Nevarez was last seen at approximately 5:00 p.m. on January 17, 1995 in Sylmar, California. She was walking near a shopping center in the 13200 block of Gladstone Avenue at the time of her disappearance. Nevarez apparently planned to stop at a coin-operated laundromat inside the mall. She never returned to her family's residence and has not been heard from again.

Nevarez's Chevrolet Nova was discovered abandoned inside the shopping center's parking lot later during the evening. The trunk was packed with clean laundry and her purse was behind the rear wheel. Authorities discovered a puddle of blood near the rear of her vehicle, indicating that Nevarez may have been forcibly dragged away from the scene. Foul play is suspected in her case. She was married at the time of her disappearance and has four children.

Several businesses in and around the mall were burglarized after Nevarez's disappearance. It is not known if the incidents are related to her case, which remains unsolved.