Barrick was last seen walking her dog on Laurel Ridge Road in rural Mammoth Cave, Kentucky on April 12, 1996. She spoke with a neighbor at 2:00 p.m. She has never been heard from again. A neighbor reported her missing three days later, realizing she hadn't been out to walk her dog in several days. When the police went to her home, they found evidence of forced entry and indications of a struggle in the bedroom, including a small amount of blood.

There was no sign of Barrick. The only items missing were her clutch purse and the fitted sheet off her bed. The $400 in cash she kept in her freezer was still there. The lights were turned off, and Barrick's dog was locked in its crate. She normally took the trash out every evening; the bag of trash was found on top of her kitchen counter.

Barrick is a widow and lived alone at the time of her disappearance. She enjoyed fishing and growing roses, and she is an accomplished seamstress who made her four children's clothes when they were young. She was reportedly dating a younger man, but her family didn't know the man's name. Foul play is suspected in her case, which is being treated as a homicide. Authorities believe her body may be buried in a shallow grave in the woods near her home.