Porter was last seen in Gastonia, North Carolina on the evening of April 19, 2009. The next morning, her mother wanted to get a coat out of Porter's closet and knocked on her bedroom door, which was locked. When she got no answer, she had Porter's stepfather open the door, and they found the bedroom window screen missing and Porter gone. She has never been heard from again, and all her belongings, including her purse, cellular phone, clothes and money, were left behind.

Porter's mother believes she climbed out her bedroom window that night to speak to someone, and planned to return home within a short time. She didn't report her daughter missing until April 27, because she believed Porter was probably with friends. Porter graduated from Ashbrook High School in 2007 and worked manufacturing jobs afterwards. Her family stated she didn't use drugs or drink much alcohol at the time of her disappearance, and had never been in trouble. Little information is available in her disappearance, which remains unsolved.