Metheny was last seen at approximately 8:00 a.m. on July 19, 2006, after dropping her three children off at the Country Kids Daycare facility in the vicinity of the 3000 block of east Dupont Avenue in Belle, West Virginia. Metheny planned to go to the Garnet Career Center, an adult education program she was enrolled with, to pick up her transcripts so she could register for classes at West Virginia State University. The last contact with her was at 9:00 a.m., when she called an automobile body shop on her cellular phone to verify an upcoming appointment. Some person, possibly Metheny, dialed her voice mail from her cellular phone at 9:30 a.m. She has never been heard from again. She was reported missing that evening, after she failed to pick up her children from the day care facility as scheduled.

On July 23, Metheny's gold and tan 1998 Chevrolet Ventura minivan with West Virginia license plates numbered US8255 was located abandoned in the vicinity of Wyoming Street and Beuhring Avenue in Charleston, West Virginia, in an area known for its drug activity. The vehicle had been at that location at least since 2:00 p.m. the day Metheny went missing; neighbors noticed it there, but did not connect it to her disappearance for several days. The doors were locked and the van was intact with CDs inside, but it had apparently been wiped clean of fingerprints. The only items missing were Metheny's purse and cellular phone. No evidence of Metheny's whereabouts was uncovered at the scene, but several items were found on the minivan's front seat, including a business card and a piece of paper with a phone number and a notation about a house for sale.

On the afternoon of the day Metheny disappeared, a witness reported seeing a young woman struggling to get out of a red sport utility vehicle (SUV) on the west side of Charleston. The woman was yelling "What about my babies?" The SUV has never been located and the woman has never been identified. Investigators believe she could have been Metheny, however.

A week prior to her disappearance, Metheny had an altercation with an acquaintance who had stolen her car months earlier. The vehicle was eventually returned with minor damage. Metheny was upset about the incident, but it is unknown whether it had anything to do with her later disappearance. Metheny is described as a quiet person. She used drugs socially, but was not known as a heavy user. She was formerly a student at Riverside High School and dreamed of becoming a nurse, and she was saving up money so she could rent a house. At the time of her disappearance, Metheny lived part time on Midland Avenue in Belle and part time with her boyfriend in Campbells Creek, West Virginia. Her family suspects foul play was involved in her case, as it is uncharacteristic of her to abandon her children.