Donahoe was last seen in San Bernardino County, California on February 18, 2011. She was in a traffic accident in the Lake Arrowhead area that day, sustaining moderate damage to her vehicle. Donahoe left the scene of the crash and knocked on the doors of several houses in the area, asking for help. One person let her use the phone and believes she may have called a tow truck. Another woman may have given her a ride to the bus station, where she possibly purchased a ticket to Banning, California. She has never been heard from again.

Authorities don't believe foul play was involved in Donahoe's disappearance and they don't think she sustained fatal injuries in the crash, but there are concerns for her safety. A severe blizzard struck the area a few days after she was last seen, and if she had been exposed to the elements, she would not have survived. She disappeared once before, in 2003, and was found in New Mexico three weeks later.

Donahoe lived in the 1600 block of San Jacinto Avenue in San Jacinto, California at the time of her disappearance, and worked as an in-home caregiver to the elderly. She had just bought a new home and was devoted to her two pet dogs. She was reported missing on February 24, and some agencies state she disappeared on that date. Riverside County, California police are investigating.