Riffin took a job at a restaurant in Ruidoso, New Mexico in the summer of 1982. She was last seen while taking a brief vacation in the mountains. Her car was found locked, stuck in a ditch and abandoned September 21, 1982, a short distance from Highway 3, between Mora and Tres Ritos in New Mexico. Inside were some clothing, painting materials and some paintings Riffin had done of the New Mexico landscape. The only thing missing from the vehicle was Riffin's purse.

A woman at a gas station ten miles from where Riffin's car was found believes she saw her shortly after her disappearance. According to the witness, Riffin appeared to be alone and requested assistance. She has not been seen since. Her parents in Montclair, New Jersey reported her disappearance to police; Montclair authorities are investigating Riffin's case although she lived in New Mexico and disappeared from there.

Riffin graduated from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia; her degree is in anthropology. She has previously lived in Israel and Peru, and wrote articles for the Jewish News in East Orange, New Jersey. Riffin sometimes lived with her parents, but traveled frequently. She enjoyed humanitarian causes and wanted to be an author in 1982. Her case remains unsolved.