In Lancaster, Gary Franke’s death drew grief from neighbors who knew him for generosity and second chances.
LANCASTER, Ohio — Gary Franke was known in his Lancaster neighborhood for helping people who needed work, meals or a fresh start before he was shot and buried behind his South Maple Street home in August 2025.
The man convicted in his killing, John Scott, had done yard work for Franke the day before the body was found, according to investigators. Scott later pleaded guilty to murder with a gun specification, tampering with evidence and gross abuse of a corpse. A judge sentenced him to life in prison with parole eligibility after 18 years.
Franke, 81, lived in the 700 block of South Maple Street, where neighbors described him as both familiar and generous. He owned real estate properties and was remembered for giving people jobs when they were trying to get stable again. His obituary said he bought meals for those in need and believed deeply that people deserved the chance to turn their lives around. Neighbor Troy Seiple said Franke took pride in helping people rebuild. “He would try to get them started back in their life, their credit right, get them started back and going again,” Seiple said. That memory became one of the clearest public portraits of Franke after his death.
The kindness neighbors described also framed the shock of the case. Police said Franke knew Scott for roughly three decades. Scott was not described as a stranger who arrived without connection to the home. Investigators said he had recently been on the property doing yard work. Prosecutors later said that after the work, Scott decided to rob Franke and killed him during that crime. Court records said Scott admitted shooting Franke after being advised of his rights. The allegations turned a long relationship and a work arrangement into the center of a murder case.
Police were called to Franke’s home on Aug. 9, 2025, after he failed to respond to texts from friends and colleagues. The call began as a welfare check. Officers searched the property and found his body in a wooded area behind the home, buried in a shallow grave and covered with brush. The Fairfield County Coroner’s Office ruled the death a homicide caused by a gunshot wound. Lancaster police said the case was targeted, not random, because Franke, Scott and Holly McDaniel knew one another. McDaniel, Scott’s girlfriend, was accused of helping after the killing.
The speed of the police response became part of the case record. Officers were dispatched at 1:03 p.m. and found the body at about 4:31 p.m. By 8:05 p.m., investigators had identified and interviewed Scott and McDaniel. Scott, then 44, of Laurelville, was charged first with aggravated murder. McDaniel, then 45, of Columbus, was charged first with abuse of a corpse. A grand jury later indicted Scott on a wider set of counts, including aggravated murder, murder, robbery, tampering with evidence and gross abuse of a corpse. McDaniel’s later charges included tampering with evidence, obstructing justice and gross abuse of a corpse.
Investigators said the concealment of Franke’s body happened after Scott returned to the property with McDaniel. According to court records summarized by authorities, Scott left the scene after shooting Franke and came back with her. Police said the two moved Franke’s body and covered it with brush in the wooded area. McDaniel also told investigators that Scott had previously spoken about stealing from Franke and killing him, according to court documents. That statement was among the details used to describe the death as more than an unexpected argument. Public accounts did not say that McDaniel was accused of firing the gun.
Scott’s guilty plea changed the court schedule and spared Franke’s family and neighbors from a murder trial. He pleaded guilty to murder with a gun specification, tampering with evidence and gross abuse of a corpse. The judge sentenced him to life in prison, with parole eligibility only after 18 years. The parole eligibility date is not a release date. It is the first point when state officials may review whether he should remain imprisoned. Fairfield County Prosecuting Attorney Kyle Witt said Franke was a cherished friend and a man who loved his community. Witt said Scott created a void that could not be filled.
McDaniel’s case remains separate. She has been described as Scott’s girlfriend and as a person who knew Franke. The pending charges against her center on events after the shooting, including the alleged movement and concealment of the body. Her case could still bring more court hearings, evidence and testimony about what happened on the property after Franke died. Until that case is resolved, the criminal process tied to Franke’s death remains unfinished, even though Scott’s murder conviction has been entered and his prison term has been imposed.
For neighbors, the legal outcome did not erase the image of a man remembered for ordinary generosity. Franke was described as someone who let children ride on his golf cart, helped people find work and gave money or meals when others were struggling. Those memories spread after his death because they stood in sharp contrast to the allegations in court. The man who tried to help people was killed by someone investigators said had known him for years and had recently been trusted with work at his property.
The case now stands as both a closed murder conviction and an open prosecution. Scott awaits or has begun service of his state prison term, while McDaniel’s case remains the next formal step. Franke’s community is left with the court record and the memory of a neighbor known for giving chances.
Author note: Last updated June 16, 2026.