Burnett-Pitts was involved with drugs, including methamphetamine, at the time of her disappearance and lead a transient lifestyle with no fixed address. She was last seen in the Poplar Bluff, Missouri area sometime between 1998 and 2000, but the date and circumstances of her disappearance are unclear. Her family last saw her at Christmastime in 1998. According to her family, Burnett-Pitts had a habit of dropping out of sight for months at a time. Her two children lived with her parents.

Burnett-Pitts was married in 1998 and her husband was reportedly violent and abusive towards her. He was later imprisoned, and he died in 2010. Authorities believe Burnett-Pitts may have been the victim of a homicide, but little information is available in her case. It remains unsolved.