Freeman was last seen in the parking lot of the Pizza Hut restaurant in her hometown of Petal, Mississippi at approximately 1:00 a.m. on September 10, 1993. She was speaking with her former boyfriend at the time. Freeman's silver 1984 Honda Accord hatchback was discovered abandoned at the Old Mahned Bridge over the Leaf River in Perry County, Mississippi at approximately 6:40 a.m. that morning. A photograph of the Honda is posted below this case summary. The vehicle's windows were rolled down and blood drops were located on the car and on the ground nearby; DNA testing proved that the blood belonged to Freeman. Her white Keds slip-on tennis shoes were found near the scene, but her purse and keys were missing.

Freeman is not believed to have left of her own accord. She made a car payment and a layaway purchase shortly before her disappearance and bought groceries, which would make no sense if she was planning to run away. She also left behind a paycheck for over two hundred dollars. Freeman's parents suspect that a man who was seen washing his truck in Gulfport, Mississippi at 2:00 a.m. the morning Freeman vanished was involved in her disappearance. He had been hunting near the Old Mahned bridge earlier. He has never been located or identified.

Freeman had dropped out of high school in the ninth grade, but she was studying for her general equivalency diploma (GED) at the time of her disappearance. She wanted to become an X-ray technician or a nurse. She had moved out of her parents' home and was living with a roommate at the time that she vanished. She worked at the Krystal restaurant on Hardy Street in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Freeman's mother and stepfather stated that, although she was not close to them, she would not have left the area without telling them where she was going.

Foul play is suspected in Freeman's disappearance. Her family has criticized the police investigation into her case; authorities originally treated Freeman as a runaway in spite of the blood found near her car, although they are now investigating the case as a criminal matter. Her loved ones believe she was murdered and they think they know who killed her, but they have not publicly released the individual's name. Freeman's mother held a memorial service for her in 2002. Her case remains unsolved.

Above: Freeman's car