Lunsford was employed at the Wal-Mart store in the Village Marketplace on Midlothian Turnpike in Chesterfield County, Virginia. She worked a shift during the evening hours of December 25 into the early morning hours of December 26, 1996 to prepare for the post-holiday clearance sales. Lunsford and a co-worker purchased breakfast at a nearby fast-food restaurant at approximately 8:30 a.m. on December 26. She was scheduled to pick up her three daughters from her mother's house afterwards. Lunsford never arrived and has not been heard from again. Lunsford's burgundy 1994 Nissan Sentra was discovered abandoned in the shopping center's parking lot, not far from her place of work, later during the day. There was no sign of her at the scene.

Lunsford broke up with her boyfriend three months before her disappearance. They remained in touch, however, as they worked together and Lunsford was friendly with his children. Prior to her disappearance, she had threatened to file a sexual harassment claim against him at work. Lunsford's ex-boyfriend said he visited her on the morning she was last seen. He is the last person known to have seen her before she vanished.

Lunsford's family members said it's uncharacteristic of her to leave without warning. She held three jobs to support her five children and other relatives. Lunsford had been amicably divorced for two years by the time of her disappearance. Her case remains unsolved.