Arbell was last seen in Van Nuys, California on April 18, 1993. She told her loved ones that she was planning to embark on a short vacation. Her silver/blue 1987 Honda Civic was discovered abandoned in Victorville, California on April 25, a week after she was last seen. There were no signs of foul play in or around the vehicle and no personal belongings inside, except Arbell's curling iron.

Arbell has never been heard from again. She is described as a highly organized woman who kept in close contact with her family, and her disappearance is considered suspicious. Her husband is not a suspect in her disappearance, which remains unsolved.