Woodard was last seen in Lakeland, Florida on April 14, 1975. He was going to go on a trip to Texas with two friends the next day. He planned to buy marijuana and was carrying $2,500 to $3,000 in cash. He has never been heard from again. One of Woodard's friends later told Woodard's parents that he had never shown up, and they had left without him.

Woodard worked as a trackman at the Sailboard Coast Line Railroad at the time of his disappearance. He took very little clothing when he went missing, and there is evidence that he never left Lakeland. Foul play is suspected in his case, which remains unsolved.