All that is known is that on February 17, 2009, the 22-year-old vanished. A police officer was the last person to spot Laura.
The officer had found her sleeping behind a building close to Memorial Park Cemetery and told her about nearby shelters. The officer also informed Laura that she was not allowed to stay behind the building overnight.
So, Laura got up to walk down an alleyway away from the officer, and that was the last time she was ever seen.
Later that evening, sometime between 10:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m., Laura did make some phone calls and spoke with her ex-boyfriend numerous times. Although, it is unclear what those conversations were about, and she has not been seen or heard from since.
According to a Facebook group created by Laura’s friends and family, it was a fight to get the 22-year-old a missing person report.
“It took six weeks of several phone calls a day from different family members, and finally the FBI to get a missing person report filed,” said Rene Nimbach.
“Although the local police were not cooperative or even interested in assisting in the search for Laura, and her family at the time lived in Kentucky, Colorado, and Michigan, a long-distance search was put into effect via volunteers.”
Flyers were also hung throughout the community, and hospitals, shelters, and tent cities were searched.
Tragically, though, it has now been nearly 14 years since Laura disappeared without a trace. Her case has remained cold, and her family has remained puzzled by the catastrophe.
According to Laura’s parents, it was extremely uncharacteristic of the 22-year-old to lose contact with family. She would call her sisters and mother at least once a week to check in until the day she disappeared.
Laura was also reportedly in contact with her abuser leading up to the disappearance. So, her parents fear that he “could have done something to her.”