Schmidt was a freshman at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana in 1985; she majored in electrical engineering. She lived in Dayton, Ohio when she was not at school. She was last seen in Purdue on August 6, 1985. She left her apartment near the university campus to go talk to a professor. She was last seen talking to an acquaintance at Grant and Northwestern Streets. Schmidt has never been heard from again. Foul play is suspected in her case. She was declared legally dead in 1993.