Parmenter and her husband, Bernard Rusness, disappeared from their Wolf Lake, Minnesota farm on April 3, 1976. They went to the grocery store together, and later, at 4:00 p.m., Rusness was seen leveling his driveway. Their farmhouse burned to the ground that day. Their eight-year-old son's body was found in the ashes, but Rusness and Parmenter were missing and have never been heard from again.

All the family vehicles were left in the driveway with the keys in the ignitions of each one. The hood was up on their Ford pickup truck, as Rusness was installing a P. A. system. The couple also left money in their bank accounts and never picked up their last paychecks from work. Their disappearances remain unsolved and foul play is suspected.