Bockwith left her Escambia County, Florida home on the morning of December 5, 1979 to go to class at the University of West Florida, where she majored in accounting. She and a friend breakfasted that morning at a McDonald's restaurant on Navy Boulevard. Her behavior at the time was normal. Another friend spotted Bockwith driving through the intersection at Creighton Road and Ninth Avenue later that day. She has never been heard from again. A week later, her car turned at the Pensacola Regional Airport with her books inside, and the driver's seat pushed back all the way.

Bockwith told several friends about having problems with her boyfriend, Robert Deaver, prior to her disappearance. She didn't suggest Deaver threatened her. Five days after authorities questioned him about Bockwith, Deaver committed suicide.

Investigators believe Bockwith is deceased. Her case remains unsolved.