Christine Carter and Nicholas Francisco met by chance while in art school. They shared a common history of troubled childhoods, and found comfort and safety in one another. They married in 2001.

Nicholas Francisco and Christine Carter with their two children, Zea and Noah Francisco, in 2005.

Volunteers posted this flyer all over Seattle after Nicholas Francisco went missing. His car would be discovered within a week. But more than a year passed before authorities discovered he was living in Los Angeles.

Nicholas Francisco with his daughter, Zea, shortly before he disappeared.

Nicholas Francisco pictured with the first two children he had with his wife, Christine Carter. After Francisco disappeared, his wife gave birth to another boy. Francisco's own father left his family when he was 16. Nicholas Francisco has not met his youngest child and has not seen his other children since his disappearance in February 2008.

Christine Carter and Nicholas Francisco in happier times. They had been married for seven years when he disappeared and started a new life in Los Angeles, where he lived under an assumed name.

The most most recent photos of Nicholas Francisco kept by his ex-wife, Christine Carter. Matt Donovan, his best friend, said, "He was kind of a little bit crazy, the guy sticking his head out the window yelling and screaming as we're driving."

A screen grab from Nicholas Francisco's MySpace page, where he posted risque photos of himself, using the moniker "Steven Spazz."