Perez was last seen at 3:30 p.m. on July 10, 1988, when a friend left her in the 600 block of west 34th Avenue in Anchorage, Alaska. She scheduled to meet her former husband and pick up her young son in Anchorage, Alaska on July 10, 1988. She was supposed to arrive at the McDonald's restaurant on 36th and Old Seward Streets at approximately 10:00 p.m.. Perez's ex-husband called her boyfriend and told him that Perez never arrived as planned. Her boyfriend called authorities and a search was initiated.

Perez's gray 1985 Plymouth Colt was located on the third level of the parking garage at the international airport in Anchorage shortly after her disappearance. A search of airline manifest records showed no evidence that Perez had taken a flight under either of her associated last names. She has never been seen again. Investigators believe that foul play was involved in her case; they are investigating the case as a homicide.

At the time of her disappearance, Perez was a full-time college student.