Arisoneide was last seen in Turlock, California on May 28, 1992. Her nine-year-old daughter saw her before she left home for school. They lived in the 2700 block of Jeannie Court. The last person known to have seen her was a friend, who said Arisoneide was driving her car near her home at 2:00 p.m. Arisoneide's daughter went to a friend's house after school, as per a regular arrangement. That evening, her friend's family drove her back home to drop her off. The house was locked and Arisoneide was gone, but her car was parked in the driveway and her wallet and keys were on the kitchen table. She has never been heard from again. She is missing under suspicious circumstances, as her loved ones don't believe she would have abandoned her child.

Arisoneide was born and raised in Brazil, where she met her husband, Matthew, who was an American citizen from a missionary family. Both of them were devout Jehovah's Witnesses. Gosselin married at age 21, and she and Matthew moved to the United States two years later. The marriage was reportedly troubled and Matthew was using heroin. Their daughter stated he would disappear for days at a time and Arisoneide would go out looking for him. After Arisoneide's disappearance, her daughter was sent to live with relatives elsewhere in California as Matthew became more dependent on heroin. He has been in recovery since 2002, however, and has rekindled a relationship with his child.

Matthew denies involvement in his wife's disappearance and hasn't been named as a suspect. Foul play is suspected in Arisoneide's case.