Cox was last seen in East Cleveland, Ohio sometime during March 1989. She told her family she was going to the store, left her home on Van Buren Road, and never returned. She has never been heard from again. Cox had a history of dropping out of sight, but prior to her March 1989 disappearance she had never been gone longer than a day or two.

At the time of her disappearance, Cox worked as a bartender at McCall's Lounge (now called McCall's Motor Inn) on Eulcid Street. This is a less than half a mile from the home of suspected serial killer Anthony Edward Sowell; her home is also only about half a mile from his. A photo of Sowell is posted below this case summary. He raped a woman he met at the lounge and served fifteen years in prison for the crime. Sowell was rearrested in October 2009, when police went to his house to arrest him for rape and found the bodies of eleven African-American women in his house. It took over a month to identify all the bodies; none of them were Cox's. They were all women who had disappeared from the local area during the previous two years. Most of the victims were involved with drugs and had high-risk lifestyles; Cox fit this profile.

Sowell has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to 85 charges, including eleven counts of first-degree murder. He is awaiting trial. Authorities are investigating to see if he can be linked to any more disappearances or murders in the area, including Cox's. He admitted that he knew her, but he says he knows nothing about her disappearance and he isn't facing any charges in connection with it. Cox's case remains unsolved.

Above: Anthony Edward Sowell in 2009