had to have had someone follow him up to that point and then give him a ride back out or to some other destination.
Another discrepancy about the truck’s reappearance back on September 2, 2004: Lynn, when asked how she got the truck back up to the house, had said there was only one ignition key left with the truck. In a statement on June 16, 2005, she said she had used a spare set of keys that were left in the house to bring the truck back.
On July 2, 2004, Lynn told Bill, Gene’s father, that someone had smashed the truck’s CB radio. During the initial visit to the property on September 2, 2004, an officer had asked if the truck had a CB radio since it still had an antenna. Lynn told officers the truck had never had a CB. Another discrepancy Dodd noted was the amount of money Gene had taken with him. Initially, it was $8,000, then it changed to $8,500, and $20,000, and even went as high as $25,000.
Initially, Lynn reported that Gene had smashed up his computer and cell phone. When the sheriffs checked with the trash hauler of the community dumpster, Dan Ogden, Ogden reported that nobody had put any smashed up or otherwise computers in the dumpster. He recalled a blue canvas bag that contained empty gun holsters and a pair of ear guards.
They questioned Lynn about the bag, and she claimed to have not known of its existence. Also, Lynn had previously told a neighbor, Tony Revak, that she was “scared to touch Gene’s guns.”
Gene had previously told his father that he had bought Lynn her own gun and taught her how to shoot it for her own protection since they were in such a remote location and in case of wildlife threats. Bill had asked Lynn about her gun after Gene went missing and Lynn told Bill she didn’t remember it.
On July 28, 2004, and August 5, 2004, when Dan Ainsworth delivered gravel and road base to the property, he asked about Gene. Lynn told Ainsworth that Gene had gone back to New York.
Lynn had also told her neighbor, Tony Revak, the same story about Gene having gone to New York. But later, she told Tony she had lied because she (Lynn) was too ashamed to say that Gene had left her to start over somewhere else.
I don’t know what to think of all the changing statements from Lynn. It doesn’t help that she had made no official reports of domestic violence. She really hasn’t done herself any favors by saying one thing to one person and something else to another person. If Gene was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, wouldn’t there be others to corroborate Lynn’s version of things?
Wait, y’all, there is one more oddity that Officer Dodd listed as suspicious. On July 6, 2004, Lynn purchased a new mattress. Dodd stated in the affidavit that it seemed strange to only buy a mattress when it’s customary to buy a mattress and box spring together. Dodd inquired of Dan Ogden again of this development. Dan stated there had been no mattresses in the community bin. Next, Dodd asked the company that had delivered the new mattress if they had disposed of the old one. Another no.
Personally, I would have found this suspicious as well, considering the event took place a little over two weeks after Gene’s disappearance.
From just this search warrant justification, I wonder if they could have charged Lynn with impeding an investigation, falsifying information, misleading authorities, or something?
What Exactly Did They Find with the Search Warrant?
Evidence that was reportedly obtained from Gene and Lynn’s property is going to open a can of worms that y’all will not believe!
Some of the items taken from the property were a gray security box that contained money, letters, a birth certificate, and a passport. Elsewhere in the house, a Compaq Presario tower and a Memorex three-inch disc in an envelope, and various letters to Gene were found. There was also blood on a rock wall noticed by the sheriff’s deputies who executed the search warrant.
The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office brought some of their search dogs to the property as part of the search. These dogs had previous experience in detecting both narcotics and cadavers. This affidavit doesn’t mention if the dogs keyed into any specific locations on the property. Or if they led the officers to any additional evidence.
What Are the Results of the Search Warrant Items?
Well, you see, this is a part the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office may be keeping a tight lid on or . . . here we go down another curious rabbit hole.
Remember how I told you Officer Robert Dodd has been all over this case since September 2, 2004? Yeah, well, it turns out he might be part of the problem. I know it seems harsh, but here are my reasons. I will let you decide for yourselves.
In the investigation, one of Gene’s cousins, Frank Hernigle, is quoted as saying, “[He] had bought radar imagery from up there and found new disturbances on the [Fish] property that could have been viable places to look for a body.” This quote is from a newspaper article in The Pueblo Chieftain written by Tracy Harmon and published on December 29, 2017.
The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office couldn’t open the files at that time. Interestingly enough, those same files were able to be opened later. We have no idea if the “viable places” were ever searched.
Dodd had a far-fetched theory that Gene could have been kidnapped or killed by KGB agents. A friend and colleague of Gene’s named Fred Kroll reached out to Dodd to tell him that this theory was unfounded. Since Gene didn’t have secret information that the KGB might have been interested in. He didn’t speak Russian and during Gene’s time with SALT, his duties were to escort the Soviets around to a single US site during their visits.
Officer Robert Dodd Convicted of Mishandling Evidence
Saving the most awful part about Officer Dodd for last. He has been convicted on three of the four charges involving unauthorized possession of evidence from an unsolved murder case, abuse of public records, and two counts of second-degree official misconduct.
I can hear y’all asking why. Well, it seems Officer Dodd had evidence in a storage shed that he lost, and the storage company sold its contents to recoup some of the storage fees.
Rick Ratzlaff, the man who purchased the shed in late 2016, found envelopes stamped as evidence, a hatchet, and bloody clothes. Ratzlaff turned all the evidence over to authorities. An investigation was done on Lieutenant Robert Dodd by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. This investigation led to the charges and later, three convictions. In total, they sentenced Dodd to 150 days in jail, but the judge in the case suspended all but fifteen days and enforced a $1,000 fine. After Dodd served his sentence, he moved out of Colorado.
But get, this y’all. Before Dodd moved, he had a roll-off trash container at his house. When the landfill was searched, the Colorado Bureau of Investigations found documents that went as far back as 2003.
I have to ask if some of the documents from the storage shed or the landfill might have anything to do with this case. Yeah, I just can’t wrap my head around this ex-officers behavior. I wonder if any of Gene’s family had been aware at the time if there could have been someone to fight on Gene’s behalf.
What about the Private Detective and Gene’s Family?
Based on Lou Smit and Dave Spencer’s investigation, Gene’s father, Bill, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Lynn Fish and Johnny Florez.
Wait, I can hear y’all asking who Johnny Florez is and how he fits in. It turns out that Johnny was a neighbor of the Fishes. Johnny was a backhoe operator. Lou and Dave, believe that Johnny may have used his backhoe to hide evidence and perhaps in hiding Gene’s body. From what I could find it is believed that Lynn acted alone in the possible murder of Gene.
The wrongful death lawsuit was dropped after Bill Fish passed away in 2007 at the age of ninety. Before Bill passed, he left provisions for the foundation of a trust fund to finance the search for Eugene Francis Fish.
Gene’s mother, Agnes, passed away in October 2009. Eugene was the sole heir to their estate, which was estimated to be worth $500,000 at that time.
Some More on Lynn Fish
I find it interesting that Lynn consulted a lawyer on June 29, 2004. This would have been eight or nine days after Gene went missing. And she had Gene’s name taken from joint banking accounts at this point. When asked, she stated that she was afraid Gene would wipe out the funds but later, in a court hearing, she told a judge that Gene would want her to be taken care of.
Remember how Lynn had told the neighbor and the contractor that she didn’t want to be stuck with Gene’s house? Interestingly enough, she kept that house for seven years after Gene’s disappearance and sold it on December 1, 2011. According to sales records, the home sold for $249,000. On a side note, the home sold again in 2022 for a half million dollars.
Final Thoughts
I think if we gave Lynn a truth serum, this wouldn’t be a missing-person case. It is my opinion based on all of the back-and-forths that Lynn is not comfortable with the truth. I don’t want to downplay domestic violence. I just can’t make heads or tails of why she would stay with someone who could hurt her or her child (this is playing devil’s advocate, y’all). Lynn was married to Gene from February 1997 to 2004. That is seven years! Lynn had been divorced once already.
I think Lynn knows more than she is saying. I don’t know if Johnny Florez is really involved in the case. The case is lacking circumstantial evidence. And direct evidence isn’t available, or there would have been a charge by now. I want to believe this case is solvable. I’m just not sure that will happen without a confession or a body at this point. I wish someone would offer more information.
If any of you have information about the disappearance of Eugene Francis Fish. Please reach out to the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office at 719-276-5555. The case number is 04-3013.
Thank you for spending time with us today! We have several other true crime-related posts if you would like, such as Lori Layman – Missing woman from Colorado Springs, Colorado, or Wrongful Death Cases in Colorado. Hope to have you back soon.
SOURCES
https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/robert-dodd-fremont-candace-hiltz/
https://apps.colorado.gov/apps/coldcase/casedetail.html?id=1232
