Dowless was last seen at her father's home on Pine Log Road in Whiteville, North Carolina on September 4, 2005. One of her children woke up and saw her using the family's computer shortly after 1:00 a.m. Dowless sent her child back to bed afterwards. She has never been heard from again. Her husband says he heard a vehicle driving away from the residence between 5:00 and 5:30 a.m. He says he later found Dowless's burgundy Mitsubishi Elantra parked at a nearby horse barn her family owned. Her loved ones do not know what would have caused her to drive there in the early morning hours. Her cellular phone was later found broken in pieces inside her home.

Dowless left behind four children, one of whom was only three months old. She is described as a devoted mother who wouldn't have abandoned her children. Although there were no reports of domestic violence in their marriage, her husband stated they often argued and she had physically attacked him before. Dowless had allegedly disappeared on two previous occasions, but was located each time before a report could be filed with police. Authorities are uncertain what caused her to go missing in September 2005. Her case remains unsolved.