Roberts was last heard from in April 1988. She was in the New Bedford, Massachusetts area at the time. Her family originally believed she had moved to the West Coast to live with a relative, but they later learned she had not been in touch with any of her relatives. Her father reported her as a missing person in June 1988.

Roberts was involved with drugs and prostitution at the time of her disappearance and foul play is suspected in her case. Her disappearance is believed be related to the homicides of nine other women and the disappearance of Christina Monteiro in the New Bedford area. The murdered women's bodies were dumped along area highways in 1988 and 1989. Most of the victims were in their twenties and all of them had issues with prostitution and substance abuse. The murders, and Roberts and Monteiro's disappearances, remain unsolved.