Bass was last seen driving his 1977 tan and brown two-door Chevrolet Caprice with Texas license plates numbered C82-MRB in Bellmead, Texas on October 21, 2000. He was on Highway 84 near Loop 340 at the time of his disappearance. Bass left his residence at 9:00 a.m. and was headed to Waco, Texas to have his vehicle inspected and purchase new tags. He never arrived at his destination and has not been heard from again. His vehicle has never been recovered.

There were unconfirmed sightings of Bass for four days after his initial disappearance. Bass was carrying a blank check to purchase his new tags. He did not have any additional cash or credit cards with him. Bass was a resident of Mart, Texas in 2000.

Investigators believe Bass may have had a stroke on the day of his disappearance and developed amnesia, or possibly he was carjacked. His case remains unsolved.