Creighton was last seen by her mother on March 21, 1997 in their hometown of Orlando, Florida. She was initially abducted by her non-custodial grandparents, Ernest S. Jackson and Kaia Jackson, also known as Ernest and Abiola Anderson, in March 1997. Photographs of them are posted below this case summary. The Jacksons moved from Orlando to Tulsa, Oklahoma in August 1998, with their four children. The last confirmed sighting of Creighton took place at that time.

Creighton's grandparents were arrested for child abuse charges in October 2000 in Oklahoma. The charges are relating to the abuse of one of their sons in 1988 and are not related to Creighton's case. Both Ernest and Kaia were convicted of the charges and sentenced to twelve and ten years in prison, respectively. The Jacksons' children were located in Oklahoma but Creighton was not with them at the time of their arrest and she has not been seen again.

In 2006, Jerry Jackson wrote a confession that he and a male accomplice had killed Creighton "round bout March of 1997." He also confessed to the murder of another woman and drew a map pinpointing the spot where he said he put both females' remains. Jackson, a teenager with a history of mental illness, is serving a thirty-year sentence for a series of violent crimes he committed in 2002, including kidnapping and rape. Authorities have series doubts about his credibility; he said Creighton was thirteen years old at the time of her death when she would have been four, and there is no missing persons report on file for the other person Jackson claims to have murdered. However, police said they planned to investigate Jackson's account to see if it has any veracity.

Creighton's grandparents are the prime suspects in her disappearance. Investigators believe she was murdered and her body was taken to Oklahoma and buried somewhere in that state. The Jacksons have refused to be interviewed regarding Creighton's case and have never been charged in connection with it.

Some agencies name Brooklyn, New York as the place of Creighton's disappearance.

Left: Kaia Jackson; Right: Ernest Jackson