Hope resided on Section Line Road in Valliant, Oklahoma with her husband of four years, Jerry, and their three children, the oldest of whom was six. Jerry told authorities that he saw Hope inside their home at 3:00 p.m. on February 21, 2002, before he took their children on a camping trip. He said they were in the process of separating and he gave her $500 before he left. At around midnight, Jerry returned home because he had decided it was too cold to go camping. Hope wasn't there when he got back, and the $500 was missing also, but she left her 1985 Chevrolet pickup truck, car keys, eyeglasses and cellular phone. Jerry didn't report her disappearance for five days.

Authorities stated that it is uncharacteristic of Hope to leave without warning or to be out of touch with her family. She worked for the McCurtain County Sheriff's Department at the time of her disappearance; her duties included escorting prisoners from their cells to court appearances. She never picked up her last paycheck. Jerry filed for divorce from her fifteen days after her disappearance, and received full custody of their children.

Jerry reportedly refused to take a polygraph after Hope's disappearance, but he hasn't been named as a suspect in her case. Her case remains unsolved.