Goodwin was last seen at DJ's Bar bar in the 6400 block of Martin Street in Rome, New York on June 7, 1990. He disappeared with a sixteen-year-old coworker, Mark Seelman. They may have been en route to Utica, New York that night. Neither of them have been heard from again.

Goodwin was living a transient lifestyle at the time of his disappearance. He left home due to problems with his parents and lived with his girlfriend and her mother in Utica for a few weeks, but shortly before his disappearance they had an argument and Goodwin was supposed to move out. He never collected his belongings and never contacted his girlfriend again. She was pregnant at the time of his disappearance and later gave birth to his son. According to his girlfriend, Goodwin had dropped out of high shool and was enrolled in a graphic arts program with the Madison-Oneida Board of Cooperative Educational Services in 1990.

Seelman's loved ones believe foul play was involved in his case, but it's unclear what happened to him and Goodwin. Both cases remain unsolved.