Cheatham was last seen in her hometown of Aiken, South Carolina on August 11, 1989. She resided with her parents in the Balltown area on Jack Jones Street near Highway 19. Cheatham was visiting relatives at the time of her disappearance. She became angry when her mother told her she must return to her home. Cheatham took spare change from a jar in her mother's kitchen and left her house. She was last seen by two neighbors at approximately 5:30 p.m. at a Quik Stop convenience store a few blocks from home. Cheatham has never been seen or heard from again.

Two weeks after Cheatham disappeared, her grandmother was arrested and charged with obstructing justice in her case. Police stated Cheatham's grandmother wasn't a suspect in her disappearance, but she had lied to them many times and may have been trying to cover up what happened. Investigators have looked into the possibility that Cheatham is living with relatives, but those theories have not produced any leads and have been cast aside. She had a history of running away from her family's residence, but it is not clear what happened to cause her disappearance. She may have been abducted.

Cheatham was an honor roll student at North Aiken Elementary School in 1989. Her case remains unsolved.