Anderson was employed as a legal secretary at the law offices of James Rabbit and Jay Feldstein on east Manhattan Boulevard in Toledo, Ohio in 1981. She was last seen at the business on August 4 of that year. Her employers discovered that the radio was turned on and their desks were prepared for the day upon their arrival at work. Unclaimed mail had been placed inside the front door handle and a romance novel Anderson was reading was opened on her desk. There was no sign of her elsewhere in the building. Her purse and car keys were missing, but her vehicle was locked in the parking lot outside of the office. Anderson has never been seen again. She left a substantial amount of money behind in her bank account, and her Social Security number has not been used since her disappearance.

Anderson had received suspicious phone calls at work in the weeks prior to her disappearance which seemed to disturb her. Her family reported that she also suffered from recurring nightmares about being attacked by a man. Anderson's employers installed an emergency buzzer at her desk during the summer of 1981. She also kept the office's doors locked at all times. This was due to the harrassing calls and omnimous messages.

There have been several suspects in Anderson's disappearance, none of which have been officially ruled out in her case by investigators. Anthony and Nathaniel Cook, two brothers convicted of nine murders in the Ohio area between them in the 1980s, have denied any involvement in Anderson's case. Another convicted murderer currently imprisoned in Ohio is thought to have possibly been involved in her disappearance as well, though any connection has never been established and the man has never been publicly identified.

Convicted drug dealer Jose Rodriguez Jr. and his attorney, Richard Neller, are also suspects in Anderson's case. Neller worked with Anderson's law firm during 1981 and authorities theorize that she may have overheard conversations between Neller and Rodriguez concerning drug deals prior to her disappearance. Investigators believe the information may have led to Anderson's possible abduction and/or murder, though this has never been proven. An informant testified at Rodriguez's trial in 1995 that Rodriguez confessed to killing Anderson, but the testimony was ruled to be unreliable. Both Rodriguez and Neller are currently imprisoned due to drug convictions. No one has been charged in connection with Anderson's disappearance and her case remains unsolved.

Anderson is described as a devout Christian fundamentalist who enjoyed her job and family life in 1981. She had a boyfriend and many friends. Anderson was planning to quit her secretarial job two weeks after her disappearance in order to attend Bible college. Her family has stated it would be extremely uncharacteristic of her to vanish without explanation for her loved ones.