Stephanie disappeared from North Hills, California on April 1, 2007. She was abducted by her non-custodial father, Farid Farhoumand. A photograph and vital statistics for Farid are posted below this case summary.

Stephanie's parents were separated in 2007 and fighting over custody of her. Her mother was petitioning for sole custody and Farid had visitation rights. On the day of Stephanie's abduction, her mother dropped her off for a scheduled visitation with Farid. Stephanie's parents got into an altercation. Her father physically pushed her mother out of his apartment and fled in his car with Stephanie. Her mother then contacted the police, saying she was afraid Farid would take the child out of the country. Because Stephanie's mother did not have exclusive custody of her at the time, months passed before authorities could issue any charges or warrants against Farid.

Authorities found Farid's car in Otay Mesa, California, at the Mexican border crossing. They determined Farid had in fact taken Stephanie into Mexico and from there they flew to Frankfurt, Germany. Once there, Farid spoke to airline employees saying he was going to fly to Iran via Turkey, but he didn't have enough money to get there. The staff members offered to contact the United States Embassy on his behalf, but Farid insisted they should not call. This made the airline employees suspicious. Thinking he might have abducted Stephanie, they called the American embassy without Farid's knowledge. Stephanie was not listed as an abducted child at the time, however, and so the embassy was unaware of the situation. The airline workers convinced Farid not to try to take Stephanie to Iran, and they flew back to Mexico instead. Stephanie's mother was eventually granted sole custody of her and in July 2007, police issued a felony warrant for Farid. By then, however, Stephanie and Farid had vanished again. It's unclear whether or not they are still in Mexico.

Farid was raised as a Christian and attended church regularly. He has a history of physically abusive behavior and Stephanie is considered to be at risk as a result. Her whereabouts are unknown and her case remains unsolved.