Chavez was last seen leaving her job at the East LA Indoor Swapmeet in the 4700 block of Whittier Boulevard in East Los Angeles, California at 8:45 p.m. on May 7, 2009. That evening, she sent a text message to a friend saying she was in trouble and felt she was in danger. Her friend reported her missing that same night. Chavez has never been heard from again. A few days after her disappearance, her gray or champagne-colored four-door 1998 Honda Accord with California license plates numbered 5HPL503 was found abandoned in the 17000 block of Pacific Coast Highway near Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, California.

Chavez has a young daughter and is described as a devoted single mother. The child's father isn't considered a suspect in her case. Chavez lived in El Monte, California at the time she went missing. Foul play is suspected in her disappearance, which remains unsolved.