Goines was last seen entering a red convertible near her family's apartment complex in Frederick, Maryland on December 5, 1987. She had left her home at John Hanson Apartments on north Bentz Street that morning to run some errands for her neighbors. She has never been heard from again and neither has the vehicle. Goines was supposed to return home for dinner at 5:00 p.m., but did not. Her mother began searching the neighborhood for her at 9:00 p.m. Due to procedures in place at the time, Goines's mother had to wait 24 hours before filing a missing persons report with the police.

Goines was sixth-grade student at Governor Thomas Johnson Middle School at the time of her disappearance. For nearly twenty years after her disappearance, her mother slept in the living room of their apartment in case Goines knocked on their door in the middle of the night. The John Hanson Apartments were demolished in 2005, and Goines's mother moved. She still lives in the local area, however, and still hopes to find her daughter. Goines's mother describes the child as cheerful and helpful to their neighbors. She believes Goines was abducted but is still alive.

Authorities stated they had not received any new leads in Goines's disappearance for quite some time. Her disappearance remains unsolved.