Abrams and her father waved as they passed one another on Goodenow Road during the early evening of October 4, 1990 in her hometown of, Beecher, Illinois. That's the last time he or anyone would see her. At the time of her disappearance, she carried a small, light beige pattern purse.

Abrams's vehicle, a red 1989 Dodge Daytona hatchback, turned up eleven hours later in Harvey, Illinois with the doors locked and keys still in the ignition. Her camera was in the car, but authorities located no trace of Abrams at the scene. A witness said two men in a tow truck dropped the car off at 10:00 p.m. At 3:00 a.m., a neighbor called the police to report someone breaking into the car. Investigators then linked the car to Abrams. Three days after Abrams vanished, her purse was found in a residential area three blocks away from the car's original location. Whoever took it left her wallet, but took its credit cards.

Abrams dated a married police officer, Anthony Marquez, before she vanished. Her family wasn't aware of his marital status. He convinced her to join the sheriff's department; they hired her as a deputy in 1988. In November 1989, shortly after she ended her relationship with Marquez, she requested an order of protection against him, alleging that he harassed her and slashed her car's tires. In December 1989, the sheriff's department terminated her, two weeks before the scheduled end of her probationary period. A short time later, Marquez filed a criminal complaint against her, alleging harassment. The complaint was dismissed. The police department fired Marquez in December 1990.

A few months after her termination, Abrams filed a lawsuit alleging wrongful dismissal, sexual harassment and violation of civil rights. The defendants included Marquez and seven others in the sheriff's department. One of the first hearings in the suit was scheduled for October 22, 1990, eighteen days after she disappeared. It's unclear whether Abrams's problems with the sheriff's department contributed to her disappearance. The Will County Sheriff's Department initially investigated her disappearance, but the state police took over shortly after it began, citing a possible conflict of interest.

Some believe Abrams disappeared deliberately to spite Marquez, but most investigators thin she met with foul play. She graduated from Sandburg High School, Moraine Valley Community College and Governers State University, eventually planning to seek a career in law. Her case remains unsolved.