McCormick missed her morning bus to school in Saratoga Springs, New York on April 19, 1986. She decided to hitch a ride to school instead. McCormick never arrived for classes that day and has not been heard from again. She was carrying a shoulder bag at the time she went missing. Around the time of her disappearance, she told friends she was planning on running away to Florida.

Suspected child serial killer Lewis S. Lent Jr. was investigated for possible involvement in McCormick's disappearance. A photograph of him is posted below this case summary. He was convicted of murdering a Massachusetts child and Sara Wood, whose body has not been found, and was investigated in the disappearances of James Lusher, Kimberly Moreau, Monique Santiago and several other cases. Lent has never been charged in any case besides Wood's, however. Police believe it is unlikely that Lent was involved in McCormick's case, but the possibility is not being ruled out.

McCormick resided on Deerlap Place in Saratoga Springs at the time of her disappearance. She was a seventh-grader at Saratoga Springs Junior High School. Her mother reported her missing two days after she was last seen. There were several possible sightings of her over the years in Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont and California, but none of these were confirmed. Foul play is suspected in her case.

Above: Lent, circa 1996