Ginevicz was last seen in St. Ignatius, Montana in the early afternoon hours of April 30, 1980. She was playing in the unfenced yard of her home, which was located in a remote wooded area of the region. She disappeared from the yard while her mother was inside doing chores, and has never been seen again.

Investigators do not believe Ginevicz was abducted. There was only one road leading up to her house in 1980, and neighbors did not see any strangers or suspicious vehicles in the area. The police believed she probably wandered off and drowned in a nearby stream, or was attacked by a wild animal such as a grizzly bear. It rained and snowed for ten days after Ginevicz's disappearance, and if she was exposed to the elements, she could not have survived very long. An extensive search of the St. Ignatius area turned up no sign of her.

Ginevicz's parents were divorced when she disappeared; she lived with her mother and brother, and her father lived in Colorado. He came to Montana to assist in the search for her. Authorities do not believe Ginevicz was harmed by either of her parents. Her father thinks she was kidnapped by a family who wanted to raise a child, and that she may not know she is missing. Due to the lack of evidence in Ginevicz's case, it is classified as a non-family abduction.