Jennifer was last seen in the Kingsmill area of Williamsburg, Virginia on January 1, 1987. She was reportedly distraught over a recent breakup with her boyfriend at the time. Her mother woke up that morning and discovered Jennifer was missing and her bedroom door was locked. She has never been heard from again. Jennifer took only her purse with her, leaving behind all her personal belongings.

A note was left behind. It started out in the third person, stating "Your daughter's with me. She's fine. She's having some problems and needs some time away." The note then switched to the first person; Jennifer stated she was fine and needed time to think. She told her parents not to worry and not to contact police or her friends, and added she might choose never to return home. She stated that they should go to work as usual and she might try to call them at their workplaces, but would not call them at home. The note did not appear to be in Jennifer's handwriting, but her mother believes she did in fact write it. Some investigators theorize that Jennifer, who is left-handed, wrote the note with her right hand to change the writing.

Jennifer is believed to have left of her own accord. She was a sophomore at Lafayette High School in 1987. Her parents, who moved away 1990, hope she is still alive and will return home. Her father now resides in Texas and her mother in Charlotte, North Carolina.