Schlick-Harris was last seen in Fort Bragg, California on December 31, 2007. Her roommate says she drove away from their residence that morning in her blue 1999 Volkswagen Beetle and never returned. She has never been heard from again. Schlick-Harris's roommate reported her missing on January 6. He didn't do so before because he thought she was with a friend in Redding, California; he found out otherwise when that friend called to ask where she was.

Several days later, Schlick-Harris's car was found legally parked near a roadside inn in Caspar, California, five miles from Fort Bragg. Her purse and driver's license were locked inside, along with an uneaten banana Schlick-Harris had taken from home for her breakfast. The vehicle's alarm system was functional and had not gone off. A search of the area turned up no sign of Schick-Harris. Her roommate stated she did not normally go to Caspar.

Schlick-Harris moved to Fort Bragg from Vacaville, California a year before her disappearance. She was a vocal critic of the city government in Vacaville and, in 2006, was arrested for violating a restraining order requiring her to stay away from city officials and employees. She pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 31 days in jail and three years' probation. She was estranged from her husband at the time of her disappearance; he lived in Vacaville. Her case remains unsolved.