LaBau was last seen on February 23, 1999. He told his mother he was going to Townsend, Montana with a friend to possibly buy a car, and would return to his Helena, Montana home later that day. LaBau's friend claims he dropped him off in the vicinity of the 900 block of Kessler in Helena at 9:00 a.m. He has never been heard from again.

LaBau had an appointment with an optometrist to renew his contact lens prescription. The appointment was set for after his disappearance; he did not arrive as scheduled. He also left money behind in his bank account and uncollected paychecks at his place of employment. LaBau's red 1976 Chevrolet truck with Montana license plates numbered 5T31420 apparently disappeared with him; it has not been recovered. Although police have found no evidence of foul play in his case, his mother believes he may be deceased, as LaBau has a young child and it would be uncharacteristic of him to abandon her. His case remains unsolved.